A/N: Here you go ^^ Hope you enjoy it! Writing this study was definitely an exercise in pushing characters to the breaking point. Hope it came across okay. Thanks for the reviews and support everyone!

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach. At all.

Chapter 32: Lessons in respect

Byakuya awoke to a pounding in his head and something furry pawing at his face. He groaned, reaching out a hand to push Mikado away as he opened his eyes just a crack. He paused, squinting at the patch of brown, black, and white fur sitting on his chest. It was difficult to think through the throbbing in his temples, but he was fairly certain that it was physically impossible for Mikado to suddenly be a calico cat.

"Good morning," said a voice from beside him.

Byakuya's eyes widened, and he sprang out of bed, scrambling upward and away from the voice. As soon as he moved, he immediately regretted it. White hot pain lanced through his skull, and he dropped his head into his hands, squeezing his eyes shut against the sudden influx of light and sound. When his head no longer felt quite like it was going to explode, he gingerly moved his hands away, opening his eyes slightly.

Kurosaki Isshin sat on his heels on the floor beside the futon, a grin on his face. He raised one hand in greeting. "Yo," he said.

"Kurosaki Isshin…" The words came out thickly, as if his mouth had been stuffed with cotton while he slept, but he said them with as much dignity as he could muster while feeling like he was about to die. "Why are you here?"

"I live here," said Isshin, still grinning. "Catch."

He hefted a canteen of water in one hand, tossing it at Byakuya. Byakuya reached out a hand to catch it and wished he hadn't as a few more shockwaves of pain ran through his skull. He stared down at the waterskin, then back up at Isshin as the other man held out what looked like a pair of white pills wrapped in a clean cloth. Byakuya took them carefully, frowning down at them.

"Don't look so suspicious, Kuchiki," said Isshin when Byakuya hesitated. "I run a clinic, remember?"

"Why am I in your clinic?" asked Byakuya, taking a small sip of water. His stomach roiled suddenly, and he clamped his mouth shut. Isshin wordlessly tossed him a wooden bucket, and Byakuya spent the next few minutes wondering if it was possible to remain dignified while being violently sick.

"Sei and I found you wandering around Seireitei muttering to yourself," said Isshin, when there was nothing left in his stomach to regurgitate. "We figured we'd get you off the street before anyone else saw you. This was the least public place we could think of. We thought about dropping you off with Rukia, but figured you didn't want her and Ichigo to see you like this."

Byakuya would have voiced his agreement if yesterday's breakfast didn't decide to make a reappearance. He clutched the bucket to himself, resolving that if he survived this, he was never touching alcohol again. He set the bucket back down, grudgingly accepting a clean cloth from Isshin and wiping at his face. He took another slow sip of water, focusing on keeping that one down.

"…I was seen by Ankoujin Seishin?" he asked, his voice weak. The pounding in his head would not stop. Pain won out over pride, and he took the pills Isshin had offered him, washing them down with another sip of water.

"Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about that," said Isshin. "Sei's not a gossip. Kukaku, on the other hand—."

Byakuya groaned, unable to tell whether or not Isshin was kidding. Shiba Kukaku rarely set foot in Seireitei, but that didn't matter. She was friends with Shihouin Yoruichi. And while Yoruichi wasn't a gossip in the sense that she would start a rumor to ruin his reputation, if she ever found out about this, he would never be able to live it down for the rest of his life. "Who else?"

"Shunsui," said Isshin, grinning. "And Ukitake. They came after you soon after we found you. Apparently you escaped, or something like that. I don't think anyone else saw you."

So with any luck, there wouldn't be rumors of this disgrace following him when he returned to Seireitei. Although it was highly unlikely that Kyoraku Shunsui would be able to keep quiet about this for long. He supposed that was more than he could have hoped for.

"You have…" he said grudgingly. "…my thanks."

Isshin shrugged. "Don't worry about it," he said, getting to his feet. "I used to be in the same situation. I know how it goes. There's a bath in the next room and breakfast outside. Try not to throw up all over the floor."

With that, he left the room, leaving Byakuya alone with his thoughts. After taking a few moments to collect himself, he stood up, staggering into the bathroom. He paused for a moment to study his reflection in the mirror. He didn't look like himself. He looked tired and haggard, disheveled, his normally neat hair in disarray and a spot of something unidentifiable on the sleeve of his white haori. He also smelled like a liquor shop, and it took him three tries to get his kenseikan out of his hair. He did manage it eventually, and after a long bath, felt almost alive again. He paused, glancing with disdain at his soiled shihakusho and haori before finding a clean yukata in the wardrobe and wearing that instead. He gathered his dirty clothes into a bundle, holding them under his arm as he stepped out of the bathroom and into the clinic's main hallway.

It was quiet, the only sound coming from low conversations down the hall. Patients, possibly. He ignored them, walking towards the smell of food, and found Isshin waiting for him in front of a low table. The other shinigami grinned, waving him over to a small room in the back, near the kitchen. In it, Byakuya found a living world washer and dryer, the same sort that had been adopted by the Gotei 13 for managing heavy loads of laundry.

"I don't know if that scarf of yours is machine-washable, but everything else can probably go in here," said Isshin, pulling open the lid to the washing machine. "There are some things from the living world that you just can't do without these days."

Byakuya allowed Isshin to put his uniform into the machine, resisting the urge to press the buttons along the machine's top. He remembered from personal experience that his vice-captain had gotten annoyed the last time he had done that, and also that his actions had somehow caused the Sixth's laundry room to flood with a disastrous amount of soap bubbles.

He had been graciously asked to avoid assisting with the laundry since then.

When the clothes had been set to spinning, he made his way back into the dining room, where breakfast had been laid out. Byakuya ate in silence, eating slowly so as to avoid another embarrassing episode with the bucket. Isshin watched him, and Byakuya did his best to ignore the fact that over the course of the meal, the jovial expression slowly slid from the other man's face.

After a while, Isshin gave him a smile that might have been called sad, lowering his chopsticks back to the table. "She's really something, isn't she?"

"Who do you mean?" asked Byakuya, raising his chopsticks to his mouth.

"You know exactly who I mean, Byakuya."

Byakuya paused, looking over at Isshin. There was no hint of a smile there this time. The other man's eyes were fixed on him, his expression completely serious.

He slowly lowered his chopsticks, resting them on top of the bowl as he looked back at Isshin. The name went unspoken, but he could feel it in the air between them as Isshin watched him.

"Masaki was like that, you know," Isshin said, after a while. "That girl…is her mother's daughter in so many ways. One minute you think you're saving her, and the next, you're the one that's falling."

Byakuya said nothing, glancing down at his bowl. The words were…frighteningly accurate, but there was no way that Isshin could have known all that. His conversation with Ryushin came back to his mind, the older Ankoujin looking at him in much the same way.

"It cannot have escaped your attention that my granddaughter has become quite enamored of you…"

He couldn't respond. Verbal acknowledgment would constitute a betrayal of his duty that he would not be able to come back from. So he looked away instead, hoping that that would convey what he was unable to say. It seemed to do well enough, as Isshin nodded, going back to his meal.

"Why are you telling me this?" asked Byakuya, after thinking for a few more moments.

"Because I feel obligated to warn you," said Isshin, glancing at him. He smiled again, the smile contrasting almost scarily with his next words. "If you do anything to hurt my little girl, I'll make sure you're the last head of the Kuchiki family. Medically." Isshin raised his glass of water, in something that might have been a toast. He grinned at Byakuya. "Are we clear?"

Kurosaki Ichigo did not want to be having this conversation. He would not be having this conversation at all if not for the fact that Hinamori had been in the room when his sentries reported this particular fact to him, and she insisted that since he was family, he should be the one to bring this up. Ichigo really didn't see why it was his business what his seated officers did in their free time, but Hinamori could be persistent when she wanted to be, and he guessed the Ankoujin Clan might have a few things to say if this kept up.

Still, when the door to his third seat's quarters opened and Masa stepped out with a stack of notebooks tucked under his arm, looking haggard and annoyed, Ichigo reflected that he really did not want to be having this conversation.

He walked up to his third seat anyway.

"Oi, Masa," he said, causing his cousin to stop and look back at him. Masa gave him a careful nod, not quite looking him in the eye.

"Taicho," he said.

Ichigo frowned. He knew Masa enough by now to know that his third seat addressing him by his rank when they were having a private conversation was a bad sign.

"You look terrible," said Ichigo. "Bad night?"

"You could say that," said Masa, scratching the back of his neck. He glanced away. "I trust the training exercise went well?"

Ichigo's frown deepened. When it came to Masa, formal speech was another bad sign. "I'm only going to ask this once, and then I'm going to drop the subject," he said, stepping closer. "Was that Iwase Kohaku the sentries saw leaving your room at dawn this morning?"

Masa paused, then lowered his eyes to the ground, still holding on to the notebooks in his hand. He didn't bother trying to deny it. "Yes," he said.

"And do you know what you're going to do about it?" asked Ichigo.

"Not a clue." Masa turned away, walking down the hallway. "I need coffee."

"Kitchens," said Ichigo, watching him go.

Masa nodded, not glancing back. "Thanks," he said. "I'll have a report on your desk in two hours."

Ichigo frowned, folding his arms. "Yeah, take your time," he said.

Masa raised his hand in acknowledgment, disappearing around the corner of the hallway.

Yuzu woke up that morning feeling much better about herself. She didn't know if it was her conversation with Jungetsu, or the fact that the Division she woke up to was a much livelier place, or because the weather was good that day, but whatever it was, she felt an energy that was much different from the depressed feeling she had had since coming back from Inuzuri. Even her wound seemed to have healed fully when she went to change the bandages that morning, leaving behind a matching set of pink scars on her stomach and lower back as its only trace.

She'd felt good enough to organize a training exercise that morning, dividing the Division between Shiyougi's team wearing red headbands and her team in blue. The participating Division members sparred across the Sixth's training fields, using bokkens and flash-steps as they engaged "the enemy". Each time a shinigami got hit, he or she removed their headband and left the field, and within the first thirty minutes, the playing field began to narrow, each side collecting a sizable amount of brightly colored headbands as trophies.

Yuzu reappeared on the ground directly in front of the west wing of the barracks, raising her wooden sword as a shinigami in a red headband bore down on her from above. She stepped to the side, keeping one hand on the hilt and the other on the flat of the blade as she tapped the wooden sword's blade against the shinigami's side. She spun as he dropped away, blocking her next attacker one-handed before stepping in and using the tip of her bokken to tap him lightly on the wrist. The two shinigami dropped their headbands and fell back, and she lowered her sword to her side, smiling as a breathless shinigami appeared behind her.

"How are you doing, Kawamoto-san?" she asked.

The girl paused to rest her hands on her knees, catching her breath. Like Yuzu, she was wearing a blue headband, and held her sword uncertainly at her side. "I'm fine, fukutaicho—," she said between gasps. "I'm just—not good—at shunpo—."

"You're doing fine," said Yuzu, eyeing the melee in front of her. She and Kawamoto stood at the edge, ignored for a moment, but she knew it wouldn't be for long. Already a pair of red shinigami were coming towards them, having glanced their way. Koyanagi and Shirogane Mihane, both wearing blue, quickly moved to intercept them.

"I think Shiyougi-san is out for me, Kawamoto-san," said Yuzu, smiling as she glanced back at the girl. "What do you think?"

Kawamoto straightened up, wiping the sweat off her face with the back of her hand. Her breathing hadn't fully settled. "It's because—fukutaicho—you made the rule—that if the commander goes down the whole side loses…"

"Good point," said Yuzu. "I guess I kind of made myself a target, didn't I?"

"Um—m-maybe…"

"Ne, Kawamoto-san," said Yuzu. "What do you think about helping me take down Shiyougi-san?"

"Eh?!" asked Kawamoto, looking up at her. "Third Seat Shiyougi? I—I can't—fukutaicho. I'm not—."

"You'll do fine," said Yuzu. "Just follow my lead." She spun suddenly, reaching out and pulling Kawamoto behind her as Nagai, the Division seventh seat, appeared in the air beside her. Yuzu gripped her sword in both hands, sliding her blade along the edge of his and deflecting it before bringing it quickly down on his shoulder. She jumped back, keeping her sword up and looking over at the others.

"Koyanagi-san, Shirogane-san, with me," she said, calling the fourth seat and eighth seat back to her. They glanced at her once before nodding, and were in front of her in an instant. Yuzu waved over a few more people, and within a few moments, had a half-circle of six shinigami standing around her—Kawamoto, Koyanagi, Shirogane, a pair of sixteenth seats, and a twentieth seat.

"Koyanagi-san, how's Shiyougi-san doing out there?" she asked.

"Shiyougi?" asked Koyanagi, glancing back across the field. "He's got Yamagishi and a couple of other officers stationed around him. Don't know what else. Okada went to check, but he took her out a few minutes ago."

"He's at the edge of the training field, fukutaicho," added Mihane, pushing her glasses up and wiping at her brow. "He's using the trees for cover."

"Alright," said Yuzu, nodding. "This is what we're going to do. Koyanagi-san, can you handle Yamagishi-san?"

Koyanagi grinned, resting his wooden sword on his shoulder. "Yamagishi?" He asked. "Any day of the week."

"Okay," said Yuzu. "When we go forward, I want you to keep Yamagishi-san busy. Shirogane-san, take whoever you need and cause a big distraction. Make him think we're coming for him from the right. That'll make him put all his guards on that side, maybe even join in the fight himself." She paused, frowning at them. "Even if it's only a pretend battle, please don't lose on purpose. Remember, we're treating this like a real battle, and I don't want anyone throwing away their lives."

"Hai, fukutaicho," said Shirogane, nodding.

"You three are good at shunpo," said Yuzu, turning towards the sixteenth seats and the lone twentieth seat. "But Shiyougi-san is fast and strong, so please don't go after him personally. You'll follow me in, and as soon as we reach him, I want the three of you to go for his other guards, and try and lure them away. Don't hesitate to ask for help if you need it—there will be other allies there."

The three of them nodded. "Are you going after Third Seat Shiyougi yourself, fukutaicho?" asked one sixteenth seat.

"Yes," said Yuzu, nodding.

The twentieth seat's eyes widened. "Are you sure you can win?" he asked. He paled as he realized what he said, and quickly shook his head. "No offense, fukutaicho."

"Iie, none taken," said Yuzu, smiling at him. "I'm actually not sure I can win. Shiyougi-san will be expecting me to come for him personally, and he's very good at zanjutsu. Since I can't use kido for this exercise, it will be difficult. That's why I'm not the one that's going to take him out. Kawamoto-san is."

"Eh—?" asked Kawamoto, staring at Yuzu. "Fukutaicho—I can't—."

"You can," said Yuzu, turning towards her. "Shiyougi-san is going to be completely occupied with fighting me. All you need is one hit. Take your time in getting there—you don't need to feel compelled to keep up with us. I'm counting on you, Kawamoto-san."

Kawamoto flushed, lowering her eyes to the ground. Yuzu looked away from her, turning towards the others. "Everyone ready?" she asked.

There were nods and a chorus of agreements all around. Yuzu turned towards Mihane. "Shirogane-san, if you please."

Mihane nodded, flash-stepping from sight. A few minutes later, confusion broke out on Shiyougi's side of the field, a group of shinigami in blue headbands charging him and yelling war cries. The sound of wooden swords clacking against each other rang out across the field. Yuzu glanced at the others around her.

"Now!" she said.

She flash-stepped away, feeling everyone else's reiatsu as they joined her. Koyanagi charged ahead, picking up speed as the other three officers fell in behind her. Yuzu felt Kawamoto's reiatsu pulse before falling away. She wasn't as fast as them, but she could feel the girl trying to keep up from the rear of the group. Another couple of flash-steps, and Koyanagi was charging Yamagishi with a yell, the other three officers spreading out and attacking Shiyougi's other guards. Yuzu held her bokken in both hands, swinging it down from above, and her strike was quickly blocked by a grinning Shiyougi.

"Morning, fukutaicho-chan," he said. "I was wondering when you'd come to see me."

Yuzu said nothing, landing on the ground and parrying his strike. She stepped to the side as he swung his sword at her again, the bokken passing within an inch of her as she thrust her own sword at his stomach. He sprang back, parrying it easily and shifting his grip on his sword as he swung at her shoulder. She raised her own bokken, blocking it with a sharp crack, and swung the sword at his head.

Come on, Kawamoto-san…she thought, feeling the girl's reiatsu get closer. Shiyougi ducked, dodging her strike by a hair. You can do it.

The attack left her open, and Yuzu's eyes widened as Shiyougi took advantage of the opening, gripping his sword in both hands and stabbing it at her shoulder. She moved, feeling the bokken's edge brush the fabric of her shihakusho. Too close. This was getting too close for comfort. She stepped back, blocking a flurry of strikes, and tried to flank him, searching for an opening. If she had been allowed to use Jungetsu or kido, there were a million things she might have tried, but limited as she was to zanjutsu and only needing one strike, it was difficult.

Shiyougi was very good at zanjutsu.

There.

A strike left his midsection open on one side. Yuzu quickly stepped to the side, charging in. Shiyougi grinned at her, and the next thing she knew, his ankle was locked with hers, sweeping her foot out from under her. Her eyes widened as she fell back, losing her two-handed grip on her sword. Shiyougi moved in, his sword in his hand as he smiled at her.

A trap. She should have known the opening was too obvious to be real. Yuzu gripped her sword in one hand, preparing to parry, but she knew from this position it wouldn't work. Shiyougi raised his blade—

—A girl appeared behind him, breathing hard. A sword cut down, resting on his shoulder. Shiyougi paused, his eyes widening as he glanced back at Kawamoto Sakako. The girl stood there, chest heaving, and stared at Shiyougi as if she couldn't believe she had actually done it.

Yuzu smiled, sitting up as Shiyougi slowly removed his headband.

A few minutes later, they were all back at the barracks, most of the shinigami grinning and laughing to themselves as they poured back into the mess hall for a late breakfast. Yuzu watched with a smile as Kawamoto found herself surrounded by a group of shinigami, getting pats on the back and excited chatter as they led her towards the mess. She pulled the blue headband off her forehead, wiping at her brow and watching the other members as they came through, some of them drenched from pouring water over themselves in the aftermath. Some shinigami gave her polite nods as they passed, others openly grinned. Yuzu smiled back, watching as they moved past her. Her own stomach growled, but she was in no hurry. There would still be food when she finally made it to the mess.

She took a long sip of water and capped the canteen in her hands, looking around at the grounds. Her smile brightened as she felt a familiar reiatsu make an appearance, her eyes moving towards the gates. Sure enough, the captain of the Sixth was there, walking towards the barracks. He was late, which was odd for him, but not unheard of. Byakuya had many other responsibilities besides the Sixth, and she was sure that with a wedding coming up soon, those had only increased. She felt a stab of pain at the thought of the wedding, but quickly brushed it off, walking to greet the captain with a determined spring in her step.

She wasn't going to let her own feelings about the wedding get in the way of what had once been a great working relationship. She'd made that decision to herself last night.

"Good morning, taicho," she said cheerfully, as Byakuya walked up onto the veranda from the courtyard path. "Did you have a good evening?"

Byakuya scarcely looked at her. "Good morning, Kurosaki," he said coldly, brushing past her and starting to walk towards the office. Yuzu stared after him, her eyes wide. He didn't even comment on the fact that most of the squad appeared to be heading to the mess hall late, or that there had just been a training exercise. And that cold tone he had adopted lately while talking to her…

…What was with that tone anyway?

"Taicho?" she asked, falling into step behind him. "Is something wrong?"

Byakuya stopped suddenly, causing her to stop as well. He didn't turn to look at her. "Why would you think that something is wrong, Kurosaki?" he asked, his tone still as icy as before.

Yuzu sucked in a breath. "Ever since we returned from Inuzuri, you've been very cold to me," she said. "Have I done something to upset you, taicho?"

Byakuya tensed, saying nothing. Yuzu stared at his back, waiting for him to speak. At length, he exhaled, still not turning to face her.

What he said was not at all what she expected.

"Is there any reason why I should not be speaking to you in this way?" he asked. "I am speaking to you as a superior addresses his subordinate officer. That is all."

He started walking again. Yuzu stared after him, stunned.

Superior? Subordinate? It might have been true, according to their ranks, but he had never treated her like this before. It was…this was…

Enough.

"Excuse me?" she asked, her eyes narrowing.

Byakuya stopped walking. "Have I said something wrong, Kurosaki?" he asked.

"I don't believe you!" said Yuzu, stepping forward. "Superior? Subordinate? Is that seriously the excuse you're going to give me? I've been in your service for ten years and you have never treated me this way!"

He paused, then turned to face her, his gray eyes cold. It was a glare that tended to send people running, but Yuzu returned it with her own, meeting the stare head-on. "Have I not given you the respect due to your station, Kurosaki?" he asked.

"You've treated me like dirt the past couple of days," said Yuzu. "Don't try to deny it! You may have been perfectly polite on the outside, but I know you better than that!"

His eyes narrowed dangerously. "And what precisely made you think that you know me?" he asked. "Did you presume that we were friends? Clearly, I have been remiss in the way I have been speaking to you. It allowed you to develop such assumptions of familiarity."

Her hand began shaking. She realized then that she had clenched it into a fist. She had no patience anymore, she realized. Not for this. "Cut the crap," she said. "You're lying and you know it. I don't know what's wrong or what it is you're going through—I would have been there for you if you let me—but whatever it is does not give you the right to treat me this way. I was not put on this earth to get pushed around by you!"

"Kurosaki," said Byakuya, his tone a warning. "I suggest you stop. You are being insubordinate and unreasonable."

"And you are being an ass!" said Yuzu.

"I am your taicho," said Byakuya taking a step towards her and glaring down at her. "and you will treat me with respect."

Yuzu raised her eyes to meet his. "You're not the same taicho I've learned to respect."

Without waiting for a dismissal, she turned walking away from him and heading back down the corridor. Byakuya might have tried to stop her—she didn't know and she didn't care. She threw open the door to her quarters, stepping through them and slamming the door behind her. It made a cracking sound as it slammed back into place, but she found that she was still seething. She let out a shout of rage, slamming the side of her fist into the wall and causing her things to rattle in place. Yuzu remained frozen in place in the stillness that followed, taking slow breaths to calm herself down. In the hallway outside, she heard Byakuya turn, heard his footsteps fade away as the door to the barracks opened and closed behind him.

His reiatsu disappeared from the building.

She exhaled slowly once he was gone, then slumped against the wall, dropping into a seat. Yuzu took a deep breath, burying her face in her hands. She took deep breaths, trying to stop her hands from shaking.

Byakuya walked up the steps towards the Kuchiki Manor, moving like a man in a daze. He kept his eyes straight ahead of him, his vice-captain's words still ringing in his mind. He walked past the doors, ignoring the pair of servants that greeted him and ignoring the cat that tried to rub against his ankles. Byakuya turned the corner heading towards his chambers and came face-to-face with Maki, the head servant.

She bowed politely, her hands closed around a circular tray. "Kuchiki-dono," she said. "Welcome back. We did not expect you back so early. Ankoujin Seishin-dono sent word that you were indisposed last night."

Last night. He didn't even want to think about last night. He walked past her, heading towards the safety of his own rooms. "Maki," he said as he walked. "I do not want to be disturbed, for any reason."

He didn't wait for acknowledgment, opening the door and closing it behind him. Once he was inside, Byakuya removed Senbonzakura from his side, setting it on its sword rack. He sat on the bed, feeling suddenly weak for a reason he couldn't name. He closed his eyes, but her words were still ringing in his mind.

"You're not the same taicho I've learned to respect."

He sighed, rubbing at closed eyes with the fingers of one hand. He slowly pulled up his knees, leaning forward and resting his arms on them. His mind was filled with images of her face, the anger and heat in her eyes as she'd stared at him.

He took a deep breath, murmuring the words to himself in the stillness.

"What have I done…?" he asked, speaking to no one in particular.

Karin stood next to Ongetsu, staring at the door in front of her. It was a simple white door, set into an unfamiliar wall. They had walked down the clinic's hallway to get here, but this wasn't any door that Karin had ever seen before. She glanced at the boy next to her, who was watching the door with an uncharacteristically complicated frown on his face.

This place isn't in the clinic, she said, turning towards him. I don't think I've ever seen this door before.

That's because it doesn't exist, Karin, said Ongetsu, glancing at her. At least, not outside your own mind. Behind this door isn't something that was, but rather something that could have been. Are you sure you want to see it?

Do I have a choice? asked Karin, looking back at the door.

There is…always a choice, said Ongetsu in reply.

Karin took a deep breath, considering it. It was just a door, nothing special. And yet, somehow, it felt different. Like walking through that door would change her somehow. If she opened it, what would happen to her? Would she still be the same?

She took another breath, then laid her hand against its surface. I've come too far to turn back now, she said. Come on.

Ongetsu nodded, stepping close to her. Karin turned the knob with her other hand, slowly pushing open the door.

TO BE CONTINUED

Omake

Master.

Senbonzakura's voice came to him from the back of his mind, rousing him from his already uneasy sleep. Byakuya frowned, his eyes opening as he stared up at the ceiling of his chambers. He glanced at the sword in its rack next to his bed.

What is it, Senbonzakura? he asked, directing the thought towards the sword.

I require your assistance in an urgent matter.

Byakuya frowned. Senbonzakura, he said, It is the middle of the night.

My deepest apologies, master, but I find that this matter cannot wait.

He sighed inwardly, closing his eyes. Very well, he said. What matter is this?

I require your assistance in locating the robe of the fire rat—

Byakuya's eyes snapped open.

Maki had been a servant in the Kuchiki household since her childhood, and had been head servant of the Kuchiki Clan for almost a century. She had known the current lord since he was a babe in arms, and remembered his father from when he was still a young man. Because of this, she had become used to many of the Kuchiki Clan's…peculiarities.

So when the door to the lord's room opened in the middle of the night and he stepped out, holding his zanpakuto at arm's length and glaring at it, she didn't think anything of it.

Nor did she think anything of it when he dropped the sword on the ground outside the door, retreated back into his bedroom, and closed the door rather firmly behind him.