DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters associated with it. They belong to their respective owners. This storyline, however, does belong to me.

The House of Kuchiki

CHAPTER ONE

"No, Rukia!"

A hand stretches out, shaking. Desperately reaching for the bundle in the alleyway, the distance between them grows larger and larger. The bundle, now phased into focus to be a baby, is crying weakly, hungry and cold in the rain.

"Rukia!" The hand continues to strain, the image of the baby fading to black as the distance becomes too large for eyes to see.

Hisana's eyes quickly fly open, revealing her hand outstretched towards the ceiling. Tears are streaming down her face and her futon's covers are a mess. She had been having the same nightmare for a while now, the thought of her baby sister starving in the rain haunting her very existence. There had been quite a number of rainfalls since she had abandoned Rukia in the alleyway of Inuzuri, and after each one she found herself going back to see if Rukia was there, only to find an empty space.

Hisana sat up and slowly stood, walking to the exit of her house and sliding the door open, looking up at the sky. It was late, judging from the silence and emptiness of the streets of Seireitei, and there was a gentle breeze.

Perfect for a walk… Hisana thought, as she slipped on her sandals and took a step outside.

Hisana was a beautiful young woman, a rare gem found in the dirt that was the poor Rukongai district known as Inuzuri. Her eyes were a dark yet brilliant black, which had a faded glow from lack of sleep and food. Her hair, the same shade as her eyes, followed the general shape of her head, then turned out semi-dramatically at the start of her neck. She had inherited the hair from her mother, and the style of hair was similar to that of her grandmother's. A family heirloom, she had decided, and her sister was bound to have had the same hair, if she was still alive.

Hisana sighed quietly as she looked back up to the stars. If I had just kept her and been a little stronger… I could know if she was alright for certain… Whether it meant still being in Seireitei or Rukongai, she would still be with her sister, and that was more than enough for her. It was always the same thought to cross her mind after the nightmare. If she had battled the unexplained hunger a bit more and dealt with the lack of energy to be able to feed Rukia… then maybe, just maybe, they would both be fine.

Of course, only two months later, the hunger was explained to her. Once she learned her hunger meant she had spirit force, she trained herself eagerly to gain entrance to Seireitei. Eventually, she made it into the Shinigami Academy and she swore, upon stepping foot out of Inuzuri and into the court, that she would train hard to become strong and go and find her baby sister.

It had been nearly eight months since she made it into the academy, and there wasn't even a trace of Rukia's existence to Hisana thus far. She sighed again and let her head drop down, watching her feet as she walked. As far as she was concerned, she was the only one who could possibly be walking so late at night, so looking ahead was completely pointless.

As Hisana turned the corner, she learned that she wasn't the only one taking a late night walk as she bumped into, knocked over and landed on top of a man she had never spoken to before, but had seen on several occasions:

Kuchiki Byakuya.

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