A/N: I've made changes to previous chapters, as well as this chapter, significantly the name of Orihime's primary ability. Hopefully everything flows better. Hehe~

Chapter Three

Duel

As the early morning sun's rays began to filter through the window, streaking across Orihime's face, who was sprawled out on her futon and tangled in her blanket. She began to stir from her slumber, her ears picking up the melodic chirping of birds outside. Stretching, she opened her eyes and looked around the room. She noticed that her stuff that was left at the 13th division was against one wall of her room. She smiled, glad she didn't need to go retrieve her things. As she began to remember the events of last night, a blush crept up, staining her cheeks out of embarrassment. Aw man... Breaking down several times in one day. How will I be able to show my face around Captain Kuchiki again? He probably thinks the worst of me.

With a heavy sigh, she stood up, gathered her uniform, and her bag of toiletries. Orihime sorely needed a bath to start the long day ahead of her. She set off in search of a bathroom, hoping not to get lost in what seemed like a maze that is the Kuchiki Estate. During her journey to find a bathroom, she crossed paths with a servant who took the liberty of informing her that breakfast would be ready in about an hour as well as showed her where the bathroom was.

After her much needed bath, Orihime felt like she was totally refreshed. She sat in front of a mirror, brushing her long dark orange hair, parting it on the left and began to put two cornrow type braids on that side, tying them off close to her scalp and attaching her signature feather ornaments to the ties. Pleased with her appearance, she began to make her way to the dinning room for breakfast, again hoping not to get lost.

Just as he was almost finished getting dressed, a servant gently knocked on the wood part of the screen to Byakuya's rooms. They let him know that breakfast was ready, and he thanked them in his usual manner. Running a hand through his dark hair he stifled a yawn. Byakuya barely got four hours of sleep the previous night. He sighed and rubbed his temples, letting out some of his contempt for the girl that was now in his care before fixing his features into the usual stoic mask he wore and began making his way to the dinning room for breakfast.

Byakuya still felt like he owed Ichigo Kurosaki for everything he has done for Soul Society. He would remain diligent in helping Orihime Inoue since she was his comrade.

He entered the dinning room, noticing his sister was already there, talking to Orihime who sat to her left. They seemed to not notice him until he sat in his usual spot at the low table, a servant pouring him some hot tea.

"Good morning, brother," Rukia said and began eating, not noticing the change in Orihime's composure.

Orihime stared down at her food, not wanting to seem rude she finally managed to speak. "G-Good morning, Captain Kuchiki," she murmured and then began to nervously stuff her face.

Byakuya briefly closed his eyes before giving a curt nod, "Good morning."

Breakfast went on in awkward silence until Byakuya excused himself in order to head to the 6th division to begin work. Orihime, finally mustering the courage to talk to Byakuya, followed suit. She walked quickly to catch up to him.

"Captain Kuchiki, I'd like to thank you for yesterday. I'm sorry for being a bother," she said, looking up at Byakuya as she walked beside him.

"It is not a problem. Although you should talk to someone about your reaction to the rain. It is not healthy," he responded in his usual tone, looking straight ahead.

"Um, I don't know who I should ask. I'd like to go back to the world of the living for a day," Orihime said, now looking down at the ground as they walked.

"Why do you wish to go to the world of the living?" Byakuya inquired, briefly looking down at Orihime.

"Well, when you knocked me out yesterday I ended up in my inner world. My zanpakutō spirit, Ten'nin, said that my memories of the night I died aren't whole. Which makes sense, but I don't know where Ichigo is nor am I ready to talk to him since I still feel like he killed me. Ten'nin reminded me that there was someone else I could ask about it. The person I need to talk to is still alive."

Byakuya thought about this. It would be good for her to finally solve the mystery of that night, and mend her relationship with Ichigo. The thing that bothered him was that it had been fifteen years since she died, why hadn't anyone told the girl? "Who is it you need to talk to?" he asked.

"Uryū Ishida," Orihime murmured in response, looking up at the noble with hope in her eyes.

"The Quincy leader?"

Orihime nodded, "Yup! The very same."

Byakuya was silent a moment, considering the best course of action before speaking. "I will allow you to use the Kuchiki private Senkaimon, but you will need to ask Captain Ōtoribashi for permission to take a day off since you just became his lieutenant."

Orihime's face lit up, a big smile gracing her face. "Thank you so much, Captain Kuchiki. You're a generous man, different from how I've come to expect. During his stay in the world of the living years ago, Renji used to tell us horror stories..." she trailed off, noticing the noble stopped walking. She clasped a hand over her mouth and turned around. "I, uh... Sorry! I'll be going to the 3rd division now, Rose is expecting me." She bowed low before vanishing from sight, hoping that she didn't just get Renji in trouble.

Byakuya's eyebrow twitched, his temper boiling under the surface. He should be used to that sort of response by now. It's not the first time that he'd roused such from others, or as if he cared... He didn't care, right? He thought for a moment and decided that no, he didn't care. His charge only managed to invoke emotions he thought he buried ages ago. Not a small feat in and of itself. Yoruichi Shihōin and sometimes, Ichigo Kurosaki manage to bypass his barriers. Byakuya sighed, he would take it out on his Lieutenant today. That would make him feel better, he mused to himself, a small devious smirk gracing his lips.

Once Orihime got to the 3rd division barracks, she went in search of her captain since she wasn't sure what her duties would consist of as a lieutenant of the 3rd. As she searched, those who were a part of the division looked at her strangely, though some had recognition in their eyes. She felt awkward being stared at like that.

"Good morning, Orihime," came the sing-song voice of Rose. He frowned when he noticed her tense, "Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you. I thought you were particularly gifted in sensing reiatsu of others."

Orihime relaxed and turned around to face her captain, a sheepish smile tugging at the corners of her lips. "Well, seems I've become lazy over the years," she laughed nervously, still feeling the stares from others. It wasn't that she was lazy, she was just distracted by a lot of things.

"Hmm," he mused, looking around them. "Why don't we introduce you to the division as the new Lieutenant and then I'll go over with you on what your duties will be." He gave her a reassuring smile.

"Alright," Orihime murmured, following her captain to a building where she assumed he would gather everyone and introduce her. She hoped they would accept her as their lieutenant.

After several hours straight of paperwork, Byakuya placed his calligraphy brush down and decided he was much too tired and bored. Standing up, he smoothed his clothes to make sure he looked decent. He inwardly smirked as he anticipated his lieutenant's reaction. Byakuya would sometimes dump extra work on Renji, it was his guilty pleasure because his lieutenant never caught on to the fact that Byakuya was simply picking on him and had a concept of fun. Little known fact about the noble.

He walked over to the door of his office and stopped momentarily, looking at Renji with his usual cold gaze. "Abarai, I'm going to go home early today. Make sure you take care of the rest before you leave," he said in his authoritative voice, lingering a bit longer to witness his lieutenant's reaction.

He watched as Renji looked up at him confused at first, then turned his gaze to the piles of paperwork on Byakuya's desk and the ones already in front of him that he was currently sorting through. Byakuya could feel the tangible despair in the air around his lieutenant, but of course Renji wouldn't oppose his captain's wishes.

"Y-yes Captain Kuchiki, I'll have it done by tonight..." he said, hanging his head.

Byakuya left the office and paused near the door, closing his eyes and listening for the typical reaction. He smirked briefly when he heard a loud, "Damn it! This is so not fair!" along with an endless stream of loud mutterings. He composed himself, his gray eyes dancing with a bit of mirth. Byakuya began walking aimlessly around the Seireitei, enjoying the nice weather.

Sometime during his leisurely walk, he ended up in front of the 3rd division's barracks. He paused, staring at the large wood gate to the grounds, a frown forming on his lips. Why did he end up here? Suddenly he heard a loud squeal and a man's voice he recognized as Captain Ōtoribashi yelling, "Stop that, you idiot!" and then a rogue red energy ball broke through the gate and barely missed Byakuya, hitting the wall behind him.

Resisting the urge to growl in irritation, he placed the tips of his fingers on his temples. He knew this spiritual pressure all too well by now. He also knew that this girl would be trouble for him. Byakuya burst through the gate, his face stern and cold. His eyes landing on Rose, Orihime, and Shinji. He noticed that Rose was trying to pry Shinji off Orihime, and the girl was trying to pry Shinji's hands off her eyes. This explained the yelling, he supposed, but not so much the Shakkahō that almost hit him.

Byakuya decided he wanted answers and he couldn't do that with them like this. He pointed a finger at Shinji's head and uttered, "Shō," sending Shinji back, forcing him to finally let go of Orihime. This also gained Byakuya the attention of not only the three who were fighting with each other, but those of the 3rd division who were watching them.

Byakuya ignored the onlookers, fixing his cold eyes on Orihime who was staring at him in shock. "Why is it that you find ways to destroy things with kidō and threaten my person?" the girl in question flinched at his harsh tone, but he ignored that response, continuing. "You boast about being gifted in using kidō but every time I see you use it you contradict yourself, Lieutenant Inoue."

Orihime didn't like the way he addressed her just then, like she was nothing but a child he was scolding. She wasn't a child anymore, this whole thing also wasn't her fault. She turned and looked at Shinji who now had the audacity to look sheepish. She turned back to the all mighty noble who was staring her down. Orihime was about to retort but she was interrupted by her captain.

"It wasn't Orihime's fault. Shinji pestered her into showing him her abilities with kidō and then had the bright idea to mess with her just as she was casting the Shakkahō that apparently almost hit you. I would appreciate it if you stopped treating Orihime like she's a child, and stop staring at her like that. I don't do well when I feel my family is threatened, Byakuya," Rose said, staring the noble down. There were gasps among the onlookers, not many dared to address the Byakuya so casually.

"Family?" came the only response from the noble who seemed to have relaxed, but then he deemed it necessary to add, "It's Captain Kuchiki."

Rose smiled, all too happy to explain. "You see, back when Orihime first met us, the Vizards, we were wary but then Hachigen took an immediate liking to her. At the time they both shared very similar abilities. We were all happy that Hachi finally found someone like him. Since then we've always thought of her as one of our own. Not to mention this whole division is my family." There were more gasps behind them, the onlookers practically swooning over Rose's kind words. Orihime smiled, she supposed that they were, in a way, a family.

Shinji grabbed Orihime from behind, snaking his arms around her waist and resting his chin on her shoulder. He stared at the noble with his usual bored expression. Orihime tried to free herself of his grasp again, but to no avail. She sighed, settling for standing there, blushing. Byakuya didn't like the way Shinji was looking at him, or how he had his hands all over the girl.

"You know... I bet you can't even beat our precious Orihime in a duel," came the bored, yet taunting tone. Upon hearing those words, Orihime began to squirm in his grasp again, trying to escape before she got pushed into something bad again.

"Captain Hirako, your poor attem-"

He was cut off by Rose, "Oh! Brilliant idea. Orihime how about you duel Byakuya. I've been dying to see your zanpakutō in action." He looked at her as if prompting her to begin.

Orihime hung her head and sighed. Why did she have to duel Byakuya? Why was he even hear anyways? "Why can't I duel one of you instead?" She inquired, hoping that one of them would agree to duel her instead.

"I can't duel my first love!" Shinji said, appalled.

"I'd much rather watch. I always enjoy a good show." Rose said.

Orihime groaned, stepping away from Shinji when she realized he had let her go. She contemplated running away from the madness, but then again she didn't want to look like a coward. She began to unsheathe her zanpakutō, but she stopped when Byakuya turned around and made to leave.

"Hey! Where are you going?" Orihime called after the noble, unable to believe that she was actually attempting to stop him. She had a feeling he was looking down on her again, and she didn't like it one bit.

The noble stopped and turned slightly to stare at Orihime again, the look in his gray eyes sent chills down her spine. "I don't feel like playing around with you. From what I've witnessed before, I doubt you are capable enough to withstand my zanpakutō." He turned away from her again and started walking forwards. He stopped when he heard her voice again.

"Why is it you're so confusing? Sometimes you act like you care, then you do everything in your power to belittle me and push me away. You really think I'm worthless? Let me prove otherwise, Byakuya," she said, stepping forwards, drawing her zanpakutō. She watched as the noble finally turned around and faced her head on, drawing his own weapon. Orihime noticed something different in his demeanor, something that she didn't know how to place.

Byakuya didn't know why, but he felt something akin to happiness when he heard Orihime say his name so boldly rather than getting annoyed that she hadn't addressed him properly. He liked the determination in her eyes, and he supposed it would be valuable to know what she was truly capable of. "If you don't keep your emotions in check during this duel, I won't hesitate to punish you. Keep a clear head, Inoue." He held his zanpakutō upside down and let it fall, "Bankai, Senbonzakura Kageyoshi," he said as massive blades arose from the ground. Orihime was overwhelmed by the reiatsu that swam towards her. Byakuya paused for a brief moment before giving his command, "Scatter."

Orihime's eyes widdened, she didn't think he would go straight into bankai. She countered his immense reiatsu with her own and watched as his beautiful zanpakutō swarmed around him, the thousands of cherry blossom petals dancing with grace. She raised her own zanpakutō, pointing it towards the sky, and placing her left hand on the blade, she released her weapon with confidence, "Absolve, Ten'nin." She was aware of how Byakuya's zanpakutō worked for the most part. Orihime had witnessed the majority of the battle between him and Ichigo years ago. Her eyes caught how there was a space around Byakuya where the blades never went inside.

Byakuya watched her intently, gauging every miniscule movement she made. He caught her eyes watching how his Senbonzakura Kageyoshi moved around his feet, always staying a safe distance from his person. He narrowed his eyes. Could she have realized my weakness? No one has ever figured it out in this way, not even Ichigo. The girl would be foolish if she decided to exploit my weakness. Deciding he was bored with waiting for her to engage, he sent a wave of blades at her. Just as they were about to make contact, Orihime's form blurred as she flash-stepped to evade the attack. She's fast, but not faster than me. Byakuya had a feeling he knew where she would end up, and this hunch was confirmed when he felt the sharp blade of her zanpakutō pressing into his right side, at his waist. He quickly turned his head and flashed her a small, devious smile before disappearing.

Orihime's eyes widened again. He's so fast, and it's as if he kn- she didn't have time to finish her thought as she saw in the corner of her eye the form of Byakuya, outstretching his right hand and making a fist. It was then that she realized that she played into his trap. The thousands of blades began to swarm her at all angles, quickly moving in to smother her. He's going to kill me! Orihime hunched down, and stabbed the ground with her zanpakutō. She uttered "Seifuku no Hikari!" and a large circle formed on the ground, suddenly the blades stopped advancing. She could tell that Byakuya was fighting to keep his zanpakutō from succumbing to her ability as the thousands of blades were shivering in mid air. In order to protect herself from what was about to happen, she aimed a shakkahō at the wall of blades before her and used the force of the spell to escape the area as the blades trapped in the column of light fell harshly to the ground making a loud sound like violent waves crashing against land. She knew she would have to end this quickly because that ability drained her reiatsu the longer she held it. Orihime needed to beat him.

Byakuya eyes were the only part of his face that betrayed the amount surprise and confusion he felt when he suddenly lost control over the command he gave his zanpakutō. He watched as Orihime exploded out of the prison of blades he had cornered her into, her reiatsu flaring out dangerously. Byakuya could feel her anger as she once again stood before him, her limbs and face now adorned with hundreds of shallow cuts. He would have commented on her lack of control, but her deadly serious expression kept him from doing such. He noticed her grip tighten on her zanpakutō and her stance changed to where she looked like she was ready to pounce on her prey which was currently him.

Byakuya realized that she hadn't trapped all of his zanpakutō in that strange light, he opened his right hand and called the blades forth, creating a glowing pink blade. As he was doing this Orihime took that moment to spring forwards in a series of shunpo, snaking as she advanced forwards. Before her blade could connect with his body, Byakuya swiftly redirected it with his left hand, making it only graze his side. At the same time he also brought the fully formed blade down, pressing the tip firmly into Orihime's back, drawing blood but not sinking deep into her flesh, the action was intended more as a warning. They stayed like that for a moment, the people still able to watch and withstand their reiatsu were deadly quiet, although there were a few new onlookers. Byakuya felt her grab his captain's haori with her left hand as if to steady herself, he could feel her reiatsu draining because she still kept up that light ability. What happened next shocked everyone.

Orihime opened her left hand and firmly pressed it against Byakuya's chest, uttering a firm, "Hadō number four, Byakurai!" Pale lightning shot through the right side of Byakuya's chest, ruining his clothes and leaving a burn mark where her hand was on his body. Byakuya was stunned more than anything, he looked down at the girl before him, eyes dancing with surprise.

Orihime finally released her ability which was still holding down most of his zanpakutō, noticing she barely did anything to him with her hadō spell because she used up too much reiatsu. She uttered a defeated, "Damn," and then began to fall to her knees, unable to keep herself upright anymore. Orihime kept her eyes on the ground, unable to look up at Byakuya. She was foolish to think she stood a chance against him.

Byakuya kept his eyes on the crumpled form of Orihime, confusion marring his face. He didn't noticed that he still held her zanpakutō in his left hand by the blade, his blood dripping continuously down the metal. He called forth his zanpakutō, reforming and sheathing it. He didn't feel like he won, but judging by the way she was currently, Orihime didn't think she had won either.

"So, uh... Can someone fill us in why Captain Kuchiki and Lieutenant Inoue were fighting?" came the wary voice of Izuru Kira. Isane Kotetsu was standing at his left, a worried look on her face.

Byakuya's eyes settled on various lieutenants and captains that must have grown curious about his duel with Orihime. The 13th, 12th, 7th, 1st, and of course his lieutenant were the only ones that didn't wander to their location. He was about to say something when they all heard a loud "Kenny, we're here!" Everyone watched as Captain Zaraki, with his lieutenant on his shoulder, came through the gate.

"Damn, we missed the fun."

A/N: So... Yay for another chapter. Sorry for not updating in a while.

Seifuku no Hikari (Light of Subjugation) is basically similar to Rukia's Somen no mai, Tsukishiro, but instead of ice it creates a column of light that intensifies the force of gravity so much that it can pin down an enemy or projectiles. This can be used on any flat surface. Keeping the ability up drains her reiatsu though.

If you're also curious about why Orihime hasn't even used bankai yet (she is capable of it in my story mind you), it's because 1) it's not fully formed, 2) it won't aid her in a battle, at least not when she is the one battling.