Pre-Note

Welcome to another chapter of TIM! I'm a little late (by three days) but I've just been super busy and will continue to be busy until July unfortunately (that being said, this is a short chapter). On a side note, there will be a flashback in this chapter in which the lines are taken from the English dub of Episode 007 but the lines will be merged with additional dialogue so no worries. Happy Reading!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or its characters but I do own the plot.

The Journey of a Thousand Miles Begins

A pale blue fog swallowed most of the Soul Society during another cold afternoon. Buildings were still damaged, ice still dominated the area, and the Gotei 13 remained hidden in their barracks in search for warmth and validation.

Most of them didn't know how to feel. Whomever these so-called superiors were seemed to be nothing more than folklore rather than the truth. Who were these people the ryoka had referred to? What had the Head Captain done wrong?

The Gotei 13 were a highly-specialized military force that ruled the Soul Society.

Nothing could be beyond them—they were the foundation of the Soul Society from the very beginning, or so they thought. Yamamoto Genryūsai saw himself as the founder of the organization, ruthless as a man but wiser as an elder. The original Gotei 13 were a horde of killers for a reason. It wasn't the quincies or any other external influence that comprised the organization's motives, but the assassins.

The Gotei 13 wanted to be feared—they wanted to prove that they were capable of hoarding as much power as the assassins held with their profound knowledge in Judan and spiritual stamina, sheatsu.

It was that type of vanity that separated the two kinds—soul reapers and the assassins. Specifically, Yamamoto Genryūsai and Okasake Hiroshima.

The Central 46 were nothing at the time. It did not matter what they dictated, it was the dictators that made the decision. In this case, it had been all three men who had taken the role of dictator that began the fall of the original Soul Society.

They faced troubles with everything. From zanpakutō abilities to fighting techniques to rights and regulations. It seemed that the dictators could never firmly agree on one thing which in turn lead to chaos.

They had learnt this in a very short time. Lieutenant Ise had spent her days wrapped in a cloak, investigating every speck the elder members of the noble families could tell her. It was a shame to say it wasn't much, she knew there was a bigger part she was missing, but what could she do?

It seems that the Gotei 13 only had a limited amount of information and because of the weather, she had no choice but to work with what she had.

She didn't know whether to call herself lucky or unfortunate, even though Lieutenant Matsumoto was her friend, but Lieutenant Matsumoto or specifically, the 10th Division were investigating Lieutenant Kuchiki's case as she read. Knowing Rangiku, she was much too tired and overwhelmed by the situation to be working and knowing Captain Hitsugaya, he would continue to pester her until she did some research.

Eyes spotting a jigokuchō, the Lieutenant stopped her reading to listen to the message. At first she had thought it was Rangiku, requesting them to meet up however, as soon as she heard the voice, she realized she was dearly wrong.

It was the Head Captain, making a request to meet.

"I'm beat." Rangiku huffed as she stared up at the moon. Her entire body was numb and her teeth could barely hold back its jitters but, the Lieutenant had been given orders to investigate Lieutenant Kuchiki's case, giving her no choice but to stay out and search for anything she could find.

She feared she would get hypothermia if she stayed out here too long but something was bothering her. And it wasn't just the Head Captain's affiliation with the group of assassins.

It was Gin.

Ichimaru Gin.

The former 3rd Division Captain.

The soul, Okasake Jushirmai had read off of her so easily.

She didn't understand how the connection of the moon out of all things could allow him to read off of her so easily, it made her restless, because now she thought.

Was his soul not in peace yet? Was...Was he still restless? Was he still...attached to her why he couldn't move on?

She remembered what the ryoka had said.

A deadened soul still attached to your own.

What had he meant by that? Did that mean, Gin's soul was still visiting her in the form of reishi or...did it just mean that she hadn't moved on?

She wanted to think he was still watching over her but then again, what if he wasn't? What if it had just been the ryoka playing with her head all along in belief that Ichimaru Gin was still alive in the form of a lurking soul in search for her.

It was a shame really. From the very beginning, Rangiku had wanted to ask Lieutenant Kuchiki how the ryoka was able to do it. She wanted to know what kind of ensorcelled connection he had with the moon and how he knew of Gin and the past they shared. There were too many things she wanted to ask and nobody knew the answer but her, her and she was gone now.

She spent most of the afternoon investigating the areas Lieutenant Kuchiki had been recorded by the 12th Division. But unfortunately, the snow storm they had suffered in the morning had already covered her tracks. There was nothing left of her escape. Not even her reiatsu had left a faint trace of where she could've possibly gone—leaving the Lieutenant with little to nothing to investigate.

"Lieutenant Matsumoto." A division member called. "Our next location is near the noble houses, should we report there before Captain Hitsugaya requests us to come back?"

Rangiku turned around. "No."

"Huh?"

"Captain Kuchiki said that he would be handling any location near the noble houses. We have one last location and that's near the 13th Division's barracks, after that, we can report back to our division's barracks. Is that clear?" Rangiku said.

"Yes ma'am." They all responded in unison.

"It's been over an hour. What do you think the chances are that'll find any kind of evidence leading to Lieutenant Kuchiki's case?" One of the division members asked.

"None. But we have to take our chances." Rangiku said.

"What if we don't find anything?"

"Then we don't." She replied as they began to walk down the path.

"Jeez, how did Amori manage to find evidence to justify Lieutenant Kuchiki's treason but we're still digging through the ryoka's trash?"

"I don't know how he got it, but he sure as hell has been on the Head Captain's good side for a while ever seen he found it." Another member replied.

"That's for sure, I haven't seen much of him ever since we encountered the ryoka with Captain Hitsugaya."

"That's because the Head Captain's been treating him as his junior vice ever since the video came out. He's been having dinner in the 1st Division barracks ever since Amori gave him the video."

"Damn, he's lucky. A one on one with the Head Captain? Wonder how he found it."

"If you ask me, it doesn't make any sense. For Amori-kun to get that video he would've had to hack into the 12th Division surveillance system and transfer the video onto a USB. It doesn't make sense as to why the 12th Division out of all people would have given it to him when they could've claimed responsibility on their own."

Another member laughed. "Are you tryna say that Amori's been lyin' to us?"

"It's just a thought. I just want to know how he got that video."

"Maybe he's friends with someone from the Department of Research and Development who gave it to him to report in."

"Maybe."

"In what location did you encounter the ryoka with the Captain?" Lieutenant Matsumoto asked in curiosity after listening to her division members' conversation regarding Amori. That's another thing that didn't make sense, how did Amori get the video to begin with?

He had reported in with significant information however, the Lieutenant would have never assumed it would have been something like that. He had seemed so eager for the Head Captain to acknowledge his findings and ever since then, she had rarely seen him.

"Back near the 9th Division barracks."

"Take me there." She ordered, it was better than returning to the Gotei 13 with nothing. It was evident to her that there was no known evidence left relating to Lieutenant Kuchiki's case. They had searched and searched and searched until she, herself had gotten bored and thought of other things such as Gin.

Also, the cloaks each division had been given only protected them for a limited amount of time. Soon, they would begin to freeze and once their body was exposed to such cold air, they would immediately get hypothermia—a risk Lieutenant Matsumoto did not want to take.

"Yes ma'am."

Byakuya remained impassive as he entered Rukia's room for the fifth time that night, unsure of what he was attempting to find considering the fact that her room had been left in the same manner she had left it in.

Except one thing; the picture frames, Byakuya thought. The hidden frames she had left in another dimension within her room that he hadn't known of up until recently. He walked towards the picture frames on top of the piano.

The order ran from the younger Rukia and Renji to the older versions and their Lieutenant badge. Then came the troublesome Women Shinigami Association to Captain Ukitake and the Shiba with Rukia on the side. As he recalled, Kurosaki Ichigo stated that these pictures were also located in this book known as her quotebook to represent the people she wanted in her heart if she ever was to die.

From his perspective, she was missing some.

He did not see any pictures of the quincy she was suppose to be associated with. He assumed that the quincy was her friend which is why he came all the way here in a shinigami territory to help her escape. He would have never anticipated that there were still more alive neither would he had ever anticipated that Rukia would fled.

It had not been too long ago when he had reassured her that she would be interrogated in here with him. Following Captain Unohana's orders, he would have not let them ask her questions she was not comfortable answering. But it seemed that she had thought otherwise.

He picked up the frame that carried the old photograph of Rukia and Renji when they were little. Among the five there, he spotted no quincy with red hair—meaning that they had most likely met him later on in their lives in the Rukongai.

Pulling out the photograph, he examined it closely. There was nothing unusual about it—they were kids in the Rukongai, what could have they or she have possibly done to be associated with the Okasake noble? From what he remembered, it seemed that the Okasake noble had loved her or perhaps, still did love her. It was the only assumption he could make with such little evidence. However, the 12th Division Captain refused to believe the story.

The 12th Division Captain believed that love was too simplistic as a motive but it was the only one they had so far. It had not been too long ago when Kurosaki Ichigo had sent a jigokuchō flying in to inform him of the new motive but the 6th Division Captain found it faulty.

For one, he was now aware that the Okasake clan had a lot of bias or inaccuracy written in their stories. He would not like to the think that the utmost, supposed superior of the Soul Society would allow himself to diminish his own pride for the sake of his son.

His predecessor had been associated them but he had never seen them once—even their photo in the Noble Hall was masked. He now knew they were more than just the folklore he had presumed them to be after years of never witnessing this supposed noble clan. Based on the information given, one of them had already died leaving Okasake Hirosuke as the Head of the clan.

He had thought of paying the manor a visit, but he had thought otherwise. His predecessor had left little to no information regarding this noble clan and the Kuchiki clan had no given files of the Okasake clan's history. Perhaps, it was best to leave the ties between their clans untouched. In a turn of events, if they were somehow Rukia's enemy, they would not know where she was located.

He turned the photograph around, surprised by the thickness of the paper. It seemed that there was another photo attached to the back of the photo. Byakuya immediately tore the photos away to see the other one tucked behind it. This time, there were only three people in the photo.

Rukia, Renji, and the qu—

"Byakuya!" A voice called near the parted shōji. Byakuya immediately closed his eyes in irritation at the intrusion.

"Kurosaki Ichigo." He acknowledged. "What is it?" He questioned impassively. He was not in the mood to review with the stubborn human how he should properly be addressed.

Ichigo panted heavily near the doors, he was visibly out of breath after running for so long, or so Byakuya presumed. Nonetheless, he did not expect the human to appear without reason so he stood patiently, waiting for him to regulate his breathing.

"We found Rukia. She's northeast, headed towards the mountains." Ichigo stated immediately.

He turned around.

"These cloaks are suppose to generate warm energy but they won't be able to last you that long now that the temperature is colder." Kūkaku informed.

"Then what are we suppose to wear to avoid the cold?" Uryū asked.

"I tried contacting Urahara but I'm not getting' any answers so, I had Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko meet with a representative from the Department of Research and Development who was able to increase the amount of heat generated and its duration. It's colder up north so you'll need all the warmth you can get." Kūkaku explained.

"Urahara-san is not answering?" Orihime asked.

"Yeah."

"He must be too occupied with the heat wave consuming the World of the Living." Uryū theorized.

"Probably, anyways, I supplied you guys with some things to drink to keep warm and some food supplies. I don't know how long you'll be left up north so I suggest you don't waste it."

"Thank you." Uryū said. "We appreciate your help."

Orihime stared wide-eyed at the food. "W-Wow, Kūkaku-san! Are you sure you want to give us this much?"

"Yeah sure, we're not running low on anything."

"How are we going to carry them?" Chad asked while staring at the black boxes filled with rice, vegetables, beans, and seafood.

"Ganju will help carry them half way, but once you guys cross the boundary, you're on your own."

"This is great! I can finally cook you all some of my famous homemade meals!" Orihime said with sparkly eyes. "Miso soup with marshmallows and peanut butter, deep fried fish with chocolate and mustard, even soba with maple syrup and ice cream!"

"Sounds...delicious." Chad said.

"I can't wait to try it, Inoue-san." Uryū said.

"Are you guys serious?" Ganju asked Uryū and Chad.

"Do you think...Kurosaki-kun would try it too?" Orihime asked.

"Hell, there's no way Ichigo's gonna eat tha—"

"Well of course, Inoue-san." Uryū replied. "We can even take turns being chefs."

"O-Oh, that sounds great Ishida-kun."

"Where is Ichigo anyways?" Ganju asked. "That damn idiot left without saying a word."

"He said he would back. I think he needs to talk to somebody." Chad said.

"Sado-kun, did he say who he was going to talk to?" Orihime asked.

"He better not let Kuchiki-san's location slip, if any soul reaper finds out where she is, there is no doubt in my mind that they won't try to reach her before us." Uryū said.

"The trip to the boundary will take about four days. You'll have to go through water as well so you'll have to use the boat near the shore. There's a limit to how many people can fit it in though so be careful." Kūkaku informed. "I'm only suggesting the boat to make it easier for you to travel. You can fly above it if that's what you wanna do. Doesn't bother me."

"What if it's frozen?" Uryū asked.

"It won't be, that's for sure. You'll only need the boat for a 2/3 of the way. Once you reach the boundary, you'll have to find a way to break it to get in."

"What do you suggest we do to break it?" Uryū asked.

"Sorry, but that'll be up to you. This barrier is different, it's secured with sheatsu. Shooting you all up in a cannon won't be enough to break it, trust me. This barrier isn't like the shakonmaku, the reishi barrier that guards the Seireitei, it's secured with a Major's sheatsu. It won't be easy given the fact that you all have reiatsu."

"Is there anyone you know who has sheatsu that can accompany us?" Uryū asked.

"Sorry, we, Shibas got out of that organization a while back. We're not in contact with any of them and besides," she took a moment to pause, "the assassins hate shinigami. You might be an exception but Ichigo won't be. You won't be getting help from anyone with sheatsu, that's a fact."

"If you're friends with another quincy you might have a chance. But it depends on which one." Ganju said.

"Ishida-kun, your father!" Orihime suggested.

"Ryūken won't be involved." Uryū said. "He no longer considers himself a quincy."

"Well then I guess you're outta luck." Ganju said before the group fell silent.

"Ganju!" Kūkaku called.

"Y-Yes, Nee-chan?" Ganju asked.

"Pass me the denreishinki." She ordered.

"Yes, ma'am." Ganju said in a rush to get the electronic device.

"Look, this may seem easy but it ain't gonna be easy if we keep dragging those reapers by their tails behind us." Raiden said.

"They won't know. The Head Captain made it clear that he wasn't going to get them involved." Yoruichi said.

"The only problem is Kuchiki-san's innocence. That's the only thing that's driving them in our direction."

"They treated her like shit for nothing and now all of sudden when she becomes the center of attention once again they're back and ready to act like they fucking know justice?" Raiden asked. "What a fucking waste. If she wanted to run she could've become a human, I sure as hell wouldn't have minded that instead of having to hide underground to avoid those fucking too-faced reapers—ring, ring."

"Huh?" The quincy looked down at the electronic device ringing in his pocket. "Who the fuck is calling me now?"

He pulled out the device and read the name.

Shiba Kūkaku.

He pressed the phone to his ear. "What?"

"How long does it take you to answer the fucking phone you idiot?!"

"I was in the middle of talking. Whadaya want?"

"I want to know if she's done yet."

"Not even close."

"Well, can you hurry the hell up? Her friends are coming after her."

"They don't even know where she is."

"Trust me, they'll realize I'm misguiding them eventually."

"If I had a fucking choice I would but we're short two members."

"You better get your ass working fast, Arigawa."

"Well then fucking bite me, I just told you if I could, I fucking would. Rukia left four hours ago, I don't know when she'll be back as for the others, I don't know what's taking them so fucking long but they'll be here."

"YOU IDIOT! YOU LET HER LEAVE?!"

"Why the fuck are you yelling at me for?! You act like I was the one who packed her in a fucking box and sent her away!" Raiden said.

"Idiot! What if she doesn't come back?!"

"It's Rukia, she will. Now calm the fuck down, we're still short and we can't move until we know where the hell we're going."

"I heard you the first time anyways, how the hell have you been doin'? Think you're gonna get that Major promotion?"

"Ah I've been alright, and yeah, maybe. I'm not sure." Raiden replied. "How about you? I haven't seen you in awhile, how the fuck has everything been goin' on?"

"It's been alright, how's Sinna been?"

"She's doin' fine. I visited her a couple weeks ago but we barely got a word in."

"Is that Kūkaku?" Yoruichi intervened the conversation. She stood behind Raiden with her arms crossed.

"Yeah, you wanna talk to her?" Raiden asked before wordlessly the woman responded and he handed her the phone.

"Kūkaku."

"Yoruichi."

"I've mislead them. Don't know how long it'll be until they realize it though."

"Good. We need all the time we can get." Yoruichi said. "Kisuke's been having trouble stabilizing the revival project and with Kuchiki's condition, we don't have much options but to stay underground."

"I heard she left."

"Yeah, she went to the Human World for awhile but I know her reason."

"What is it?"

"Something personal. I think we should let her stay there for a month while we strengthen things on this side. I know it may seem risky but I know she's going to need it."

"A month?" Kūkaku asked. "Damn, I don't know how long I can keep them at bay."

"Keep interrupting them. Have them go through obstacles, whatever you do, don't make them reach the boundary. Jushirmai has control over every aspect of our territory, once he finds them, he might attack them and they're just not ready for that kind of power."

"I'll try."

"Let me speak with Ichigo."

"He's not here. I think he went to tell her brother that he found her location."

"This isn't going to be easy but, we'll have to find a way to avoid having soul reapers involved with this." Yoruichi said. "I've left Ukitake some information to clear Kuchiki's case in the daireishokario. Once she comes out innocent, all we'll have to deal with is Ichigo."

"Alright, I'll contact you later. Tell Raiden to check his fucking phone."

"I will."

"Bye."

The phone call ended.

"When she comes out innocent, who will we be dealing with to get her back?" Raiden asked.

She put one finger up, "Ichigo," then a second one, "Ichigo," and then a third one, "and maybe even Byakuya-bo if we're lucky."

"Isn't that the guy we're suppose to watch out for?"

"Don't worry," Yoruichi smirked. "I got that one all covered."

Kon walked absentmindedly in a field of snow near the Shiba home alone—recalling every single memory he had of Rukia as he left small imprints of his feet in the snow.

Rukia had been her complete, entrancing self without hesitation in the months she had spent with Ichigo and him. Never once had Rukia ever give the impression that she was hiding something.

Especially not from Ichigo.

But then again...Memories tracing back to the early stages before her execution, she had been secretive about her sentence. She'd been so desperate to avoid it even when that odd soul reaper had come and met on her Kurosaki Masaki's death anniversary.

Her fears had changed immensely. But those days were over, the plushie said to himself.

Things were different now. She was more open, more trusting, more...

Flashback

"What is that?" Kon asked, resting onto Rukia's small shoulder with his claws sinking into her backpack.

She didn't reply, she didn't need to as she walked towards the seated figure under the tree—not too far from where she was standing. Her hat shielded her eyes, she had hoped to calmly walk past him without being identified, but once his snoring ceased, she realized something; he was awake.

He yawned loudly, causing her to jump back in defense as his uniform came into the light.

The unidentified man groaned as he rubbed his nose.

"That was a nice, little nap." He commented before his eyes averted to hers. "Hello there, comrade."

"It's you." Rukia said before he laughed.

He rolled away from the tree to stand in front of her.

"Sorry, I hate to be caught napping but these missions get so dull sometimes that I just can't seem to stay awake." He said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Kon gasped in the grass as his marble eyes spotted a zanpakutō.

"A soul reaper?" He questioned in horror. "Not good, not good at all." He shouted in panic before he disappeared to find Ichigo.

"Mission? What kind of mission are you on?" Rukia asked.

The mysterious man chuckled as he touched his chin. "Don't you know, Rukia."

"No more games, who are you? Just answer the question now." She demanded.

He chuckled as he lowered his sugegasa hat to shield his eyes.

"Kuchiki Rukia." He said before raising his hat for her to see his tiny pupils and grin. "That's a name that everybody in Shin'ō Academy knows. Let's face it, you're famous, adopted into the noble Kuchiki family, you were known to the rest of the student body as the princess of the Rukongai District. Ring a bell?"

"What does this have to do with anything?"

"I just thought I'd remind you a little bit of your past if you didn't mind. But really, that's besides the point, at least you can remember me now right? I was older than you but you know my reputation."

Rukia was silent.

"Maybe this will ring a bell, they call me that really funny guy, righttttt?!" He said, immediately getting closer to her and lifting his hat to smile.

"I've never heard of you." She stated simply before he lowered his body momentarily to groan.

Standing up, he tried to brush it off. "Ah well, never mind. I suppose we should get down to business."

Rukia immediately took a step back and raised her arms as defense.

"Hey, settle down." He said with his eyelids lowering. "All you gotta do is answer a few questions."

Immediately, the face of the shopkeeper, Urahara Kisuke flashed in her mind.

Kuchiki-san, you can't hope to hide it forever.

Her eyebrows lowered slightly in the middle. "Oh wait, the Onmitsukidō."

"Ding-ding-ding-ding-ding!" He said with a circle popping out the top of his sugegasa hat as he pulled the string. "Woo-hoo! That is the correct answer!"

"Would you just knock it off?!" Rukia asked with irritation before he regained his composure.

"There getting' pretty irritated with you back there and I'm not just talking about them, the others too. They want to know why you're still here."

She closed her eyes. "I'm still here because the hollows keep appearing. Orders come in to, it's as simple as that."

He smirked and pointed up and down to her clothing. "That doesn't explain why you're dressed like a high school girl."

"What?" Rukia looked down before she crossed her arms to shield her body. "What's the difference? I'll wear whatever I want to!"

"Oh don't be embarrassed, it just looks like you're finally growing into a woman or perhaps, you were already one before, am I right?" The shinigami turned to his side.

"What's that suppose to mean?" She questioned innocently.

"Oh stop, you're killin' me." He said before he giggled and puckered his lips. "For one, you still seem to believe that theory of yours, you know the one about escaping your past? Trust me, it, isn't gettin' you nowhere honey, if you're trying to have some fun." He said.

"Huh?"

"Why not admit it? You're involved with that kid who's mother was killed by a hollow." He turned towards her and stretched his arm to emphasize. "The guy with the spiky hair."

"What are you talking about?"

He got closer to her face to tease her. "You feel sorry for him? Or are you lookin' for fun in the Human World?"

She groaned as he laughed. "None of your business! Shut your mouth or I'll shut it for you!"

He blushed as he cooed. "Nothing to be embarrassed about my little flower, everybody needs love and I guess the best you could do was a human boy to get all smoochy with." He said as he crossed his arms to hug himself. "But you should know," he tilted his head. "it's useless against him, if ya know what I mean."

"Actually," he raised his head and scratched his hat "it's the very least you could do to upset him. A replacement to shadow his affection will do nothing but lead to his self-destruction which I assume you've always wanted, isn't that right?"

"You're talking about—"

"Okasake Ju—"

Her eyes widened at the sound of that name. "Shut it. I don't think you came here on a mission to discuss him."

She was bitter. She had avoided that surname for so long, she didn't need to hear it again—ever, she was too ashamed.

"You've avoided his name for so long it seems that the blood is finally resurfacing itself on your face." He smirked.

"I have no reason to associate myself with him or you."

"You may not now, but previously, hell, weren't you the star of his galaxy?" He asked as he intertwined both of his fingers and blushed. "The water to his land? The rain to his flowers? If you ask me, you were much better accepting him than relying on ol'spiky here."

"I told you that's none of your business and besides, shouldn't you be more concerned about yourself? By the looks of it you're his supporter but you're also a soul reaper."

"It doesn't matter what I am. What matters is he's right about everything soul reapers have done, it doesn't matter what I am or who I am."

"So why haven't you told them where I am? Why haven't you exposed me yet? Is there some kind of gain here?"

"Far from it, actually. I'm what you call, a ghost supporter—he doesn't know me and I, well I knew him from afar in the Rukongai but never enough to get the insights of what exactly he saw in you. But then again, back then, you were different weren't you?" Rukia let him continue. "It seemed that no one could ever understand you but I guess that's what made you so interesting, didn't it? Your actions, your words, your abilities, it's a shame you let that all die to end up in the dim shadow of the high school girl you look like now."

"I see. As a ghost supporter you're entitled to fulfill his every desire, even carnal if it is. That's the life you live if you devote yourself to someone as unseemly, but it looks like you've decided to be the Soul Society's foe rather than what you appear to be."

"Isn't that the same as you?"

"Hardly."

"Whether it's carnal or love, at the end of the day, it's all for you." He cooed. "Only for you, all for you, only for you, all for you, it's only for you!" He sang to himself and danced.

"Would you stop it already?!" Rukia yelled in annoyance.

"Why do you keep discussing this?" Rukia asked. "Only someone who's been in contact with him would discuss something as inappropriate as this. My question is, why are you acting as if you were sent here to persuade me?"

"I'm not here to persuade you, but I thought I might as well at least try you know, before Head Captain Yamamoto takes his final fall and you're caught up in the midst of it."

"There is nothing I have in my power that will ever be able to help him. Even if I did, why would I ever?"

"Even if you're powerless, you're what he wants and I don't think he'll stop at just anything to have you dawdle around in the Human World as a high school girl."

"I do what I please. I'm not under his jurisdiction nor do I plan to be under his jurisdiction."

"Fine by me but I'm warning you," he lowered his sugegasa hat as he spoke with an ominous tone. "unrequited love, it's not the kind of thing that dies; it's kept somewhere deep, somewhere dark, a place where it's beaten down until it forces itself to hide, stuck in some kind of solitary darkness where it's kept to fight the love of another, some kind of battle between darkness and light."

Flashback End

"Kurosaki-kun!" Orihime acknowledged outside of the Shiba Manor, running towards him with her hair tucked in her cloak.

Ichigo descended from the sky with his cloak and a wool hat on his head as he looked towards Orihime's direction. Behind her stood Uryū, Chad, Kūkaku, and Ganju along with a mountain load of boxes containing dried ingredients for food.

"What the….What the hell is all of that?" Ichigo pointed towards the boxes.

"Our food for the rest of the trip, of course." Uryū said. "We need to eat."

"Yeah, I got that but why the hell do we have to bring so much?" Ichigo asked. "I thought it was only gonna be a four-day trip."

"Kūkaku-san said that the trip will be prolonged because of the ryoka's interference." Chad said.

"Hai, Kūkaku-san that those people who were with the ryoka might try to interfere once they figure out where we're going. So, it might take longer than expected to reach the border and find Kuchiki-san."

"I don't care who interferes, we're going to find Rukia and prove her innocence before the Gotei 13 interfere."

"What did her brother say?" Uryū asked.

"What are you talking about?" Ichigo asked.

"You left so quickly that the only person I thought of was Kuchiki-san's brother. I assumed you went to inform him that we found her location."

"Yeah, I did."

"Is he going to come with us?" Chad asked.

"I don't know. When I told him I found Rukia, he stared at me and then walked out of the room."

"Do you think he'll tell the Gotei 13?"

"He won't. They're against her as well. But who he plans on telling, I don't know."

"Whether or not the Gotei 13 get involve, you all need to get a move on if you plan on getting anywhere." Kūkaku said. "Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko will help you with the boxes along the way but, once you're halfway there, they'll be retreating."

"Thank you for all the help." Uryū said.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah." She dismissed. "I'm also gonna get Ganju to help you half way too. He's comin' back with Koganehiko and Shiroganehiko so don't get too comfortable with having him around."

"It's not like he does anything anyways." Ichigo said.

"What the hell did you just say?!" Ganju asked.

"I said, you don't do anything anyways so there's no need to get comfortable about having you around!" Ichigo said.

"Shut it! If you're all ready to go now, gets your stuff and move the hell on! Something tells me there's going to be storm and trust me, once you're caught in a storm, there will be no way out." Kūkaku said.

"Alright," Ichigo said before turning around. The human gang accompanied by the Shiba stood behind him with determined looks on their faces as Ichigo looked forward at the horizon. "we're finding Rukia no matter what happens. We're too far in to get out now."

"Right!" They said in unison.

"Let's go." Ichigo said and with that the gang headed towards the mountains, unaware that the person they were looking for, wasn't there.

End Note

byaruki / tumblr.