Ascension

by darklover

Set up to Ch 382. Amidst the raging Winter War, a Shinigami appears claiming to be Ichigo's daughter from the future. Is she telling the truth or is it merely a distraction orchestrated by Aizen? Hints of Ichi/Ruki & other pairings.

26. Chapter 26

Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach or the name Kurosaki Masaki. Both belong to Tite Kubo et al. My OC belongs to me under the name of Mai.

Feedback: Comments, suggestions, corrections, welcome. Flames are not.

Thank you to everyone that supports this story. It keeps me striving to finish it.

AN: Once again I took longer than I wanted to get this chapter out, but the bright side is that this is my longest chapter yet. I hope the content makes up for the wait. For those who have been reading "Summer Vacation" on my deviantArt page the final chapter was posted in May. Remember to check out the artwork featuring my character's design change. The majority of you have not viewed them. I probably won't be able to update the older chapters with the description change until after I finish this story (As of 5/14/18, the older chapters have been updated with the new description).

---

Iciness crept up Ichigo's neck as he squirmed on the frozen ground, fighting against a hissing, crackling electrical python wound across his chest and arms. With the way he was bound, Zangetsu lay uselessly at his side, scraping against ice instead of his captor. There was no way he could move his hand to use its blade to fight. He tried to extend his arms to the side, but the snarling creature holding him captive hardly allowed his arms to stretch an inch. He tried again, but it seemed like his current physical strength was not going to be enough to overcome his predicament.

He stopped struggling and instead focused upon the inner power within his body. Within moments his body began to glow, but before he could do anything, a flash of incoming white filled his vision. He was momentarily blinded, but he reacted instinctively, rolling around to the left. He could hear the distinct whoosh of a blade tearing through the air and into the frozen ground where he had previously been.

Blinking, he opened his eyes, as he continued to roll away from his attacker, a glow emanating from his body. When he rolled onto his feet, he was free from his bindings, but he barely had time to twist Zangetsu to the side to block Sode no Shirayuki.

"What's a matter, Ichigo? I thought you said you weren't going to hold back," Rukia taunted, violet eyes sparkling mischievously as she pressed her blade against his. "Don't tell me this is all you've got…"

"Tch…I'm barely getting serious, so you better watch out!" Ichigo warned her, smirking as he returned the pressure she was exerting upon his blade.

Ichigo brushed away her katana a few moments later. Almost as soon as the petite Shinigami landed neatly across the ice-covered floor across from him, he was already leaping towards her, swinging his large sword. She shifted her slim blade to the side, intercepting his attack. Their swords groaned for a moment before Ichigo flipped her blade aside, putting Rukia on the defensive.

Grimacing, Rukia moved as swiftly as possible to defend the onslaught of blows raining down upon her. She could feel her hands threatening to release their hold upon her hilt as throbbing pain rankled her arms, but she did her best to maintain her grip in spite of their incessant pleas to do otherwise. She just had to hang on until she could find a chance to get away from Ichigo's reach. This approach had served her well thus far and had allowed her to hold her own against him.

She dodged his incoming blow and took a swipe at his abdomen, forcing him back. Without waiting for his next move, she disappeared from his sight and took refuge behind one of the unshattered ice blocks in the area.

"What's a matter, Rukia? Worn out?" She could hear Ichigo shouting at her.

Her eyebrows dipped low.

The fool was clearly aware of her weakness.

Even if her arms weren't worn out, it would still be a challenge for her to face him. She had known this from the beginning. His Zanjutsu skills were undoubtedly superior to hers. It was incredible to see how much Ichigo had grown in such a short amount of time with her own eyes. It seemed like a lifetime ago when she was berating him for fighting recklessly. Now he fought with smooth, purposeful strokes…Pure, undeniable, confidence exuded from every gesture….

Urahara had taught him well, but he possessed undeniable natural talent... He was a prodigy just like Kaien-dono had been….

No, he had surpassed him. Ichigo's current level and skill had been obtained in mere months, not years. He had even obtained Bankai, a feat very few individuals were capable of. She'd never heard of such rapid progress but now she understood why he was so gifted; it was in his lineage. She had no doubt that Ichigo's skill and power would become truly developed when he would become an official Shinigami.

She was proud of him, but she couldn't help but feel disappointed in herself that she not managed to work as hard as she could have to be at a higher level of skill and power than she was currently in all her time as a Shinigami. It was pointless to think such things, of course. She could not change the past and back then, she just did not have the same motivation as she did now. She desired to grow stronger for herself…and ultimately for her future….

The ground beneath her feet began to tremble and the sound of quivering ice filled her ears. Violet eyes shone with realization as she stared at the shaking ice mass before her. She leaped into the air seconds before a powerful blast barreled through the ice block and the spot where she had been standing. Ice chunks and a white haze filled the air.

Sensing someone behind her, Rukia whirled around, holding the flat tip of her sword with one hand and in the other her hilt in an effort to stave off the large, cleaver like blade coming at her. Her feet slid back slightly across the air, but she held firm. She gritted her teeth as she continued resisting the force pressing down upon her blade, but she was grateful that the current positioning of her arms allowed the pain circulating through them to be more evenly distributed thus making it easier for her to repel Ichigo.

"Shoulda chosen a better hiding place, Rukia," Ichigo teased.

"I wasn't hiding," she retorted. "I was just— "

"Regrouping?" Ichigo interrupted. "Same difference. I can't let you do either."

"You can't let me?" Rukia echoed, raising her eyebrows. "It almost sounds like that's your strategy, Ichigo."

"Well, can you blame me? I've let you think too much up until now."

"What's that supposed to mean, Ichigo?" Rukia demanded, narrowing her eyes.

"Just saying letting you strategize has cost me." Ichigo grinned as he forced her to drop her hand from the flat tip of her sword and redirect it towards her hilt as she quickly adjusted the angle of her blade. Her feet skidded a few feet back as Ichigo continued pressuring her.

"I don't need to hide to strategize, you fool," Rukia said as she pressed Sode no Shirayuki against Zangetsu and made Ichigo marginally retreat.

Ichigo grinned. "I know that, but"—amber eyes shifted downward briefly as an explosion filled the air—"W-What the…What's Renji doing?"

Violet eyes followed his line of sight. She could see Renji releasing his sword and swinging it towards Masaki. "Sparring with Masaki, it seems."

"I see that, but— "

Taking advantage of his distracted state, Rukia broke away from Zangetsu, released one hand from her hilt, and pointed a finger at Ichigo as she shouted, "Hadō 4: Byakurai."

Ichigo moved to the side at the last second.

Amber eyes glared at nothing but the lingering white haze.

"Damn it," he cursed, annoyed that he had allowed Rukia to flee from his sight.

Feeling the hair at the base of his neck stiffen as a rush of cold air billowed behind him, Ichigo turned.

"Getsuga Tenshō," he quickly yelled, unleashing a blue crescent wave to meet the fast approaching white snow wave.

Blue Reiryoku clashed against white Reiryoku and for a moment neither seemed to want to overpower each other. Seeing this Ichigo focused more of his power into Zangetsu and at last the blue overtook the white. The ensuing explosion thrummed in Ichigo's ears and he was sent him flying back. He felt his body begin to descend downward and he immediately tried to right himself but found his body's response oddly sluggish. Was he really that disorientated, he wondered. He tried again, but was suddenly aware of a crimson glow enveloping his body.

Crap, he thought as he realized he was being affected by Kidō.

He wasn't disorientated at all; his limbs were losing sensation. He could scarcely feel his fingers. Out of the corner of his eye, he could just about gauge that the ground was getting ridiculously close. He began releasing more Reiryoku and was just beginning to regain sensation when six beams of light pierced his mid-section.

Damn it, not another one, he thought, as alarm flared in his heart. Urgently he focused on releasing more Reiryoku but he found that it seemed pointless because his body remained firmly immobile. He was going to crash land on the ground within a minute or two….

As he found himself dropping even lower, he inwardly braced himself for the impending impact. A charring sound soon filled his ears as he felt the light beam protruding from his back pierce what he believed to be the hard frozen ground, the site of his impending burial…. However, he was surprised that his body was bouncing upon some sort of soft cushion instead of burnt earth…

He blinked, amazed, to see a jelly like safety net attached in between the earthy cliff on his right and the frozen cliff on his left, keeping him from falling to the ground below.

"I told you, I didn't need to hide to strategize," declared a familiar smug voice.

As he looked up, a white blade appeared below his neck.

Rukia was standing behind his head, smirking.

"It's over, Ichigo, I win."

"How can you say that? You cheated."

"I did not," Rukia said, eyebrows bristling with indignation. "It's not my fault you allowed yourself to be distracted."

"I'm not talking about that. You used Kidō to paralyze me. How is that even fair?"

"Immobilizing an opponent is a legitimate battle tactic," Rukia replied sensibly. "Just be grateful I didn't allow you to plummet to your death."

"How kind of you," Ichigo muttered sarcastically, "but I wouldn't have needed your so-called help if you hadn't paralyzed me in the first place."

"Ungrateful idiot, I could easily take back my kindness," Rukia warned him as she placed her blade closer to his neck just above his Adam's apple.

Ichigo remained still for a moment, gazing at her briefly with surprise followed by mild annoyance.

"Forgive me, Rukia…for almost forgetting you can use a sword," Ichigo said, his lips quirking up into a grin.

"Why you…" Rukia started, drawing her blade even closer to his flesh. "I have no trouble using a sword, Ichigo…I could easily slice off your head if I wanted to…You're just being a sore loser, looking for excuses for your defeat…Zanjutsu isn't the only skill a Shinigami should possess…. You're just jealous your sword wasn't enough to contend with my Kidō…"

"R-R-R-u-u —agh—" Ichigo was squinting up at her, fear clouding his features, gagging, barely able to speak.

Rukia glanced at him startled, instantly drawing away Sode no Shirayuki from his neck.

Ichigo gasped for air.

It was several minutes before he could talk. "So much for not trying to kill me..." Ichigo said, glaring at her. Red marred the flesh of his neck.

"Sorry, I got carried away," Rukia replied, looking somewhat apologetic yet sheepish.

"No kidding…" Ichigo grumbled. "You really drove your point to my neck, but I was just messing with you… You've already shown me you have an impressive sword that you're able to use quite well…I had no idea you had that kind of skill."

Rukia stared at him, surprised and embarrassed.

"Of course, if this had been solely a Zanjutsu duel, I bet I'd beat you…Shikai or no Shikai …"he added, smirking.

"You probably would…Your strength is Zanjutsu whereas mine is Kidō," Rukia admitted begrudgingly after a beat.

"Combined though, Rukia, you've demonstrated you're a force to reckoned with. I should have been more careful…but I'm not really much of a strategizer…I just rely on Zangetsu and Shunpo to fight…I guess, you're right, it's important to learn other stuff… Maybe you could teach me some Kidō… I could give you some pointers on Zanjutsu if you want…"

"Y-You want to learn Kidō?" Rukia said, amazed.

"Sure. Why not? It could come in handy."

"It's only handy if you are able to control your Reiryoku to perform the spells."

"So, are you saying I can't learn to do it?"

"I'm not saying you can't, but if you don't know how to control your Reiryoku properly you won't have much success. Not even Renji, who can control his Reiryoku, can use Kidō properly."

"Well, that's Renji. It doesn't mean I can't do it. You just have to teach me how to fully control my Reiryoku. I'm not completely clueless; I sorta know how to do it."

"Kidō requires a lot of control and precision and concentration. It's not the same as utilizing a Zanpakutō. Especially not yours since it requires large amounts of Reiryoku to be truly powerful."

"I know that, but I've gotten better at controlling my Reiryoku because I've learned to use Zangetsu. At the core, it's the same concept except on smaller scale, isn't it?"

Rukia hesitated. "In part yes, but…"

"Then, teach me."

Violet eyes peered at him.

"You're serious about this, aren't you?"

"I am."

"Fine. I'll teach you Kidō after you have learned to control your Reiryoku properly. With the amount you have now, it won't be easy."

"When is it ever?" Ichigo replied, grinning sardonically. "Mind getting me out of this?" he asked, gesturing with his chin to the Kidō protruding from his midsection.

"Oh…right," Rukia said, preparing to help him when a deafening rumbling sounded from above. "W-What was that?"

"Must be Renji," Ichigo said.

Rukia frowned.

---

Holding the red hilt of Zabimaru in his hands, Renji braced himself for the upcoming battle. Standing across from him was Masaki, holding a royal purple hilted Zanpakutō. Her blade sparkled as she shifted it forward. Renji mirrored her movements.

They stared at each other for a long moment, before both came forward at once, clashing in the middle of their impromptu training ground.

Steel grated against steel.

Renji narrowed his eyes a little as he strained against Masaki's Zanpakutō. He was trying to avert his gaze from her face, but as he struggled against her firm and unyielding blade, he couldn't help but catch sight of her slightly narrowed violet eyes, lighter than Rukia's, peering at him over their crossed swords. A cool determination shone in them.

It was jarring to once again see Rukia's eyes on someone else…The thin orange strands swishing across her eyes and the thicker, chin length bangs framing her face, however, intensified the feeling into something else...Resentment and bitterness flared in him at once.

He stepped forward, trying to channel the wave of repulsion and displeasure rushing through him into his katana, but he barely succeeded in forcing Masaki back half a foot.

Their blades finally separated several moments later, only to meet again.

He parried her blade aside and she rapidly retaliated.

Her reflexes and reaction time are first class, Renji noted as he continued trading blows with Masaki, each stroke faster than the next. Damn, she really does take on after him…

As much as it annoyed him, it also increased his curiosity about the extent of her fighting abilities. Nonetheless it didn't stop the thought that if she had been his, her skills would have been at the same level, if not better… He would have made sure of it.

And she would have looked prettier with his hair color. Red hair would have complemented her eyes better than orange….

Widening his eyes, he twisted his head sideways as the orange haired young woman's weapon pushed aside his and glided through the air towards him.

Concentrate, idiot, he chided himself, as he disappeared before she could bring her katana back.

He reappeared behind her, swinging his sword downward. Masaki spun, intercepting his stroke. The loud clang resonated in his ears.

"You're not bad. Let me guess Ichigo taught you," Renji said, as he leapt back, preparing to attack yet again.

"And my mother," Masaki replied. "They were my main sensei, but they weren't my only ones…"

"Those old geezers at the Academy don't count," Renji said, as he swung Zabimaru.

"I wasn't talking about them," Masaki said, deflecting his attack.

"Then, who?" Renji said, slashing sideways.

Masaki was silent as she swung her weapon upwards, pushing away his blade, before saying, "You."

"M-Me?" Renji stammered, shock shining in his brown eyes.

Renji could not quite believe what he was hearing. He had helped teach her how to fight? He hadn't really given much thought to how his life must be in the future, but he had figured he didn't really play a role in the lives of Ichigo and Rukia and their daughter. How could he? He abhorred the very notion of their marriage. He doubted he would want to be near them, watching their happy little family…

"Hai. You used to help me train whenever you would come over to visit, back when I was still learning the basics," Masaki elaborated, as she attacked him.

"Is that so? Well, I probably gave you better advice than your old man," Renji said, parrying her blows.

"You both had your points." Masaki half smiled.

"I doubt his were as good as mine. I've been a Shinigami a lot longer than him."

"Like I said, both of you had your points regardless of experience. Speaking of which, how long have you been a fukutaichō?"

"A couple of months," he replied. "You?" he added, a second later, remembering that she held the fukutaichō rank in the future.

"About two decades now."

"I see. So, how long have you been a Shinigami?"

"A lot longer than that."

"I see, well, how about we get more serious then," Renji said, as he fended off one last stroke, before leaping back. "Don't be afraid to show me your real abilities…um…Mai, no…Ma…" Renji trailed off, wrinkling his tattooed eyebrows. "What was your name again?"

Masaki frowned slightly. "It's Masaki. And I believe it's you that has to prove your fearlessness to me," she reminded him.

"Be careful what you ask for, Masaki. There ain't no fear in my blade," Renji smirked, as he raised his hand over his katana. "Howl, Zabimaru," Renji said, and a crimson glow enveloped his Zanpakutō.

As he elevated his now segmented blade, Masaki said, "I'll be the judge of that."

Renji stretched Zabimaru towards her.

Masaki leapt back a few steps, then placed a foot forward, as she held out her blade in front of her to halt the rapid attack of the stretchable blade. There was a metallic screech as the contact was made, but her feet barely retracted their steps.

Surprised by the ease at which she blocked his attack, Renji put more of his strength into Zabimaru. He forced Masaki to readjust her stance but nonetheless she continued holding him off. After a few more moments of continued struggle, Renji withdrew Zabimaru, intending to attack again, but instead found himself parrying a blow from overhead. He detained her attack for a few moments before extending Zabimaru forward with a powerful lurch.

Masaki flew back with her blade pressed against Zabimaru. With a brisk movement, he made Masaki break contact.

Disentangling her Zanpakutō from his, Masaki turned over in midair before she dropped neatly onto the ground.

Renji was already launching Zabimaru at her.

She jumped into the air, dodging his attack. Grass and dirt rose into the air.

Tugging his sword back, Renji attempted to catch her within his Zanpakutō's segments from behind, but she used Shunpo to evade it. As his blade slinked back to its un-stretched state, Renji peered around the area, preparing himself for the young woman's next move.

"Hadō 33: Sōkatsui."

Renji whirled around, sending Zabimaru out to extinguish the fiery blue ball coming at him from a mere five feet away. The interaction prompted his arm and blade to tremble violently. Breathing hard, he just managed to turn aside his quivering Zabimaru to block Masaki's next attack.

"You're going to have to try a lot harder than that to beat me," he told her.

"I would expect so, Abarai-fukutaichō," Masaki said, her lips curving into a smirk. "It's barely getting interesting."

Renji gazed at her a moment, noticing how her smirk reminded him of Rukia yet at the same thing radiated a certain Ichigo-ness he was not pleased to see.

He flung his large segmented sword to the side, prompting Masaki to leap back several feet and slash sideways at his subsequent stroke, knocking it aside. He regrouped his blade and Masaki was in front of him. He dodged her blow, but she came at him with quick, potent strokes, forcing him to defend himself.

The tenacity and velocity of her attacks both surprised him and excited him. She really was upping her game. The way she moved her sword against his, fast yet carefully measured, spoke of familiarity. It appeared she really did seem to have practiced with him….

Sweeping his sword to the side, he finally succeeded in making her retreat enough, so that as he slashed sideways, he could extend Zabimaru forward. Grass flew as Masaki was pushed across the lawn, holding her Zanpakutō with one hand on its blunt edge and the other on its hilt. Her feet moved in an obvious effort to slow down, but Renji shifted his grip and Zabimaru twisted sending Masaki soaring towards a tree.

As swiftly as possible, Renji directed his Zanpakutō towards her in an attempt to pin her to the tree. To his annoyance, just as the pick like end of Zabimaru reached the tree, Masaki had already used her momentum to do a backwards somersault and rebound off the tree. With a loud crunch his sword punctured wood.

"Damn," he cursed, as he yanked back Zabimaru, knocking the tree down with the motion. A thunderous rumble reverberated across the area.

Sensing an incoming attack, he used Shunpo to elude it.

"For someone keen on assessing the fearlessness of my katana, you seem rather keen on avoiding it," Renji said, pointing his un-stretched katana at Masaki, as he appeared a few feet away from her.

He had noticed she was attacking yet again when his katana was in its normal state while in Shikai.

"What are you talking about?" Masaki asked, looking at him confused.

"You don't seem to want to face the full length of Zabimaru. Don't blame you, but you're gonna face it whether you like it or not." Renji grinned, as he swung his Zanpakutō and let it shoot out towards Masaki.

"I prefer close range combat, but it doesn't mean I'm afraid of long range combat if that's what you think," Masaki said, an amused grin sweeping onto her face, as she held off Zabimaru.

"Prove it," Renji challenged, continuing to drive his Zanpakutō forward, pushing her back several feet.

Masaki's grin only increased despite the fact he had just forced back.

Renji frowned as he wondered why she appeared to find his comment amusing. She may not fear long range combat, but did she think it was going to be easy or something? He was going to make sure it was anything but. He was going to win this sparring match.

He watched as she steadied her posture and then suddenly flicked her wrist, batting away Zabimaru with a simple but powerful swing of her sword.

Renji's balance was disrupted for a few moments as he struggled to steady himself and his katana.

He saw Masaki appear above him, holding her katana over her head, and he hastily jerked Zabimaru up to counter her move.

She pressed her sword against his for a few moments, before she regrouped.

Renji called back Zabimaru then released him once more.

Intent on making Masaki contend with the full length of his sword, Renji made sure to keep his distance from her and to maneuver it in a way that made it very difficult for her deal with. To his growing frustration, however, he was not getting closer to beating her, or making her utilize her Shikai. Despite his taunts and close calls, she was stubbornly evading his attacks with annoyingly incredible feats of agile acrobatics and Shunpo, utilizing her Zanpakutō to fend off his attacks when necessary.

It irritated him and made him want to beat her even more.

As he drove Masaki towards the trees clustered at the end of the now ruined lawn (thanks to the sharp picks of his Zanpakutō), he increased his velocity, mentally preparing himself for what he had to do. His timing had to be perfect. He would not allow her to escape this time. She would be cornered.

Grass and dirt splayed into the air as he kept driving Zabimaru into the ground due to Masaki's evasion, but nonetheless he maintained his focus.

Masaki dodged once more and he maneuvered Zabimaru to the right, making her leap back. He abruptly pulled Zabimaru to the side, slamming it hard and fast into Masaki, pinning her back against a tree with the blunt side of his Zanpakutō.

A triumphant grin swept over his face.

"It's over, Masaki," Renji declared, watching as she struggled to loosen his blade, her own sword hanging limply at her side.

She raised her head to look at him and then pointed her free index finger in his direction.

"Hadō 4: Byakurai," she said quickly, emitting pale blue Reiryoku from her finger.

Renji jumped out of the way, dropping Zabimaru, as the lightning streak struck the ground beneath his feet. He began to cough as dust and smoke filled his lungs.

Damn, he thought, ignoring his coughs, as he hurriedly threw himself into the lingering haze issuing from the explosion site. He needed to find his Zanpakutō fast. The smoke prickled his eyes, but he simply blinked, waving at the smoke impatiently, as he peered around the ground for Zabimaru.

He saw his fallen Zanpakutō a few moments later as the haze disappeared completely.

Instinctively, he dropped to the ground, hearing the familiar deadly whistle of a blade sailing past his head. He had not sensed her or had even seen her, but he had known she had been the reason why the smoke had cleared so suddenly.

As he rolled past his Zanpakutō, he stretched out an arm towards it, grabbing it. Within seconds of coming to his feet, he was already holding his Zanpakutō over his head with both hands to block Masaki's attack. He gritted his teeth as he withstood the pressure bearing down on him. He could feel his feet and entire body wobbling due to the awkward position he was in.

C'mon, Renji, you can't lose, he told himself, as he fought to keep both his equilibrium and the sword above him from coming down on him.

As his body leaned back, he used all his strength to suddenly push forward. He was on his feet the next instant, ready to resume the ongoing battle when a familiar annoyed voice called out to him.

"That's enough, Renji. Look at what you've done to this place….This isn't a training field," Rukia said exasperated. She was standing next to Ichigo, twenty feet away from him and Masaki. "If you want to continue sparring, do it over there," she said, jabbing a finger in the direction of the training valley where she had just trained with Ichigo.

"I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san, it's my fault. I asked Abarai-fukutaichō to spar," Masaki said, looking apologetic.

"It's not your fault Renji used his Zanpakutō to ruin the grass instead of to spar with you," Rukia pointed out, glaring at the scarlet haired man.

"Very funny, Rukia. So maybe I should have known better than to release my sword, but it's just grass, it'll grow back," Renji said, waving his hand dismissively.

"Would Nii-sama like it if you did this to the grass at your division?" Rukia demanded, raising an eyebrow at him.

Renji scratched his head, looking rather sheepish. "Er, well…"

"Byakuya would probably bury him underneath it." Ichigo chuckled.

"S-Shut up," Renji snapped. "Kuchiki-taichō wouldn't do that over some stupid grass. He'd just make me clean it up."

"You better do the same here after you're done sparring," Rukia ordered. "You can't just come to my division and ruin it. Ukitake-taichō won't be pleased about this. He likes for the plant life in our division to be taken well care of. He's really fond of it, you know."

"I doubt Ukitake-taichō would even notice or care about it right now—"

"That's beside the point, Renji. You can't just come into a division and ruin its property. Nii-sama wouldn't like to find out you've done this, now would he?"

"Geez, Rukia, calm down. I'll clean up. I never said that I wasn't going to."

"You better, or else Nii-sama will know about this," Rukia reassured him, before switching her gaze to Masaki. "I'm sorry for interrupting, Masaki, but I couldn't allow for this field to get ruined further. You guys can continue sparring down in the valley. Ichigo and I are done."

"It's okay, Kuchiki-san. Don't worry about the mess, I'll help clean up too since it's my fault we even sparred out here."

"I don't need your help, kid, I can clean it all by myself," Renji muttered. "Let's just finish the fight…"

"Don't be rude, Renji," Rukia chided.

"Yeah, Renji. Be grateful she's willing to help you out," Ichigo chimed in.

"I'm not being ungrateful, I just don't need her help. She shouldn't feel responsible for something that wasn't her fault. I'm the one who released my sword…"

"But I should have known better to than to think you wouldn't…"

"W-What?" Renji stared at Masaki with narrowed eyes. "Does that mean you weren't even planning on releasing your Zanpakutō so that there wouldn't be a mess?"

"No, my Shikai isn't as messy as yours actually," Masaki replied. "It's just ...not my style."

"Not your style?" Renji repeated, suddenly remembering she had said that before.

"Looks like the only bad thing is you owe me your Zanpakutō now," Masaki said, a grin forming on her lips.

Renji frowned, and as he glared at her directly, he noticed amusement shining in her amethyst orbs.

"The Hell I do! You cheated!" The red head cried out, outraged.

"Well, you were the one confident enough to bet your Zanpakutō," Masaki pointed out.

"I never actually placed a bet with you! I said I was willing, not that I was actually gonna do it!"

"Okay, calm down. It's not like I want it anyway. It's not my style," Masaki said coolly.

"You'd be lucky to have a Zanpakutō that is nearly as good as mine," Renji informed her.

"If you say so." Masaki grinned, eyes still sparkling with amusement.

"My Zanpakutō is an elemental type—an ice type, which means its attacks are long range. I told you before, didn't I? I don't like long range fighting. I prefer sword on sword contact. "

"That's seriously why you didn't use Shikai?" Renji repeated, surprised, now understanding why his Zanpakutō wasn't her style.

"Hai. And even if I had, I would have still fought the same way, if possible."

"Sounds like a short range combat type Zanpakutō would have suited you better," Renji commented.

"It would have suited me better, but that's not what I have. Don't get me wrong. I like my Zanpakutō, but its abilities just don't suit me. It's ironic really. I used to want a Zanpakutō like Sode no Shirayuki, but when I actually got one, I realized it wasn't for me. I may not like fighting long range, but I know how to do it because of my Shikai."

"I see. So, are we gonna continue our fight or what?"

"If you want, but I already have my answer about your Zanpakutō," Masaki said, smiling slightly.

"You do? What is it?"

"You weren't lying. There was no fear in your blade."

"Ha! Of course not." Renji smirked.

"Arigatō…Abarai-fukutaichō," Masaki said with a pleased, grateful grin. "So, do you want to finish after all? I'm fine with a draw. Maybe we can finish up our fight at some other time."

Renji considered her words. "Well, since you got your answer, I guess we can continue our fight later. You're just postponing your defeat though," he added afterwards, grinning cockily.

"You're getting ahead of yourself, Abarai-fukutaichō. I won't be fighting to lose."

"Neither will I."

"Good because otherwise it would be a dull victory."

"Tch, now who's getting ahead of themselves? The only thing that's gonna be dull by the end of the fight is your katana."

"I doubt it, but I will hold you to trying it." Masaki grinned, a daring gleam in her eyes.

"I won't mind doing it. You just better not cry afterwards."

"Cry?" Masaki repeated, scoffing at the notion. "The only one who should be prepared to cry is you. You have no idea what I'm capable of."

"There's no way you'd make me shed a single tear," Renji sneered. "You don't know what I'm capable of either," he added, forgetting the possibility that perhaps she did know him more than he realized.

"I suppose I don't," Masaki agreed, her lips quirking up into a smirk, "but I doubt it would be too much to handle. A tear shouldn't be too hard to get out of you…."

"You have some nerve, kid, but I doubt you'll think it's easy to fight me if I don't hold back."

"I technically might be younger than you, but for all you know I might be biologically ten times older than you currently are. You shouldn't keep calling me kid," Masaki said, ignoring his boast about his skill.

"Whatever. You're a kid in my eyes just because I know you are younger."

"Well, you shouldn't see me as such, I'm not a kid," Masaki said, sounding miffed.

"Too late, kid." Renji grinned at her mockingly.

Masaki creased her eyebrows in obvious indignation for a second, before she retorted, "Fine, think that, but it will only make you feel worse after I defeat you."

"Keep thinking that, kid, if it makes you feel better, but I won't lose to a kid like you," Renji teased.

Frowning slightly, Masaki's gaze left his for a moment and focused on Ichigo in the distance, before returning it to him. "If Kurosaki-san defeated you, then I think I stand a good chance."

Renji grimaced, feeling his insides writhe with irritation.

He hated to think it but he had literally been defeated by a Human kid. No defeat was lower than that…and she knew it…Violet eyes sparkled with a knowing, satisfactory gleam…. Ichigo must have told her, must have blabbered about it like it was some big achievement to defeat him like soldiers always do about their past battles….It made him sick to think that, made him want to fight Ichigo in front of her and beat him, just to prove that was a fluke…

"Well, if you aren't going to continue your battle today, then I'll go get shovels so that you can get started on the cleaning," Rukia spoke, taking advantage of the silence.

"That's it for today," Masaki confirmed.

"Masaki, where is Inoue?" Rukia wondered, realizing that the teenage girl was nowhere in sight.

"Oh, she returned to the Fourth Division. She didn't say anything because she didn't want to ruin your concentration during your sparring session."

"I see."

Without a word, Renji slipped Zabimaru, now reverted to its sealed state, into his scabbard. Beside him, he could hear Masaki also storing away her Zanpakutō. His gaze was on Rukia as she left Ichigo's side and began her trek to retrieve the shovels.

"Geez, Renji, never knew your sword could be used as a weed whacker," Ichigo commented, as he made his way over. "I'd never use you as a gardener though."

"Yeah, well, I'd never call you to cut up my meat," Renji rejoined, glaring at him.

"Tch. I'd probably cut it up better than you cut grass," Ichigo said, as he stopped a few feet in front of Renji.

"With the way you swing around that katana, I doubt you'd leave much to eat."

"There'd be much more than this," Ichigo assured him, kicking a tuft of grass in front of him that was bordering a dirt mound.

"I'd be lucky to get a steak sized like that."

"Heh. I'd be doing you a favor. Eating too much meat is bad for you."

"What a load of crap. That isn't an excuse for your poor cutting technique."

"I think you've already proven your technique needs some work."

"Why you…." Renji snapped, edging closer to Ichigo.

"I wouldn't call upon either of you for either," Masaki interjected, prompting both males to look at her.

"Well, I wouldn't use you for shaved ice," Renji shot back.

"Even if you wanted some, I wouldn't bother doing something like that," Masaki said coolly. "Kuchiki-san would be of better help than me."

"In other words, your Zanpakutō is useless for shaved ice," Renji quipped, unable to help himself.

"Shut up, Renji," Ichigo said, before Masaki could say anything. "At least her Zanpakutō isn't useless where it counts."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Renji demanded, narrowing his eyes.

A smirk flitted across Ichigo's face. "She almost had you…"

"No, she didn't. Our fight was from over. You and Rukia killed my momentum."

"Whatever, Renji," Ichigo said dismissively, turning his attention to Masaki. "So Yachiru found you after all, huh? Not that I meant for her to. She just popped out of nowhere and asked me where you were and left as soon as I told her. I wasn't sure if she'd actually be able to find you though."

"She found me all right," Masaki replied. "We played quite a few games at the Kuchiki Manor, before Kuchiki-taichō found out she was there. She dragged me along with her after she agreed to leave the manor."

"Kuchiki-taichō must have been pissed that she came over," Renji said.

"He was," Masaki said.

"She never listens to stay away. Zaraki-taichō needs to keep her locked up," Renji said.

"I doubt he could even if he tried," Ichigo said.

"That's probably true," Masaki agreed. "She isn't an average child."

"I think that's an understatement," Renji muttered. "She isn't a child, she's—"

"Look, Kuchiki-san is back," Masaki interrupted.

With two shovels, nearly dragging along the ground, in either hand, Rukia lumbered towards them.

"Here you go, Renji," she said, dumping the shovel in her right hand in front of the dirt mound between Ichigo and him.

As he reached for the gardening aid, Rukia walked behind him to give Masaki hers.

"C'mon, Ichigo, let's go get shovels to help them," Rukia said, glancing at the orange haired male.

"W-What? But, I thought you were going to teach me how to control my Reiryoku."

Surprise flitted across Renji and Masaki's faces.

"I will. Afterwards. I just want to get this place cleaned up as soon as possible."

Renji snorted. "Rukia, you shouldn't bother wasting time teaching him. It's pointless—"

"What do you mean it's pointless?" Ichigo demanded.

"If you haven't learned that on your own, this is hardly the time to start. That's a skill that won't help you against Aizen. Besides, I doubt you could learn to stop leaking your Reiryoku anytime soon. You need an eye patch like Zaraki-taichō to help you keep it under control."

"We'll see about that, Renji," Ichigo said, looking determined.

"Maybe in a century, but not today," Renji allowed.

"C'mon, Ichigo, let's go."

"You're really gonna through with it, Rukia? Why bother doing something that…"

"There's nothing wrong with him trying to learn today, Renji. It won't hurt him to try. I'm done with my training today. Besides, you know full well any training we've been doing over the last few days has been merely a way to keep our skills sharp."

Renji frowned slightly. "Well if that's how you wanna spend your time, then suit yourself."

"Let's go, Ichigo," Rukia said.

Shaking his head, Renji watched them walk away.

"Nothing's impossible, you know," Masaki said.

"Whatever," Renji said, gazing at her briefly. "Let's just get this over with," he said, as he lifted his shovel and turned around. "You should start over here, this one is your fault," he said, pointing towards the hole her Kidō blast had made.

"All right, I will," Masaki said, walking past him. "Next time we should fight in an actual training area."

"Yeah…but it'll only mean the cleanup will be worse afterwards," Renji mused.

"I wouldn't mind in the slightest just as long as we fight again," Masaki said, grinning, as she began to scoop up dirt.

Renji stared at her, wondering why despite her grin he could detect an undercurrent of wistfulness in her voice. Did she fear they wouldn't be able to fight again or something? She was a rather odd girl…She wasn't like Rukia when it came to fighting, she was more like Ichigo. She had inherited his raw fighting spirit.

He honestly did want to finish off their fight. She was no pushover that's for sure, and he wanted to see how exactly she would handle him if he attempted to push her to her limits. It was very tempting indeed.

"Don't worry, kid, we'll fight again," he said, as he shoveled up some dirt.

Masaki stared at him, the corner of her lips quirking up into a grin.

They worked mostly in silence until Rukia and Ichigo came to help. Renji and Ichigo could not help but be noisy much to Rukia's annoyance. It took nearly half an hour for them to even out the ground by filling the holes with loose dirt and grass patches. Renji left afterwards and Ichigo and Rukia along with Masaki returned to the training ground for Ichigo's promised lesson.

"I'm going to teach you how to control your Reiryoku. If you can't learn this, then there's no way you can learn Kidō. A Shinigami is supposed to keep Reiryoku within the confines of their body. Leaking a little is acceptable and to an extent unavoidable depending on the individual's powers, but even the taichō are usually able to keep that to an absolute minimum. In your case, you are definitely leaking way more than is acceptable for your power level. You are unconsciously leaking it. You should only release it when needed." Rukia paused, glancing around at the ground.

"What are you looking for?" Ichigo asked.

Rukia said nothing as she suddenly seized a stone from the ground and proceeded to draw something on the ground.

"A Shinigami's power comes from their Hakusui," she said, pointing to it on the image of the bunny shaped Shinigami with spiky hair on the floor, "The Saketsu, the area where the Chain of Fate is located on a Plus, acts as an amplifier for Reiryoku enabling a Shinigami to further increase their power. These two areas are the emission points of your Reiryoku. To gain control of your Reiryoku you must focus upon them inside you so that you will understand how your Reiryoku flows within your body. Are you ready to try it, Ichigo?"

"Yeah." Ichigo nodded.

"All right. Close your eyes, Ichigo, and concentrate upon your Reiryoku and how it flows throughout your body."

Ichigo closed his eyes and knitted his eyebrows as he concentrated on the energy circulating throughout his body.

"Can you feel its flow, Ichigo?" Rukia asked, after a few moments of watching him. Masaki was also observing him.

"Y-Yeah," Ichigo replied.

"Now trace it back towards your Hakusui and Saketsu."

Ichigo's eyebrows contracted as his focus deepened.

"O-Okay."

"Can you tell the difference between them? Concentrate on how it feels for your Reiryoku to flow through them."

"All right, I think I got it," Ichigo said, several moments later.

"Ichigo, I want you to try drawing the Reiryoku you are leaking towards your Hakusui now. You must do it slow and steady. Drawing it fast will disrupt the flow and make it harder to keep it inside, so concentrate on doing it slowly," Rukia instructed.

Ichigo drew a deep breath, as he began drawing his energy inward.

"That's it, Ichigo, keep going," Rukia encouraged, watching as sweat formed on Ichigo's brows and his breathing grew shallow.

"Okay, stop now," she ordered.

"But…"Ichigo protested, panting.

"Ichigo, stop," Rukia said sharply when Ichigo continued anyway.

"You've just reduced a quarter of the Reiryoku you've been leaking."

"Just a quarter?"

"Yes. You need to practice drawing it in small amounts first, before you draw all of it inside. You are already leaking it again."

"W-What? Crap," Ichigo muttered, opening his eyes.

"Ichigo, you have to keep focusing on keeping the Reiryoku within your body. Once you stop concentrating, you will leak it again. Try drawing it inward once more."

"All right," Ichigo agreed, closing his eyes once more.

Rukia stopped him at the quarter reduction point again and made him concentrate on regulating the flow of Reiryoku within his body at that level for two minutes. Eventually though, Ichigo dropped his concentration, and his Reiryoku spilled out from his body once more.

"Do it again, Ichigo."

The orange haired teen did as instructed two more times, before Rukia ordered him to decrease his Reiryoku further to the fifty percent reduction point. She made him practice maintaining that level four times, before she told him to lower his emission level even lower. His face and neck shone with sweat and his breathing was ragged, as he prepared to once again attempt reducing his emission level by seventy five percent.

"That's enough for today, Ichigo," Rukia said, after he finished decreasing his Reiryoku to seventy percent for the fourth time.

"But I want to try stop leaking my Reiryoku completely," Ichigo protested, wiping away the sweat from his brow.

"Even if you try it, Ichigo, you won't be able to keep it at that level for very long. Controlling the amount of Reiryoku you have has taken a toll on you. You've made good progress though. You can at least keep it down by forty percent now. It's actually a lot more than I thought you'd be able to. You just have to keep training in order to get used to controlling your emission rate. It will eventually become as natural as breathing and you won't have to concentrate so much to do it."

"If I've gotten this far, I think I should at least be able to contain half of it. I'm going to practice more," Ichigo said.

"Ichigo, you've trained enough. You need to rest. Controlling your Reiryoku isn't something you can master in a day, especially not at your level. The more Reiryoku you have the more difficult it is to contain. You need to just get used to maintaining your Reiryoku at the level you are displaying right now."

"Kurosaki-san, Kuchiki-san is right," Masaki said. "You shouldn't push yourself further. You have to get used to maintaining control, before you learn to fully control it. Eventually it won't tire you out."

Ichigo stared at her. "Fine, I'll stop for today, "he relented. "How exactly did you manage to hide your true Reiryoku level for days? Weren't you worn out?"

"It was tiring to a degree, but I've developed the stamina for it. Controlling your Reiryoku is one thing, but manipulating the amount of you appear to have is an even more advanced technique that requires years of practice."

"Years of practice for that alone, huh?"

Masaki nodded. "Reiryoku control involves many different techniques as well as different concentration levels. It takes a lot of training to really master everything. Unlike you and Kuchiki-san, I learned how to control my Reiryoku when I was child, but when I became a Shinigami I was forced to re-learn how to do it again to adjust for its growth. As a Shinigami trains their Reiryoku increases and they must constantly learn how to contain it. If you had learned how to do it before your current level, it would have been a lot easier, but still you'd have to train to get used to the change in your power."

"That's right, Ichigo, it takes years to really learn how to control it, so just try to keep your Reiryoku like you have it now."

"Okay, but can you at least teach me a Kidō spell since I've managed to get this far?"

"I don't think you're ready to attempt that just yet, Ichigo. You need to refine your control more for that."

"Oh, c'mon, Rukia, can I at least try it once?"

Rukia hesitated. "Ichigo, even if you tried it once, you probably wouldn't be able to do it properly."

"So, I just want to try it, to know what it feels like."

Rukia stared at him, considering his request. "Fine, I'll teach you a Bakudō Kidō, since you'd probably cause a lot of damage with a Hadō Kidō at this point."

"What's the difference between them?"

"Bakudō Kidō are defensive spells while Hadō Kidō are offensive spells. The third type of Kidō is Kaidō which is used for healing. In order for a Shinigami to utilize Bakudō or Hadō spells they first must harness their energy through an incantation."

As Rukia continued the explanation, a reminiscent gleam appeared in Masaki's eyes.

"Kaa-san, can you please teach me Kidō today? I've been training to control my Reiryoku for five days already. I think I'm ready to move on," says a younger Masaki with her hair pulled into a ponytail, dressed in a plain white kosode and hakama.

She is walking beside Rukia, whose raven hair falls just two inches past her shoulders. A sleeveless slim fitting white haori embraces her Shihakushō. Fingerless white tekkō cover her hands.

"We'll see, Masaki," Rukia replies, sparing her daughter half a glance as they round a corner and make their way into a building.

"Kaa-san," Masaki groans. "You keep saying that…."

"I'm sorry, Masaki, but I will only let you try when I feel you're ready. Now go on and do your warm up exercises," Rukia instructs as she stands to the side, crosses her arms, and gazes at Masaki expectantly.

Masaki stares at her for a moment, before sighing. "Fine."

She walks further into the training room and begins to stretch. After five minutes of stretching her muscles, she begins generating Reiryoku in the palm of her hands and manipulating it according to Rukia's tutelage. Soon Rukia directs Masaki to fire Reiryoku at several targets propped near the back of the room. On her first try, Masaki hits the target a little off center, but on the next it is spot on. Rukia instructs her to hit different points on each of the targets. On some Masaki hits them but on others she is at least close to them.

"Not bad," declares a male voice.

Panting slightly, Masaki drops her hand and looks across the other side of the training room to see Ichigo, clad in a Shihakushō with a white haori standing beside Rukia.

"Tou-san, you made it." Masaki grins.

"Of course, I just got held up a bit," Ichigo replies, returning her grin. "What did I miss?"

"Nothing much. More Reiryoku training," Masaki says with an undertone of boredom and displeasure.

"Oi, what's matter? Don't tell me you don't want to spend time on the most essential lessons a Shinigami should learn."

"Oh, it's not that, Tou-san. Of course, I do want to learn, but I think I'm ready for the next level in Reiryoku training. I want to try using Kidō."

"Kidō, huh?" Ichigo repeats. "I suppose that is the next level in your training, but I'm not sure I trust you not to blow this place up," he says seriously.

"As if I could do that, Tou-san. My control isn't that awful."

"It's not awful at all," Ichigo admits, cracking a grin, "but then again compared to how my control used to be most people don't qualify as awful."

"You really used to be that bad?"

"Yeah. Probably worse than you can imagine. You're lucky you don't take on after me in that regard."

"So, does that mean you think I'm ready to do Kidō?" Masaki asks hopefully.

"It's not up to me to make the call. I'm not qualified enough. Your mother is the Kidō master. What do you think, Rukia, is she ready for her first Kidō lesson?" Ichigo says, turning his gaze to Rukia.

A thoughtful look sweeps over Rukia's face. "She's a better student than you, that's for sure, but…"

Masaki stares at her mother pleadingly.

"I suppose so," she replies, after a long moment.

"Really?" Masaki exclaims, half excited, half uncertain.

"Really," Rukia smiles reassuringly at her. "Ichigo, go get the dummy."

"Awesome!" Masaki grins, as she watches her father walk way.

"Listen up, Masaki," Rukia says firmly, regaining her daughter's attention. "Utilizing Kidō is not a game. You have to concentrate even more when using your Reiryoku to do a Kidō spell. It can easily blow up in your face depending on the spell, if you use too much, so be careful. Pay close attention to what you are doing."

"I will, Kaa-san," Masaki promises.

"Okay, Masaki, before you actually get to try using Kidō, let me explain the basics of Kidō. There are three types of Kidō: Bakudō, Hadō, and Kaidō."

"Bakudō are defensive spells, right?"

"That's right. Do you remember what Hadō and Kaidō are?"

"Hadō spells are destruction type spells. Kaidō spells are for healing."

Rukia nods.

"See, Kaa-san, I have paid attention to what you've told me in that past."

"It appears so, but I had to explain them anyway. Hadō and Bakudō spells are graded from a scale of one to ninety-nine. One being the lowest while ninety-nine is the highest and most powerful grade of spells. It takes considerable skill and power to be able to do those spells."

"You can do them, right, Kaa-san?"

"I can, but my technique is not as refined as it should be. Even I still have to improve. It takes constant practice over the course of many years to truly gain proficiency in any given Kidō. You have to be prepared to do that if you really want to become good at it. My Sōkatsui, which is a level thirty spell, is actually more powerful than my Hadō 90:Kurohitsugi. Never underestimate the power of even the lowest spell, because any spell can be useful in the hands of skilled user. Remember that well, Masaki."

Masaki nods.

"Every spell requires an incantation in order to activate. This incantation can be bypassed when a Shinigami becomes proficient enough in the use of the spell, but doing so weakens it. The incantation for any Kidō is the catalyst that triggers your Reiryoku to react. When you are performing Kidō, your focus should be twofold, on the words you are saying and the flow of your Reiryoku. To successfully perform a spell, you must be able to sync your concentration between them. If any word is wrong, or if your Reiryoku is either too much or too small the spell won't work as intended. Are you ready to attempt it, Masaki?"

"Yes."

"Very well. I'm going to teach you the incantation to Bakudō: 1: Sai, a spell that restrains a person's arms behind their back, but I won't let you try the spell until you are absolutely certain you have memorized every word, so pay close attention to what I'm saying."

"Okay, Kaa-san," Masaki says, nodding her head fervently.

"Repeat after me," Rukia begins, speaking each word of the Kidō spell slowly and clearly.

Masaki repeats each word, carefully, several times under Rukia's command.

By the time Rukia deems Masaki ready enough, Ichigo has returned and fixed the practice dummy in the center of the room across from Rukia and Masaki. As Ichigo turns from the dummy to face them, Rukia points both her index and middle finger at him while curling the rest of her fingers in the palm of her hand. "Hadō 1: Sai."

"Gah…"Ichigo groans, as his arms fly backwards. "Oi, I thought the dummy was supposed to be the guinea pig, not me."

"It doesn't mean you're off limits, Ichigo. Rukia grins. "You agreed to support your daughter's learning in whatever way you could, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. Next time give me a warning, will ya?"

"When have I ever?" Rukia says, grinning.

Ichigo just glares at her. "Can I undo it now?

"Go ahead."

Within moments, Ichigo undoes his invisible bindings, but knocks down the dummy behind him. Grumbling, Ichigo bends down and begins propping up the dummy again.

"All right, Masaki, it's your turn to try Sai on the dummy," Rukia says once Ichigo finishes his handiwork.

Masaki takes a deep breath, as she stares at the dummy. Exhaling slowly, she furrows her brows as she extends her hands forward, mimicking Rukia's gestures, and begins to recite the incantation. Her hands tremble slightly as a light glow envelops them. Her eyebrows knit even more as she reaches the end of the spell. Violet eyes widen as Masaki stumbles forward with the force shooting forward from her trembling fingers.

Her eyes slowly leave her still shaking fingers to stare incredulously at the dummy, whose arms have been folded back.

"I-I did it," she murmurs, her lips upturning into a surprised but pleased smile.

"How does it feel to finally use Kidō?" asks Ichigo.

"U-Unreal. I-I almost don't believe I did it…"Masaki replies, turning to her parents, smiling.

"That was very good for a first try, Masaki," Rukia praises, smiling, as she steps forward and walks past Masaki. "Try lowering your Reiryoku just a bit next time, so that it won't affect your posture."

Rukia continues past Masaki and touches the dummy. Its arms drop to the side instantly.

When Rukia returns to her position on the sidelines, Masaki once more attempts the Bakudō spell. She doesn't lurch forward as much as she did before. She practices the spell eight more times until Rukia orders her to take a break.

"Looks like your Reiryoku training paid off, Masaki. All the drills I've put you through have definitely honed your concentration skills. If I had allowed you to try Kidō a day or two earlier, I don't think you'd have been able to handle your first Kidō lesson as well as you have. As I've told you before, knowing how to maintain your Reiryoku within your body is not the same as manipulating it for attacks. It takes greater focus and effort."

"And tons of practice. It's the only way to really get a hang of it," Ichigo chimes in.

"Your father knows this very well. It took him nearly a decade to learn how to properly perform this particular Bakudō…"

"Oi, that's not true!" Ichigo declares.

"Or was it two?" Rukia says, tapping her index finger against her chin, as she appeared to think back.

"Very funny, Rukia, but it didn't take me that long to learn one Kidō."

"Well, it felt like it did…I almost thought you'd never learn…"

"But he did," Masaki points out.

"Of course, I did. Bakudō: 1: Sai,"Ichigo shouts, and Masaki gasps as her hands whip behind her out of their own accord. Rukia's arms also fly back.

He grins as he sees a trivial flicker of annoyance in Rukia's eyes and watches Masaki struggle to move her arms.

"I'll admit it did take me years to learn how to do Kidō properly and even now I still need to fine tune my skills," Ichigo says, watching as Rukia effortlessly frees her arms and then reaches out to Masaki. "There are many I still haven't learned. I hate to say it, but it's my weakness. If your mother and Momo-san hadn't been stubborn enough not to give up on me, I never would have learned."

"I still can't believe you were that terrible, Tou-san," Masaki says, stretching her newly freed arms before her.

"I was, because it was hard for me to get the hang of concentrating my Reiryoku for Kidō. I kept using more than I should."

"Trust me, Masaki, he was," Rukia says.

"If you say so. Can I try practicing on you guys now?"

"Actually, Masaki, I think that's enough Kidō for today. It's time for your Hakuda lesson," Rukia replied, slipping off her haori and draping it over her arm as she proceeded to slip off her tekkō.

"Can I at least try it once?"

Rukia stares at her, considering her request.

"Try it once then on your father," she says, glancing at Ichigo.

"Go ahead, Masaki," Ichigo says, once he has positioned himself a bit further away from them.

Masaki recites the spell.

She watches as Ichigo's right arm partially pulls back while his left arm barely moves.

"It didn't really work," Masaki observes, disappointed. "It's because you're a taichō, isn't it?'

"Well, I actually lowered my Reiryoku quite a bit for you, but I guess it wasn't low enough…"

"Masaki, the reason students begin with dummies is to get used to the spell," Rukia says. "Practicing on others takes much more effort. Your father merely reduced his power level within his body so your spell could have effect, but he wasn't even releasing Reiatsu. Reiatsu is hardened Reiryoku generated by a Shinigami to defend himself or herself in battle. A Shinigami's attack must be powerful enough to deal with an opponent's Reiatsu otherwise it will be harmless to them. So, you see, learning a spell does not mean you are capable of using it on others just yet. There is still so much for you to learn, Masaki…if you truly intend to become a Shinigami…"

"Masaki, would you mind if Ichigo practiced on you?" Rukia asked. She had finished teaching him the incantation and he was muttering it to himself.

Masaki blinked. "Uh, sure."

"All right. Stand over there," Rukia said, pointing to where she wanted her to stand.

"Whenever you're ready, Ichigo. Make sure you say the incantation correctly and that you synchronize your Reiryoku with the words, otherwise it won't work."

"Yeah, I got it."

Two minutes later, Ichigo took a deep breath and recited the incantation while pointing at Masaki. He could feel the Reiryoku within his body pulsing in a way similar to how it felt to pump it into Zangetsu, but instead this reaction was occurring within his body. As he finished the spell, he could feel power flowing through his fingers and leaving them. He watched as Masaki gasped when she twisted her body to the side as though someone had pushed past her. Her right arm drooped as though slammed by something terribly heavy. Her left arm, however, seemed unaffected, for he could see her fingers twitching.

"D-Did I do it right?" he blurted out, bemused.

"No," Rukia replied. "You managed to paralyze her right arm, but that's about it. This isn't a proper Sai."

"It isn't? But I did what you told me to do…"

"Obviously not. Your concentration was not enough. I told you, Ichigo, you weren't ready to try Kidō."

Ichigo frowned slightly at this, directing his attention to Masaki, who had broken the spell on her right arm and was rubbing her shoulder. "Are you all right, M-M-ai..?" he wondered, inwardly wincing as his tongue spilled forth the name he knew he shouldn't be calling her.

His father's words last night had made him resolve to address her by her actual name the next time he saw her, but up until now, he had simply managed to avoid calling her by her alias. For whatever reason his lips, tongue, vocal cords, and brain continued to fight against him utilizing her real name. Stupid nerves. He knew he was being ridiculous and pathetic. He should be stronger than this. He needed to fight harder against his traitorous body. It wasn't right that he couldn't call her by her name.

"Yeah, Kurosaki-san," Masaki said. "Your Kidō attempt was powerful. You needed to tone down your Reiryoku for it and refine your focus, so that both of my arms could be paralyzed."

"Would you mind if I tried it again?"

"Ichigo…" Rukia started, frowning.

"It's okay, Kuchiki-san. I don't mind. Go ahead, Kurosaki-san."

"Okay, thanks."

Once more Ichigo performed the incantation. This time Masaki's left arm snapped back so abruptly that she stumbled back sharply, losing her balance and falling backwards onto the ground. Shock rippled across Ichigo's face. Sharp violet eyes pierced him briefly, before Rukia rushed to the fallen Shinigami woman. He followed as quickly as he could, but Rukia had kneeled at Masaki's side a couple of seconds before he stood, looking over them.

"S-Sorry," he blurted out, watching as Rukia eased Masaki into a sitting position.

Masaki just shook her head, looking dazed.

As soon as she was sitting, Rukia ran a hand over the orange haired young woman's left shoulder and began to release Reiryoku.

"It's okay, Kuchiki-san, I can undo it."

"Masaki…"Rukia said, halting her work.

"It's okay," Masaki reassured her and as Rukia pulled back her hand, a pale lavender glow encased Masaki's arm. Within a few moments, her arm, free from its enchantment dropped slightly, though it still remained for the most part in its previous position. A grimace formed on Masaki's lips.

"Don't move, Masaki. Let me check if it's broken," Rukia said quickly, as she reached over and began to gently run her hands down Masaki's arm. "That Kidō attempt was still too powerful. It looked like it nearly snapped your arm off when it restrained it."

"Does it hurt?" Rukia asked, as she touched various spots along Masaki's arm.

"No..not there….Ah..there…"Masaki said, wincing.

"Your elbow is swelling," Rukia noted, as she pushed back Masaki's sleeve and gingerly touched the inflamed area. "It looks like it could be broken…"

"Is it? Let me take a look," Ichigo said, swiftly walking around and hunkering down beside Rukia to study Masaki's elbow.

Rukia stared at Ichigo as he reached over and placed carefully placed his fingers close to where Rukia's digits were. "W-What are you doing, Ichigo?"

"I'm going to check if her bone really is fractured," Ichigo replied, glancing at her.

"That's what I'm doing, Ichigo."

"I know, but I want to help. I've helped my dad with cases like this before. Swelling doesn't necessarily mean it's broken. It could be dislocated. Let me take a look at it."

Rukia gazed at him for a moment, before saying, "Fine," and removing her hand from Masaki's elbow.

Ichigo began to carefully touch Masaki's elbow. "I don't feel any bones sticking out…"he said quietly. "I'm going to try moving it..M—okay?"

"All right."

Slowly, he began to bend Masaki's arm with one hand while the other remained at her elbow, examining the effect of the movement on it. He could hear Masaki sucking her breath even though he was hardly able to move the injured joint. As he gently moved Masaki's arm back, his thumb detected an odd protrusion underneath the swelling joint. Ichigo furrowed his brow as his thumb circulated the area and he heard a hiss escape Masaki's lips.

"Hmmm. I think her elbow is probably dislocated rather than broken. An X-ray would tell us for sure, but as far as I can tell that's what's wrong with her. "

"We should take her to the Fourth to know for sure then," Rukia said.

"We can't do that, Rukia. They have enough patients as it is and it'd be too risky anyway with that virus. I think I can set it back if you help me…"Ichigo said, lifting his gaze from Masaki's elbow to meet Rukia's.

Surprise yet understanding flashed in violet eyes.

"W-What? Are you crazy? You'll just hurt her even more…We should just take her to the infirmary here…"

"But she runs the same risk as with the Fourth. There'll probably be sick people there too."

"Well, then let's go to your father. Where is he?"

"Who knows? Haven't seen him since last night."

"Well, we should go look for him."

"What for? I can do it."

"If we were on the battlefield, Ichigo, I wouldn't mind you doing it, but we're not. What if you make it worse? We'd still have to end up looking for your father, or someone that could help."

Ichigo frowned as he stared at Masaki's elbow with a contemplative gleam in his eyes.

"I'm pretty sure I could do it, but you're probably right, I don't want to make it any worse if I can avoid it. But I have no clue where he is…He could be anywhere!"

"He's probably catching up with people from his past now that he's finally returned to the Soul Society," Rukia reasoned. "I think we should check the Tenth Division…"

"The Tenth Division?" Ichigo echoed, releasing Masaki's elbow.

"It was his former division. I think that's a good place to start at least," Rukia explained.

"I think that's a good idea, Kuchiki-san. I'll go find him myself," Masaki said.

"W-What?" Ichigo said, switching his gaze to Masaki.

"There's no need for you or Kuchiki-san to accompany me. I can find him myself."

"But, you shouldn't go by yourself, you're hurt…"

"It's my elbow that's hurt, not my legs, Kurosaki-san. I'm perfectly capable of searching for him by myself."

"So what if you can walk? I can't leave you like this. It's my fault this happened to you," Ichigo said, looking regretful.

Masaki gazed at him for a moment.

"It was an accident, Kurosaki-san. There's no need for you to feel guilty. These things can happen in training. This wouldn't be the first time I've broken a bone," Masaki said.

Ichigo looked as though he was going to object, but Rukia spoke first.

"Masaki, I know you feel comfortable enough to go on your own, but it's better to have someone at your side when you're hurt regardless of how serious the injury is or how it happened. Ichigo and I won't leave you until you get treated, right, Ichigo?" Rukia said, sparing a meaningful glance at Ichigo.

"Yeah," he agreed, with a resolute expression.

"But," Masaki protested.

"It doesn't matter what you say, we've decided. We're coming with you," Ichigo said firmly.

"That's right, Masaki," Rukia said, her expression stern.

Masaki raised her right eyebrow slightly as her gazed moved between the orange haired teen at her side and to the dark haired young woman across from him, both of which had unwavering countenances.

Several moments passed, before Masaki sighed. "If you insist, but you do realize he's going to have a field day with this, right?"

A glimmer of unease flickered across Ichigo and Rukia's faces for the briefest of instances.

"It doesn't matter," Ichigo said steadfastly.

Rukia nodded her head in agreement.

Masaki shrugged, as if to say if you're willing to face him, then so be it. The gesture instantly prompted a pained grimace to sweep over her face and she clutched her left arm with her right hand, as though to make up for her mistake. Rukia stood up and gently placed a hand on her right shoulder and said, "The faster we get on our way, the sooner Masaki can get healed. Let's go, Ichigo. Help me get her to her feet."

"Right," Ichigo said, nodding.

Masaki tried to protest once more, but Ichigo had already carefully placed his hands around her left shoulder and together with Rukia, they assisted her to feet. Catching sight of the melted ice puddles in the area, Rukia decided to produce ice with her katana to help keep Masaki's swelling down. Masaki opted, however, for her to simply freeze her elbow since it would be easier than trying to maintain the ice on her elbow. Rukia carefully touched the blade of her sword to Masaki's elbow and generated enough cold to numb it. Afterwards, they used Shunpo to vacate the training ground and proceed towards the Thirteenth Division gates.

As they made towards the Tenth Division, Rukia would inquire about Masaki's arm from time to time, despite knowing it was frozen. During these inquiries, Ichigo would steal glances at the orange haired young woman, but would otherwise remain quiet and solemn.

"Kurosaki-san, don't look so serious," Masaki said, when she caught his gaze during one of Rukia's inquiries. "My injury doesn't deserve such a look. It was an accident. You can't let this affect you or prevent you from trying Kidō again."

Ichigo stared at her.

"I'm serious, Kurosaki-san," she continued, before he could speak. "I understand why you feel guilty. I've been there. Every Shinigami has. Mistakes like this are part of learning. Now you know you have to get better at improving your Reiryoku control before trying Kidō again."

"But I should have listened to Rukia, I obviously wasn't ready…"

"You weren't ready, Ichigo, but I shouldn't have asked Masaki to be your test subject for your first Kidō lesson," Rukia said quietly. "Academy students normally practice on dummies before they practice on fellow students. I should have gone to get a dummy instead…"

"Don't blame yourself either, Kuchiki-san. I was aware of the risks when I decided to help out," Masaki said, directing her gaze at Rukia.

"Masaki…"Rukia murmured, looking as though she had something else to say.

The young woman, however, didn't allow her to voice another thought.

"No one's at fault, it was simply a mishap. I doubt my injury is severe, so don't burden yourselves with unnecessary guilt, okay?"

"Severe or not, I won't feel better until it's treated," Ichigo said.

"Suit yourself, but once I'm healed, you have to forget this ever happened. Don't let it affect you negatively when it comes to your Reiryoku or Kidō training. You can learn, it's just going to take a lot of training and patience for you to get the hang of it."

"Or a seal like Kenpachi's like Renji said…."Ichigo muttered.

"A seal…or something to that effect would help tone down your Reiryoku, but it wouldn't guarantee you learning Kidō. It's merely a tool to help you manage your Reiryoku. If you don't put the effort to learn how to do it without the seal, then you won't be able to apply that knowledge to Kidō."

"She's right, Ichigo," Rukia said. "If you truly want to learn Kidō, then you're going to have to work hard to get at the level to try it. I think you've gotten used to learning rather quickly, but as you've seen you can't rush with Kidō."

"Yeah…I guess have…"he murmured, looking thoughtful.

"And even with better control, people can still screw up spells, so don't let this get you down, Ichigo. Masaki's right, you should learn from this experience." She paused for a moment, looking slightly hesitant. "You probably haven't realized this, Ichigo, but the Substitute Shinigami badge you were given has been regulating your Reiryoku while you are in your body."

"W-What? It has?"

"Yes, I noticed that your Reiryoku leakage was pretty minimal when I returned to Karakura. I figured it had to do with that, because your Reiryoku was still not quite under control when you became a Shinigami."

"Ukitake-san never mentioned it would do that…"

"I don't think he wanted to make it seem as though the Soul Society was controlling you by restricting your Reiryoku…"

"Well he should have told me. I would have understood it was for the benefit of the people around me, not to control me."

"Ichigo…" Rukia murmured, staring at him.

"At any rate, it really does prove a seal can't make me become better at Reiryoku control, I have to do the work."

Several moments passed, before Ichigo glanced at Masaki and asked," I-I will learn eventually, right?"

"Someday, you will," Masaki said.

The rest of their journey was done in a much lighter atmosphere. They reached the Tenth Division a half an hour later where they learned Kurosaki Isshin had been there.

"He was here hours ago, Kurosaki, but I haven't seen him since and I have no idea where he went," Tōshirō said, surveying the three arrivals from behind his desk. He paused for a moment, his teal gaze flickering to Masaki's injury. "It's a pity he couldn't teach you how to control your Reiryoku when you were a child. At the rate you're going, it'll probably be a century before you can match at least half of his Kidō mastery. Assuming you can learn how to properly control your Reiryoku to use Kidō."

"Whatever, Tōshirō. I don't care about trying to match his Kidō skill or whatever. I'd be content just learning some Kidō."

"Don't call me by my given name, it's Hitsugaya-taichō," Tōshirō snapped. "I doubt you'd settle just for knowing some Kidō if you knew what your father was capable of."

Ichigo just stared at him for a moment. "Even if I knew, that doesn't mean I have to be his carbon copy or something. You know, Tōshirō, I'm surprised you were in my dad's division and that you were chosen to replace him. You must have been even more of a midget than you are now. How come you were chosen?" Ichigo mused, smirking.

Rukia looked horrified.

The vein in Tōshirō's forehead throbbed. "T-That's not true…I—"

"Taichō —Ooh, what's this?" Rangiku said, cerulean eyes bright, as she waltzed into the room and took notice of Ichigo, Rukia, and Masaki. "Well, if it isn't the future Kurosaki Clan head, lady, and heiress" —Ichigo and Rukia stared at her dumbfounded, blushing—"Man, I can't believe you really are Kurosaki-taichō's son. If I had known, I wouldn't have bothered to try seducing you, Ichigo, in order to stay at your house"—Masaki looked stunned—"I would have just asked your dad. I'm sure he would have said yes. It was too bad we had no idea he was still alive posing as a human. At least I now understand why my seduction attempt failed though."

There was a brief pause, during which the blonde woman directed her gaze upon Rukia. "Kuchiki, I'm sorry for attempting such a thing on Ichigo. You should have said something, you know. "

A glimmer of amazement appeared in Masaki's gaze.

"Uh, arigatō, Matsumoto-fukutaichō, but there's no need for your apology…"Rukia said, her pale cheeks tinted with red.

"Don't be ridiculous, Kuchiki, of course there is. No woman likes seeing their man being tempted. You should have put me in my place. I would have understood. Now I feel rather embarrassed for doing such a thing."

"Now you feel embarrassed?" Toshiro repeated, raising a skeptical eyebrow. "You should have felt embarrassed the moment you tried such a thing, idiot."

"Why? I was just trying to survive in the World of the Living. If it would have worked, I would have convinced Ichigo to let you stay too."

"That's beside the point, Matsumoto," Tōshirō said, annoyed.

Before the white haired Shinigami could say another word, Ichigo cut in, "Oi, Rangiku-san, do you have any idea where my dad might be? Tōshirō doesn't."

He didn't want to spend any more time than he had to in the company of the talkative fukutaichō. It was clear his father had stopped by here and chatted with his former subordinates. Why couldn't he have just focused on the past instead of the future? Or maybe it hadn't been his fault, but Rangiku-san's fault. She probably couldn't help but segue way into the subject. She seemed to enjoy it for some weird reason and now that she knew he was related to her former taichō it had obviously increased her interest in him and his future. He didn't have the stomach to endure her and his father in one day.

Rangiku looked thoughtful, as she put a finger at the side of her mouth. "Well, there are tons of places he could be at. He used to love going to the candy shops and bars in his free time. He'd usually go to the bars with Kyōraku taichō and me. Sometimes, Ukitake-taichō if he was up for it…"

"Kyōraku-san?" Ichigo repeated. "So, he and dad are old friends?"

"Oh yeah, they go way back. They used to be good drinking buddies," Rangiku assented.

"Really? Well, then I think it's a worth a shot to check out the Eighth Division then," Ichigo reasoned, as he glanced at Rukia and Masaki.

Rukia and Masaki merely nodded.

He could tell they were just as eager as he was to leave.

With a quick thanks, he, Rukia, and Masaki traipsed out of the room as fast as they could, though just as they reached the threshold, Rangiku's keen gaze zeroed in on Masaki's unmoving arm. Ichigo quickly said it was an accident which is why they needed his father's help and ushered Rukia and Masaki out the door before slipping out of the room himself.

---

The trek to the Eight Division was tainted with an awkward silence that had not been present before. Ichigo really wished Rangiku hadn't mentioned her so called seduction attempt in front of his future daughter. He knew it must have sounded horrible to Masaki even if she knew he and Rukia were not together and nothing actually happened between Rangiku and him. No kid wanted to hear about their parent's old flames or whatnot. He would have been disturbed if Rangiku had said she had been his dad's old girlfriend. He wanted to say something to clear the air, but found that he wasn't quite sure how to approach the subject, so he ended up keeping his mouth shut. Rukia seemed keen on maintaining her focus on Masaki's injury and would occasionally ask how Masaki was feeling.

Ichigo was relieved to find out the trip had not been made in vain when they finally arrived at the Eight Division. The stern faced Eighth Division fukutaichō swiftly led them to Kurosaki Isshin.

"There they are," declared Nanao, as she opened the door and beckoned Ichigo, Rukia, and Masaki inside.

Ichigo entered the room just as Isshin finished downing his sake saucer. Kyōraku was still sipping from his and had one hand wrapped around the bottle on his desk, clearly intending to pour himself another cup.

"Oyaji?" Ichigo called out to him, his voice laced with disbelief.

He hadn't really expected to find his father drinking despite the fact that Rangiku had said he and Kyōraku-san had been drinking buddies. As far as he had always known, his father had always been a casual indulger of beer and for that Ichigo had always been grateful. His father was nutty enough without alcohol. More than one beer would be too much to bear.

"Ichigo, m'boy, we were just toasting to the future! Come join us!" Isshin chirped happily, as he lowered his saucer and flashed it at Ichigo without turning.

"Don't tell me you're drunk…" Ichigo started, feeling a sudden disappointment sweep his stomach. Perhaps, they had come in vain after all.

"Fine, I won't tell you. Just join us," Isshin said as he turned around, his expression suddenly changing as he dropped his saucer and jumped to his feet.

"GRANDDAUGHTER, YOU'RE HERE!" Isshin declared with a wide grin, as he leapt forward, spreading his arm wide. "GIVE ME A HUG! IT'S BEEN TOO LONG SINCE OUR LAST ONE!"

Ichigo attempted to trip him, but the elder Kurosaki easily avoided his extended leg and continued forward. Rukia held out her hand as though hoping to halt him, but Isshin appeared oblivious to her presence and it looked as though she would get knocked out in the ensuing collision. Just as Isshin looked like he would wrap his arms around Masaki, Ichigo appeared in front of him with a fist aimed at his face. The dark-haired man reeled back.

"What's a matter with you, Son? I just wanted to greet my granddaughter," Isshin grumbled, as he rubbed his nose.

"Greet her? More like crush her," Ichigo muttered. "She doesn't need that."

"I'd never do such a thing to my granddaughter," Isshin said, looking stricken. "My hugs are gentle and soft like a warm blanket. They're full of nothing but my love. Isn't that right, Granddaughter?" Isshin demanded, trying to look past Ichigo, who was still in front of her.

"Oi, wait a minute! Is something wrong with your arm, Granddaughter?" Isshin wondered, noticing how Masaki's left arm was behind her back

"I think it's dislocated, Jii-san," Masaki replied.

"DISLOCATED? HOW?" Isshin cried out. "MOVE, ICHIGO! I MUST ATTEND TO MY GRANDDAUGHTER!"

"Not drunk you aren't," Ichigo said, batting away Isshin's hands.

"I'm not drunk, you fool! I barely had a drink! Now move aside, Ichigo!"

"Is that true, Oyaji? I don't want you to mess her elbow up more…"

"I wouldn't say it if it wasn't. I wouldn't risk hurting my precious granddaughter," Isshin assured him.

Ichigo stared at him for another moment.

"It's true, Ichigo-kun," Kyōraku assured the orange haired teen. "Isshin-kun and I have been pouring through all these reports until just now when we decided to take a break." He pointed to the pile of paperwork located on the far side of the desk on his right.

"You mean you actually worked without touching a drop of sake?" Nanao asked, a note of surprise in her voice.

"Now, now, Nanao-chan, don't make it sound like I can't," Shunsui admonished.

"Frankly, I'm surprised you even worked," Nanao said, pushing her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

"Of course, we did! It's precisely why we needed a break from such dreary news," Kyōraku replied.

"Move aside, Ichigo," Isshin said once more, as he pushed past Ichigo.

Upon reaching Masaki, he extended a hand towards her elbow and asked, "May I, Granddaughter?"

She nodded and he immediately pulled back the sleeve of her Shihakushō and began to examine her arm.

"Does it hurt?"

"Kuchiki-san partially froze it to stop the swelling and the pain, but I have regained some sensation since then."

"I see," Isshin said, as he continued running his hands over the injury site. "Well, I'm going to have to defrost your arm fully, so that I can see the extent of the injury. Is that okay, Masaki-chan?"

"Go ahead, Jii-san," Masaki replied.

Isshin began releasing Reiryoku from his hands and after several moments he began examining her arm.

"I'm going to take my leave," Kyōraku said, rising to his feet. "Feel free to use my office. I don't have the heart for such things. "

He made his way toward the door, ushered Nanao out, and shut the door behind him.

"Hmm. Well, it's definitely dislocated. How did this happen, Granddaughter?" Isshin wondered, lifting his gaze to hers.

Masaki hesitated. "Well, I—"

"It's my fault," Ichigo interrupted.

Mahogany eyes left violet to glare at amber.

"WHAT DO YOU MEAN IT'S YOUR FAULT? WHAT'S A MATTER WITH YOU, SON? HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO YOUR OWN FLESH AND BLOOD? YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO TREAT YOUR DAUGHTER WITH LOVE AND RESPECT. HAVEN'T YOU LEARNED ANYTHING FROM THE WAY I TREAT YOUR SISTERS?"

"I didn't do it on purpose, Oyaji, it was an accident!" Ichigo cried out exasperated. " I was trying to practice using the Sai Kidō, and well I over did it…" he explained, running a hand through his hair.

"Of course, you would. You don't have the finesse for such a thing," Isshin muttered, shaking his head. "My granddaughter is lucky you didn't break her elbow." He paused for a moment to regard Masaki, before saying, "Sorry, Granddaughter, this is all my fault."

Masaki blinked. "Huh?"

"It's my fault Ichigo didn't learn to control his Reiryoku when he was younger. He should have learned," Isshin said.

"Whatever, Oyaji, that's in the past. Maybe even if I learned, I would have still been bad at Kidō. And besides, even if you had tried to teach me, you couldn't have…."

"I could have had Urahara and Yoruichi-san teach you, but I kept postponing it, hoping you'd stop developing Reiryoku, but that didn't happen. I just kept relying on charms to prevent Hollows from finding you."

"You did what?" Ichigo asked, shocked.

"I would use protective charms made by Urahara and me once I was able to do some Kidō to prevent you from coming into contact with Hollows. I didn't want Masaki's sacrifice to be in vain, you know. Haven't you ever wondered since learning about the reason why Masaki died why you had never come across a Hollow since then?"

"Kind of, but I guess I just figured such things didn't happen often. "

"They don't, which is why I didn't always use one on you, and why that Hollow managed to show up on our doorstep the day Rukia-chan appeared."

There was a brief moment of silence, before Isshin added with a grin, "Well, on second thought, perhaps it's a good thing you never learned how to control your Reiryoku or that I didn't put a barrier on the house. You would have never have run into Rukia-chan otherwise and eventually given me a granddaughter."

"Oyaji, would you just fix your granddaughter's elbow?" Ichigo blurted out, growing red.

"I will, but I'm going to need your help. You've actually helped me out in cases like this before, don't you remember, Ichigo?"

"Yeah, I remember. I was actually considering doing it myself except Rukia taught me out of it," Ichigo said. "She didn't want me to take unnecessary risks."

"Is that so?" Isshin said, glancing at Rukia. "Well, I suppose it was the wiser choice to come to me. My poor granddaughter shouldn't suffer any more than she has to. Spoken like a true mother, Rukia-chan. I hate to say it but mothers tend to be more rational than fathers."

Rukia simply blushed.

"Except in your case, you aren't rational at all," Ichigo pointed out.

"What lies!" Isshin exclaimed.

"Shut up, Oyaji, and just focus on what you're supposed to do."

"All right then," he muttered, returning his attention his future granddaughter. "Masaki-chan, I'm afraid fixing your elbow won't be comfortable or pain free, but you'll feel a lot better once it's back in its proper place. Most of the pain should be gone afterwards."

"I understand, Jii-san, go ahead and do it," Masaki replied, unperturbed in the least.

Isshin rolled up her sleeve up to her elbow and beckoned Ichigo over and instructed him to hold onto her shoulder and sleeve.

"Take a deep breath, Masaki-chan, and try to relax. It'll be easier if you do," Isshin warned, as he placed one hand at the bend of her elbow and grabbed her forearm with the other.

As soon as Masaki inhaled, she turned her head away from Isshin and Ichigo towards Rukia, who was standing on her left hand side. She lowered her eyes and bit her lip as Isshin began to move her arm.

Ichigo felt her shoulder threatening to pull away from his grasp with every twist and pull his father enacted on her arm, but he maintained a firm hold, the underside of his fingers continually brushing against something beneath her sleeve. He figured it must be her hidden fukutaichō armband. He could just imagine what she must be feeling. He thought of how excruciatingly painful it felt to have his wrist broken by the Fifth Espada Gilga Nnoitra. He had nearly shed tears feeling his bone snap. Hell, he wasn't so sure he hadn't. The pain had been so blinding and agonizing, he'd lost track of everything but the raw agony pulsing through his body. He had been fortunate, however, to receive painless treatment thanks to Inoue. It seemed like forever since he had witnessed conventional healing treatments or received them himself. He'd almost forgotten about them.

As he watched his father continue his efforts to realign Masaki's elbow back into place, he heard Masaki's groans and hisses increase though she was trying to avoid crying out. He could see blood dripping down her lip. Her eyes had fluttered closed now.

He wanted to try to comfort her in some way, even though he knew it was pointless in a sense. He could not make her pain disappear. He thought of perhaps giving her shoulder a reassuring squeeze, but then mentally slapped himself for thinking that. It would only increase her pain.

Unsure of what to say, he ended up asking his father, "Oyaji, are you almost done?"

"Almost," Isshin replied. "Hang on, Masaki-chan, I almost got it," he promised, and with a final tug an audible cracking sound permeated the air as Masaki's elbow snapped into place.

Orange eyelashes fluttered open for a moment with the action.

"Let her arm go, Ichigo," Isshin said, and the orange haired male gently released her arm

Isshin waited several moments, before saying, "Try to move your elbow now, Masaki-chan. Do it slowly."

Masaki gently moved her arm, flexing it.

"Looks like it worked. Let me just finish healing you with Kidō. It'll help take care of any ligament or tissue damage you might have had. You handled this like a true Kurosaki, Masaki-chan. Karin never cried either when she broke her foot. Ichigo, on the other hand, has always been a bit of a cry baby…I had to make him toughen up…"

"Shut up, Oyaji. You shouldn't be talking. You're the biggest crybaby in the house."

"That's not true…."

"Whatever, Oyaji."

"Arigatō, Jii-san," Masaki thanked him, after he completed his work.

"Not a problem, Granddaughter," Isshin replied, smiling. "You should avoid being Ichigo's Kidō test dummy now that you've seen that he needs a lot of practice. I'd rather not spend most of my time getting to know you while nursing you back to health."

Masaki smiled slightly at this.

"Don't worry, Oyaji, I won't be asking her to do that," Ichigo said.

"Good because I'd break you if you did. You shouldn't be mistreating your own daughter, Ichigo, physically or otherwise," Isshin said, staring at Ichigo pointedly.

Ichigo frowned slightly as he caught the meaning of his father's gaze and words.

"Quit exaggerating, Oyaji," he retorted. "I already know I shouldn't do stuff like that. I made a mistake, but I won't do it again. Thanks for helping her."

"I don't need your thanks, Son, just make sure it doesn't happen again," Isshin said, whacking him in the back. "Rukia-chan, make sure that he keeps his word," he added, glancing at the petite Shinigami.

"Uh, okay, Kurosaki-san," Rukia replied, watching as a scowling Ichigo rubbed his back.

Isshin gave Masaki a brief, light one armed hug before they left the Eighth Division office.

As they headed out the Eighth Division, Ichigo asked, "Are you feeling better…M-M—"

"Hai, Kurosaki-san," Masaki responded before he could even try to utter her full name.

"I'm glad," Ichigo said, smiling slightly.

Scratching the back of his head, he said, "I know you probably don't wanna hear this again, but I'm sorry I hurt your elbow. I can't seem to stop hurting you, even though I don't mean to and I really hate that. I just want you to know I will do my best to stop doing that. Okay…M-M-a-sa-ki?"

Both Rukia and Masaki's eyes widened slightly.

"Kurosaki-san, there's no need for your words, but I accept them. I know you didn't mean to hurt me in any way," Masaki said, pausing for a moment." I don't want you to be afraid of hurting me in the course of training if we train again. If you let fear control you, then you'll hurt me whether you mean to or not. You'd be disrespecting me as a Shinigami."

Ichigo gazed at her for a moment, before replying, "Don't worry…M-Masaki…I won't do that to you."

---

After they parted ways with Ichigo, Rukia and Masaki returned to the Kuchiki Manor. As she asked for dinner to be prepared, she had a brief run in with her brother, who questioned her about the Thirteenth Division. Once she had given him her report, she had been preparing to leave when he suggested she use the man-made onsen in the Kuchiki Manor. She had been embarrassed yet oddly surprised he had noticed the sore state of her body. He was right, of course. Her aching body needed the soothing, restorative touch only an onsen could provide so that she could be fit to fight when called upon. Healing onsen were said to be able to cure any ailment the body had except for a broken heart. According to her brother, the water of the Kuchiki onsen was imported from an onsen rich with exceptionally powerful restorative minerals. She had no doubt it was true. Nothing less would be admitted within the Kuchiki estate.

And while she did not need extensive healing, she was touched her brother was granting her permission to use it. He had never allowed her to use it before. It was truly an unexpected honor.

She was happy to relay the news to Masaki during dinner. She was glad she would be able offer the young woman a night of relaxation after the day's events. She couldn't help but feel a lingering trickle of guilt even though she knew it wasn't her fault that Masaki had suffered a dislocated elbow. It was simply an accident as she had said, but the reason Rukia felt bad was because she felt as though she had indirectly dampened Masaki's day with the incident. Masaki had seemed to be in better spirits after her personal training and sparring with Renji. She hadn't wanted to ruin that.

As soon as they finished dinner, they discarded their personal belongings in Rukia's room and slipped into bathing yukata. Rukia told the young woman to cleanse herself as is customary before entering the onsen while she checked on the status of the water. She figured she should allow the young woman some privacy. Although nudity was a natural thing, she had never been fond of shedding her clothes in front of others when going to an onsen or sentō even if everyone would be in the same state as her. She had always felt self-conscious being in such a state.

When she entered the adjoining room, which housed the onsen, she was pleasantly surprised to discover it was made in perfect imitation of a natural onsen. Real rocks and shrubbery surrounded the steaming water. Lamps twinkled from the rocks outside the onsen and there were even lamps sitting atop rocks within the heated water. It was a truly beautiful scene. She spent several minutes admiring its beauty.

When she returned to the wash room, Masaki had already finished washing herself and was holding her small modesty towel lengthwise across her front.

"Go on ahead, Masaki, I'll join you in a bit," Rukia said, trying not to look at her.

As Masaki walked past her, Rukia caught a glimpse of a slanted streak of white against peach skin below wet orange tresses. Masaki's back disappeared before she could really make out the details, but she surmised the only reason that particular part of her shoulder blade was distinctly different was due to a scar. Ignoring the thought of how exactly it happened, she immersed herself in the task of cleansing herself. She had no business thinking about it. Her own body was adorned with scars. Perhaps not as prominent, but she had them. It was part of being a soldier.

Rukia could hardly discern where Masaki was amidst the thick white steam when she entered the onsen room. If it weren't for her vivid locks which just barely stood out against the dense vapor, she never would have been able to make out where she was.

Slowly, Rukia dipped her toes into the scorching water and eased the rest of her body in. Her body felt immobilized for a moment as her senses seemed to be dulled yet heightened at the same time by the blistering liquid seeping into her pores. Eventually though she felt her body begin to relax and she moved her closer to where Masaki was, pressing her back against the rocky wall behind her.

She closed her eyes, breathing the warm air and enjoying the sensation of the invigorating steam and water soothing every sore fiber and muscle within her body.

"This is nice," she murmured.

"It is," Masaki agreed softly.

"I haven't been to an onsen in a long time. I'd forgotten how relaxing they are. I usually just stick to warm baths, but it's not the same."

"It's not. Nothing beats an onsen."

"Yeah," Rukia agreed, cracking open her eyes and tilting her head and dipping her chin in the water. "I'm sure your arm will feel completely restored after this, Masaki."

"Yeah, it definitely will," Masaki murmured in agreement. "Not that I wasn't feeling better before. Jii-san is a great healer, but this is just the best way to soothe away any lingering aches."

"Indeed, it is," Rukia said.

"You know, Kuchiki-san, if you had taught Kurosaki-san Hadō 1: Shō, he probably would have blasted me into the canyon wall. I would have really been in need of this if that had been the case," Masaki said, her lips upturning into a grin at the thought.

"That's true…I've never seen such an awful attempt at Sai," Rukia said, her expression serious unlike that of Masaki. "Not even Renji was that awful. Sai is actually one of the ones he can do decently. Ichigo really shouldn't have tried any Kidō at all today."

"He shouldn't have, but now he knows Kidō isn't something that can be mastered quickly. He'll learn someday though with your help…."

"My help?" Rukia repeated, unable to contain her astonishment and disbelief.

"Hai. Does it feel like an impossible task?" Masaki grinned.

"Er, it does…"

"I don't blame you for thinking that. I've never seen such a poor attempt either, but you'll manage it somehow."

"If you say so…" Rukia murmured, looking thoughtful.

"Everything related to the future is hard to envision, isn't it?" Masaki said softly, a few moments later.

"I…I-well, I've never really thought about what would happen past this war," Rukia replied honestly.

"I figured as much," Masaki said, a thoughtful gleam in her eyes.

Sitting in the seiza position, Masaki is bent over, focused upon the kanji she is writing upon the thin calligraphy paper cushioned by the Shitajiki, the black mat, before her. Both the chin length bangs framing her face and those that fall in her eyes are swaying with the motions she is making. She is dressed in her Shihakushō and her fukutaichō armband is fastened over her left shoulder. Papers with inked kanji lay scattered on her right and left.

"K-Kaa-san," Masaki begins hesitantly, "when did you know you were in love with Tou-san?"

An older Rukia with longer, fuller, flowing hair dressed in a Shihakushō with a white haori over it suddenly looks up from her work. Some ink drips from her brush onto her paper as she holds it in midair and gazes at Masaki, who's across from her.

"Hmm, I'm not exactly sure when it happened," she says slowly. "It just sorta hit me that what I felt for him was different and stronger than what I had felt for him before. Why?" she wondered, raising an inquiring eyebrow at Masaki.

"I-I was just wondering…" Masaki says, glancing down at her work, "because The Seireitei Communication keeps making such a big fuss about your big anniversary that's coming up. They make it seem like you guys loved each other ever since you first laid eyes on each other…"

"They've always loved to make my relationship with your father such a romantic tale but trust me our relationship wasn't as romantic as they make it sound. I didn't see your father in that way back when he was trying to save me…Nor did he see me in that my way. Took us years after that for us to realize we meant more than good friends to each other…We used to laugh at the ridiculous speculations they would make about us before we ever felt that way about each other. When we finally did become a couple that obviously made the magazine's day. They've apparently never had so much to write about…"

A grin spreads across Masaki's face. "I guess they don't really have much to write now either…they've just dedicated ten whole pages chronicling the last a hundred plus years of you and dad's life…"

"I suppose it's the same for you when it comes to the past, Masaki. You never must have imagined it'd be like this…" Rukia said, prompting Masaki to blink.

"Imagination is never the same as reality," Masaki said quietly.

There was a moment's silence before Rukia spoke.

"Masaki, I know it's not easy for you to be here. I'm sorry about what happened earlier with Matsumoto-fukutaichō. I think that probably sounded worse than it really was…She didn't really—"

"Kuchiki-san, it's okay, there's no need to explain. Nothing even happened apparently, and besides I know you and Kurosaki-san aren't together. I thought someone like her did have someone though…I'll admit I never expected her to try something like that on the younger version of my father…. but at any rate, I've seen women flirt with my dad all the time. Kurosaki-taichō, is this how I should hold my sword? Oh thank you so much for showing me how to do it…" Masaki said, slipping into a flirtatious high pitched voice.

"It's pathetic, really. As if my dad would really be interested in them," Masaki said, reverting to her usual low toned voice, annoyance plainly evident. "He's completely oblivious to their efforts. He only has eyes for my mother. Those girls are just kidding themselves. It usually takes my mother or me to snap those hopeless love-struck girls back into reality, that whatever moment they spend with him is absolutely meaningless."

Rukia stared at her.

She was relatively unsurprised by Masaki's slip that Ichigo was a taichō, but the idea of Ichigo displaying unwavering faithfulness to her future self was rather startling yet strangely touching…He must truly love her to withstand the advances of girls, whether small or not, that were surely far more attractive than her….

The thought sent a jolt running through her. The concept of Ichigo loving her was undoubtedly extraordinary …. She couldn't quite wrap her mind over the idea despite Masaki's words and her presence…She felt as though her future with him was a long way off, but now that she knew of Ichigo's heritage she was beginning to rethink the previous thoughts she had had about Ichigo returning to the life of a normal Human after this war. She had hypothesized that he would do that primarily because the Gotei 13 wouldn't want a Human continuing on as a Substitute Shinigami. As a result, she had figured he would end up marrying a Human woman and would lose his memories about his earthly life upon his death. It was the only way she could envision him falling in love with her and marrying her during his stay in the Soul Society. She had figured Ichigo would not willingly marry her if he remembered his former wife. As Masaki had confirmed he was a loyal man and she doubted he could do such a thing knowing that he could reunite with his wife upon her death.

The fact that he was technically half Shinigami changed things though. The Soul Society would probably not allow Ichigo to continue residing in the World of the Living without a seal, or complete stripping of his powers. Shinigami that were exiled to the World of the Living usually had their powers stripped. She doubted Ichigo would be keen on the idea of his naturally inherited power being sealed or destroyed. She could now see this as being the reason would depart for the Soul Society before his natural death. His move to the Soul Society was actually not that far off if this was true…...

"I guess he's always been strong enough to resist temptations," Masaki noted, more to herself than to Rukia. "There aren't many men like that, especially at a young age…"

"I suppose you're right…"

There was nothing but silence for a few minutes, before Masaki began a light conversation. After a half an hour, Rukia lingered in the water as Masaki left to dry and clothe herself.

As they headed back toward her room, Rukia felt as though all the tension and fatigue in her body had been evaporated. She felt very relaxed. She figured she would probably fall asleep as soon as her head would hit the pillow. She almost drifted off in the onsen. She was surprised to hear Masaki say otherwise when they were almost near her room.

"Kuchiki-san, I'm not ready to turn in just yet…I'm going to take a walk if you don't mind," Masaki declared, her gaze was on the plant life bordering the walkway.

Rukia couldn't quite believe it considering that the young woman obviously had trouble sleeping the night before.

"Well, go ahead if that's what you want."

"It is. Go ahead and rest, Kuchiki-san."

---

The crisp night air nipped at his recently washed face, neck, and arms, but Byakuya scarcely felt it. His expression was detached as though he was not conscious of the flora surrounding him or of the gentle murmuring of the pond in the distance. His dark, wet tresses hung loose around his face. He was clothed in light grey night clothes. He was taking his customary night time stroll after his bath.

His thoughts kept drifting to his division. Many of his subordinates that had been sent out had been lost and now half a dozen of them, including Ninth Seat Shirogane Mihane, the daughter of his former fukutaichō, Shirogane Ginjirō, had been rendered ill by that loathsome virus despite his soldier's efforts to sanitize the grounds and quarantine those who had been infected or had shown signs of possible illness. He had known those measures were not foolproof. Microbes were not something that could easily be contained, but he had hoped their efforts would prevent such a thing from happening. He detested that there was nothing he could do to genuinely protect his subordinates or to restore their health.

According to the report of the Fourth Division medics that had been sent to provide aid, four of the infected soldiers appeared to have suffered minor damage and were expected to recover shortly thanks to the cure, but the other two, his eleventh seat and Shirogane Mihane, had sustained considerable damage due to their high Reiryoku. It was unclear how long it would take for them to recover.

It made him uncomfortable that their lives still hung in the balance, especially in particular Shirogane Mihane's case. Although he had considered the possibility of alerting his former fukutaichō of his daughter's state, he found he could not do it. The man would not even be allowed to visit her. It pained him that he could not allow Ginjirō the opportunity to be by the bedside of his daughter. He knew what it felt to have someone he loved claimed by illness, but he at least had the opportunity to stay by their side until the end. He hoped he would not have to deliver untimely news to him.

Aizen disgusted him. How could he have chosen such a cowardly means to destroy the Soul Society? He should have had the fortitude and strength to directly combat those he wished to vanquish instead of hiding behind such despicable, spineless methods. The man obviously did not possess it nor did he have any honor or courage whatsoever. He had never deserved the title of a taichō. He had been nothing but a mangy wolf in sheep's clothing. It was truly a pity they had never discovered this beforehand. The current crisis could have been averted if they had….

Despite his aversion to Aizen's destructive methods, he understood perfectly why he had chosen this secondary method in addition to direct combat to destroy the Soul Society. Disease was a truly powerful weapon. It could wreak havoc upon a person in the most terrible ways that a sword or any physical weapon could not. It could weaken, torture, and reduce a person to nothing regardless of their age, gender, strength, and social class. Such things meant nothing to its debilitating strength if there was nothing to counteract its effects…

He knew that very well himself which is why he loathed the situation even more. It kept sparking memories and emotions he'd rather not remember or feel.

His mother had succumbed to illness when he was younger. Her death had been rather sudden. There had been nothing the doctors could do. It was first time he had witnessed someone dying to illness…

His father who had always been weak of health according to his grandfather had managed to withstand his weakness and even become a Shinigami and die an honorable death at the hands of an enemy as opposed to his ailing body. Nevertheless, he remembered countless times his father lying bedridden, struggling to contend with his maladies. He knew it had been difficult for him to endure Shinigami training in order to fulfill his role as the future clan head…It was the only reason he had undergone it…

He had hoped his late wife, Hisana, could resist the infection that had afflicted her…

"I'm afraid, Kuchiki-taichō, that it's just as your clan's physician says. Your wife appears to have contracted an unknown illness. I will have to conduct more tests to see what type of treatment will help her best. For now, though, I recommend that she rest. She shouldn't strain herself for the next couple of days," Unohana says, sparing a glance to the bed behind her and Byakuya where a dark-haired woman with a striking resemblance to Rukia rested.

"I understand, Unohana-taichō," Byakuya murmurs. He is clothed in the standard Shihakushō and the Sixth Division fukutaichō armband is fastened to his left shoulder.

"You have my gratitude for attending to her. I realize this is beyond your normal duties and will compensate you accordingly."

"There's no need, Kuchiki-fukutaichō," Unohana says, smiling kindly. "My duty is to aid anyone who is in need whether they are a soldier or a civilian."

"I see…I appreciate your commitment—" he halts, noticing Hisana stirring behind Unohana.

The Fourth Division taichō turns her head.

"Ah, it appears the patient has awoken. You may speak with her. I will conduct my analysis at a later time."

He nods and walks over to the bed as the elder woman heads towards the room's exit.

"Hisana," he says softly, gazing at the blinking violet-eyed woman. Her lone frayed bang sways.

"B-Byakuya-sama," she murmurs, recognition flaring in her previously confused eyes. "W-Where am I?"

"You are in the Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho in the Fourth Division. You fainted while you were visiting me."

"I fainted?" she murmurs, wrinkling her brows as she appeared to try to recall the event. "I…oh yes…Forgive, Byakuya-sama, I did not mean to trouble you…"

"This is no trouble, Hisana," he assures her. "Perhaps, my bringing you here is for the best. The clan physician has obviously failed to improve your condition. Unohana-taichō is a far superior healer than he is. I believe she can help restore your help better than he can. I apologize for not thinking of her sooner…"

"Byakuya-sama, please, there's no need for an apology. The Fourth Division is supposed to treat Shinigami, isn't it? There's no reason you should have thought to bring me here…"

"That is their primary function, Hisana, but Unohana-taichō is willing to treat civilians as well. She says she is going to perform some tests in order to devise a suitable treatment for your condition. You might have to stay here another day or two."

Disappointment flickers in weary violet eyes.

"Hisana, do not worry, I doubt it will be more than that. And, even if you were to return to the manor, Unohana-taichō has ordered mandatory bed rest," he said, a knowing gleam appearing in his grey gaze. "You must think of your health, Hisana. If you are not well, then you won't be able to continue venturing out to Rukongai to find your sister…"

Hisana looks downtrodden at his last words.

"I...You're right, Byakuya-sama. I don't want to hurt my health…or you," she says, reaching out to his hand. "I will rest. I just hope Unohana-taichō will be able to find a cure…"

"She will," Byakuya says, smiling faintly.

He had hoped Unohana-taichō would cure her, but instead all she could do was stave off the terrible illness that kept resurfacing its ugly head when it appeared things were well. Watching his wife battle her ailments had never made him feel so helpless and weak. Nothing had ever generated such feelings, not even his defeats in battle, facing the true strength of Senbonzakura…

All he could was watch as the woman who held his heart fade away….

Her delicate hand, once so soft and smooth, felt as though it would crumble away with the slightest pressure. He held it with the gentlest care possible, vainly hoping it would preserve it longer, preserve her longer….How he wished his touch could endow her with the necessary strength to continue fighting…

Her palm felt unusually cold and clammy despite his warm, dry touch. He could feel her hand tremble beneath his as though she was deathly cold…

Her features once beautifully pale had whitened even more to a ghastly, greyish pallor…

The brilliant, striking violet eyes he had always loved about her gleamed dully now as though the light was fading from them…. Despite this, he could see an urgency in them, could hear it in her fragile voice…Every word was labored yet she continued….a beseeching tone underlining her words…

"Byakuya-sama, please find my sister. Then after you find her, please do not tell her that I am her sister. Without telling her anything, please Byakuya-sama, please protect my sister no matter what. I abandoned her, so I don't deserve to be her sister, so I hope that she can be Byakuya-sama's sister."[

"Even at the end, I am still asking more of you. I am very sorry I couldn't return Byakuya-sama's love. I am sorry. Being with Byakuya-sama for the past five years was like a dream come true for me, Byakuya-sama."

He felt her fingers curling around his, weakly and desperately, in an effort to reassure him…to thank him…He held them onto them, frantically wishing she would not let go, that she would not give up…He wanted her to see her sister someday….He did not want to embark on the task alone…He wanted her by his side…

He held her hand until her fingers went limp and her final breath left her worn out lungs…

He could not bear the thought of losing Rukia, his last link to his late wife, like that. He had to admit he was relieved to know that he wouldn't.

Byakuya stiffened, hearing the light crinkling of grass underfoot behind him.

"Who's there?" he asked.

He turned his head, watching as Masaki, clad in a white yukata, stepped into the path he had previously trodden on from behind a veil of shrubbery. More hair that usual framed her face. As her eyes met his, he saw surprise in them. She looked as though she had been woken abruptly from her thoughts.

As his eyes took notice of his surroundings, he realized his own thoughts had made him fail to realize he had travelled past his own gardens.

"I-I'm sorry, I didn't mean to intrude, Kuchiki-taichō. I was just taking a walk. I'll be on way," she apologized, inclining her head before turning around.

As she walked away, he noticed the pearly white crescent shaped hair pin wasn't attached to her head, explaining why her hair was loose.

"Wait," he found himself saying before she could disappear from his sight. He wasn't exactly sure what it was that compelled him to utter the word, but he found that he needed a distraction.

Masaki froze. Slowly she turned her head to glance at him over her shoulder.

"Yes?"

He stared at her a long moment before asking, "What is the status of the Kurosaki name?"

Masaki's eyes widened fractionally for an instant before she turned her head forward, hiding her face from him. He watched her as she silently contemplated his question.

"My grandfather has been cleared of the charges pressed against him. The Kurosaki name has been restored," Masaki replied, a few moments later.

"So, the clan has been restored then?"

"It has."

There was silence.

"I know why you're asking that, Kuchiki-taichō. I know you'd rather preserve the Kuchiki pride," Masaki said, meeting his gaze head on as she turned her body to the side. She paused, before continuing, "I'm both a Kurosaki and a Kuchiki though my father would prefer I say otherwise…"

Byakuya stared at her.

"Does that mean you're part of the Great Noble House of Kuchiki?"

Masaki stared at him, parting her lips as though intending to say something, but they fell closed, curling into a slight frown as she lowered her gaze to the ground.

"Does the Kuchiki name matter more than my mother herself?" she inquired after several moments.

"She has a duty to uphold the Kuchiki name."

"But is that more important than her?" she asked once more, curling her hands into fists at her side and meeting his gaze once more.

"Your presence indicates clearly indicates she has managed to uphold her duty and preserve her happiness. I do not understand why you're asking such a thing…"

Creasing her eyebrows, Masaki gazed at him. Her fists began to shake slightly.

"T-That may be true, but she has suffered because of it," she replied.

"You mean she's suffered because of him…" Byakuya corrected, narrowing his eyes slightly.

"Not because of my father," Masaki said, looking irritated," but because of them…The Kuchiki Clan…"

"The clan's disapproval of the union is unexpected. Even if the Kurosaki Clan has been restored there would be elders who would not approve. Enduring their displeasure is something that is unavoidable. Would you rather that Rukia abandon the Kuchiki name to be spared such a fate? I think it would be wiser for you to return further into the past and undo the blemishing of the Kurosaki name if you truly wanted to spare her resentment."

Masaki looked startled.

"I-If I did that my father wouldn't even be born," Masaki said, looking disturbed. "That would only please the clan. My mother's lineage is just as much a problem if not more so than my father's, and you know it… I'm not interested in changing things…all I'm saying is that the Kuchiki name shouldn't be more important than my mother."

"I merely intend to defend her rights as a Kuchiki as I've done since I brought her forth into the clan. If I hadn't, she would have been married into another clan years ago."

Masaki stared at him.

"I see," she said, matter of fact as though unsurprised by his answer.

There was a beat during which Masaki turned her back on him.

"K-Kuchiki-taichō, then you must be prepared to never let your guard down with the clan."

"Good night, Kuchiki-taichō," she added after a moment as she began to walk away.

Byakuya stood in place, staring after her, a pondering expression on his normally impassive features.

---

Quick Glossary:

Reiryoku- Spirit energy/ spiritual power

Zanjutsu- swordsmanship

Shunpo- flash step

Katana-sword

Sensei- teacher

Hai- yes

Fukutaichō- lieutenant

Arigatō- thank you

Taichō- captain

Hakusui- soul sleep, spiritual power (reiryoku) source

Saketsu- (Binding chain) Former area where the Soul Chain was on a Plus. Acts as booster for spiritual power in a Shinigami.

Bakudō (Way of Binding)- Defensive Kidō spells

Hadō (Way of Destruction)- Offensive Kidō spells

Kaa-san- mom

Kosode- kimono top

Hakama- pants

Haori- cloak

Shihakushō- Shinigami uniform

Tou-san- dad

Jii-san- grandpa

Oyaji- old man (informal way of saying dad)

Yukata- simple cotton kimono

Onsen- hot spring

Sentō- public bath that uses heated tap water

Seiza- sitting position where heels rest on the buttocks

Shitajiki- soft, black writing mat for calligraphy

Sōgō Kyūgo Tsumesho- Coordinated Relief Station

AN: It is a fact that Kuchiki Sojun had weak health and did not have the fighting personality Byakuya has. Look up it up on Bleach Wikia. I actually bought the Masked book a couple of months ago and can say that's pretty much what TK said in his interview.