|UBWR|

-Use Bleach When Required-

Ju yon: Her Truth

There is no such thing as 'truth' or 'lies' in this world; there never has been. There are only plain, hard facts. And yet, all beings who exist in this world acknowledge only those 'facts' that are convenient to them, and take them to be the 'truth'. They do so because they know no other way of living. However, for those powerless beings who comprise the majority of this world's population, inconvenient facts that affirm their very existence are their only truth.

- Aizen Sōsuke.

"I'm never doing that again." Sanae groaned as she pushed herself up onto her hands and knees. Her ears were ringing from the impact and her head felt like it was about to be split open like a coconut. Her body was exhausted from using so much energy to try and help stabilize the cannonball (which had failed spectacularly), and then using Kido to try and soften her landing. She lifted her head and glanced around the place that she had crash-landed in. It was a storage room, and judging from the stamps on the pallets and boxes, she was in the fifth squad's district.

Sanae rolled over onto her back and sighed heavily. Her strength would return to her soon, she just wouldn't be able to perform any high class Kido spells for the time being. She needed to lay low for a while and get her bearings before she headed off on her mission.

She rubbed at her eyes with a clenched fist. She couldn't get the image of Ichigo's shocked face out of her head. She had seen the concern in his brown eyes, and a slight hint of fear for her own wellbeing as she had flung herself from his grasp. She felt horrible about leaving them, but she had to. He'd be able to save Rukia. She knew it deep down. They didn't need her for the time being. As soon as she got the information she needed she'd join back up with them once again. She'd explain herself and beg for their forgiveness; hopefully they'd accept her once more.

"I saw them land in here!" A voice said from outside the room.

Sanae jerked up, her body protesting at the movement. "Oh, crap." She muttered wearily as the door to the room started to shake as the Shinigami outside tried to get it open. Sanae struggled to get to her feet as she craned her head up to look at the hole that she had come through from the ceiling. Using her Shunpō she dashed onto the roof of the building just as five Shinigami came bursting through the door. They couldn't sense her presence as Sanae watched them for a quick moment before flickering away.

X

Shunpō was easy for Sanae to do. It was a natural as breathing to skip across the roofs of buildings. She came to a halt, deeming herself far enough away from the group of Shinigami. Her blue eyes scanned the horizon. Everything was familiar to her once again. She knew where she needed to go, but first she had to blend in. It would be much harder for her to get to where she needed to go dressed as she currently was. Her jeans and shirt stuck out within the sea of Shihakusho. Sanae tucked a strand of loose brown hair behind her ear, her ponytail was long gone, thanks to her less then graceful landing from before. Sanae's eyes settled on the Fifth division barracks as she jumped down from the roof and crept alongside the wall towards the dormitories. She had more chance of finding a spare Shihakusho in there then anywhere else.

Finding clothes had been simple enough. They were normally kept in the same place in each of the divisions. And luckily for Sanae, with the chaos of their entry to the Seireitei the whole place was completely deserted. The room that she was in reminded her of her old squadron, everything about the room was familiar; the timber flooring, the white walls and the symbol of the division up on the walls. Granted division five hadn't been her squad but it was still the Gotei Thirteen.

Sanae pulled open the closet doors and hunted down a spare set of black robes. She quickly threw them on over her shirt and jeans and tied the obi into place around her waist. The robes were quite big on her, no surprise there, but it would have to make do for now. There was a comb on one of the dressers by the bunk beds, Sanae snatched it up and quickly brushed through her hair, trying to make herself look a bit more presentable should someone come across and question her.

Once she was ready Sanae left the dorm room. It felt strange to her to be wearing black robes again, she hadn't worn them in over two hundred years. But at the same time she also felt at ease, in the sense that if someone saw her they wouldn't immediately recognize her as one of the Ryoka. And if they looked really close, they'd see that she was wearing her sneakers and not the traditional sandals that Shinigami normally wore on their feet.

Sanae left the barracks and leapt back up onto the roof of the nearby building. "So if I'm here…" she muttered to herself. She held a hand up to her forehead to block the sun as she scanned the area. "Then the Daireishokairo should be…over there." Sanae's eyes settled on a cluster of buildings a few miles away. That building was her goal, the Central Forty Six Compound.

Sanae sighed in apprehension. What she was planning on doing was suicide. Was she really going to break into the most highly guarded place in the whole of Seireitei? The answer was yes. The Daireishokairo was the place that could answer all her questions about that night two hundred and fifty-six years ago. The library held all the information ever collected in the Soul Society. All the orders that had ever been given and received were logged in there. If she wanted answers, she needed to break into it. And the only way to get in…was to steal a Captains Zanpakuto…

Sanae had forgotten how easy it was to actually sneak around the Seireitei. She had hidden most of her reiatsu from detection and had run around towards her destination. She passed a few lower class Shinigami who didn't bat an eyelash at her running in the opposite direction of everyone else, they were calling out to one another about who was going to capture and fight the Ryoka first and receive all the glory. Sanae wanted to hit them, and also call out to them that they just ran passed a Ryoka. She'd been keeping tabs on the whereabouts of her group too. It seemed that Ichigo and Ganju were stuck together and so were Ishida and Orihime. She couldn't sense Yoruichi anywhere, and that was probably because she too was also masking her reiatsu in case anyone noticed she had returned as well. Chad also seemed to be on his own, but every so often his energy would spike, indication that he was fighting off Shinigami—and winning.

Sanae approached the division barracks. She gazed up at the symbol reminiscently as she hopped over the large wall and landed on the lush grass in a crouched position. She scanned the landscape, thankful that there seemed to be no Shinigami present outside. She remembered everything clearly. The stream running through the garden, the large tree that she used to sit under with Ukitake and drink hot tea. She couldn't loose face now; she had a job to do. Once this was all over…maybe they could do that again with one another.

Over to her left were the dorms and the dining hall; wooden decking connected them. The other amenities were a bit further back in the compound, she couldn't see them right now but she didn't need to go over there. Her objective was the little building built further back into the compound, surround by it's own little moat. Sanae leapt up onto the decking and hurried along it before she was seen. She kept her reiatsu hidden as she jumped up and landed on the tiled roof of Ukitake's room. She kept low, and searched for anyone nearby. The only presence nearby right now was that of Ukitake and he was inside the room right now.

Her heart hurt as she thought about him. She wanted to go in there and see him. She wanted to ask him how he was doing. She had missed him terribly. All of a sudden, Sanae heard a horrible, familiar hacking cough.

"What do you mean he's sick?" Sanae questioned. Her hands were placed precariously on her hips as her sapphire eyes stared at Kyoraku questioningly.

"You didn't know?" Kyoraku replied, equally as curious as her. They were standing in the boy's dorm wing. Sanae, having marched over and knocked on the door of the room that Ukitake and Kyoraku shared together. She had come over as Ukitake had promised to help her with her Kido training this morning, and when he hadn't shown up—which was very much not like him—she had grown concerned.

Sanae crossed her arms and rolled her eyes at the older and taller boy. "Well, obviously not, seeing as I'm here."

"He had to return home for a couple of days, he'll be back soon."

"He's that sick?" Sanae asked worriedly.

Kyoraku examined her for a moment. His dark eyebrows knitted into a frown. "He never told you, did he?"

Sanae's eyes widened fearfully. "Tell me what? Is he ok? Kyoraku!" Sanae leaped forwards and grabbed ahold of Kyoraku's kosode. It was one thing for her to be worried about Ukitake, but it made it all that much worse by how serious Kyoraku was being right now. She had never seen him look so concerned then right now.

"Ukitake has always been sick, Sanae-chan. He's just never told you."

"What are you talking about?" Sanae wanted to scream at him. Why was he being so cryptic?

Kyoraku pried Sanae's thin fingers off his kosode and held them gently. His warm fingers rubbed soothing circles over her skin. "When he was a young boy, Ukitake got really sick. His parent's prayed for a miracle, and they got one. But his illness has never left him; it's always just been subdued. Every so often it'll flare up. It hasn't happened in a long time but when it does it always leaves him very weak."

Sanae frowned at him. "Why didn't he tell me? Was he scared that I'd think differently of him?"

Kyoraku laughed and pulled Sanae to his body and wrapped his arms around her. Sanae immediately struggled against him, trying to push away from him, but Kyoraku was larger and stronger then her. "Nah, Sanae-chan. I just think he didn't want you to worry about him! Trust me, he'll kill me when he finds out I told you!"

"Ukitake-Taicho!"

Sanae jerked her head towards the voice. She also angled herself a little bit further down the roof so that the oncoming Shinigami didn't spot her. She didn't recognize whoever was running to Ukitake's room. It was a woman, with cropped blonde hair to her neck and vivid purple eyes. She was very small too. A larger, dark haired man soon followed her. They both hurried into the room.

"Ukitake-taicho. Everyone is ready and awaiting your orders!" It was the voice of the woman speaking.

"Shall we tell them to continue the search for the Ryoka's?" The man added in. Sanae heard Ukitake cough as she winced. She always hated hearing him cough.

"I'll tell them myself." Ukitake muttered.

Sanae's eyes slid shut as a gentle smile crossed her features. His voice sounded like smooth waves rolling over her. Even in an emergency he remained calm, he had always been the most levelheaded out of the three of them. He always had a way of calming her down when she got riled up.

"But, Taicho!" The woman exclaimed worriedly. "You're not well! They'll understand if the order comes from us."

"No…" Ukitake chuckled. "It's alright, Kiyone. I can handle this much."

Sanae's brow creased in concern. It sounded like Ukitake was really sick. She couldn't worry too much about him right now; she had a mission to do. Once this was all over then maybe she could come back and fret over her long time friend. But for now, she needed to steal his most prized possession.

Sanae had picked Ukitake for a reason. And that reason was because Ukitake kept his Zanpakuto hidden away unless he was leaving his barracks. As he was sick so much his Captain duties were very light, and he never really went out on assignments unless he had to. Which made him come to the decision to keep his Zanpakuto locked away unless he desperately needed it.

And it just so happens that Sanae was one of the three people in the whole of the Seireitei who could access his Zanpakuto. Sanae waited and watched as Ukitake and his two escorts walked towards the meeting hall. Just from watching his back, Sanae could see the slight hunch of his spine, the tenseness of his walk. He was obviously not well but was pushing through for the sake of his squad.

When she was sure that the coast was clear, Sanae slid down the roof and hopped onto the wooden decking. She brushed aside the beaded curtains and walked into the familiar room. She could smell the light incense wafting around the room. His blankets that lay on his futon were ruffled, indicating that he had in fact been in bed trying to wade out his illness. Candles were lit and spread around the room, giving off a dim light.

At the back of the room, behind another section of long brown beaded curtains was an ornate cupboard. Sanae parted the beads and stepped up to the cupboard. She placed her left hand against the wood, her right hand resting atop her left wrist. Her sapphire eyes slid shut as she focused her reiatsu into the special lock. There was a satisfying click as Sanae pulled her hands away and watched as the doors opened. Held up by a beautifully well-made stand sat Ukitake's Zanpakuto.

She didn't think twice about grabbing the sword and slipping it through her obi and letting it rest against her hip. Sanae shut the doors and disappeared from the room.

Sanae emerged from barracks thirteen with Ukitake's Zanpakuto secured to her hip; she jumped up onto the nearest roof and scanned the horizon. Her hand came to rest upon the hilt of the katana. It was a strange feeling, she hadn't wielded her own Zanpakuto since she had gone into her Gigai body centuries ago, and now she had one attached to her hip again. Of course it wasn't hers, but she had seen Ukitake wield his sword that many times that it gave her that sense of nostalgia.

It was also treason upon the highest level to steal a Captains sword. So if anyone were to find her with it, she'd be killed. It didn't faze her too much; she was already one of the most wanted criminals in Soul Society. They just needed to add it to the ever-growing list.

It didn't take her long to reach the Central Forty-six compound. She approached the large looming gates. There weren't any guards outside; they were either helping in the hunt for the Ryoka or even inside protecting the Forty-Six themselves. In all her years of living as a Shinigami, Sanae had never once visited this place. She knew the stories, and had learnt about the underground compound in her academy days, but only a select few had ever been given the chance to step foot inside. Ukitake has been one of those few.

The walk across the bridge had every single one of Sanae's nerves on fire. She was tensed for anything as she walked calmly towards the towering building. Her eyes darted all over the place as she anxiously waited for someone to leap out at her from the water or even from the doors of the compound. As she stood inches away from the sealed door, she realized that no one was going to attack her.

Sanae balled her shaking fists up at her side. She was petrified about what was going to happen once she stepped foot into that building, but she needed to know the truth. She reached out tentatively, her fingers brushing up against the wood as she pushed on the door gently. To her surprise it opened up. Sanae stepped into the compound, the door shut behind her with a resonating thump as she was thrust into darkness.

One by one, lanterns lit up along the narrow hallway. Sanae took a moment to let her eyes adjust to the dimness of the room before she set off down the hallway. Her feet echoed eerily, the sound bouncing off the walls. After reaching the end of the hallway, Sanae emerged into a large open area. She cast her eyes around the humungous room, her jaw dropping in awe. Down below, at the bottom of the room sat the large Forty-Six chambers, where the men and women who dictated all the happenings in Soul Society sat. The only way down there was from the stairs that circled the entire room in a spiral. Sanae didn't need to go down there, no, she needed the Daireishokairo.

Across from her, on the opposite side of the room Sanae could see a door. The writing above the door told her that it was the room she was looking for. She hurried around the balcony, running towards her destination. She came to a stop outside the door as she swallowed nervously and unsheathed Ukitake's Zanpakuto.

She held it tightly between her two hands and moved it so the tip of the katana was hovering in front of the wooden door. Slowly, Sanae moved the sword into the door; the blade disappeared and created ripples like moving water as it sunk through the wood.

Sanae held her breath for the longest time. She was waiting for the doors to reject her, blast her away and disintegrate her body. But it never came. Shockingly, there was a distinct hum coming from the doors and they opened for her. Sanae almost dropped the Zanpakuto in shock. She had done it. She was in. Sanae sheathed the Zanpakuto back at her side and hurried into the room.

She had to descend numerous staircases to reach the platform with the terminal in the center of the room. She slowed to a walk when she crossed the catwalk. She angled her head up, seeing the rows upon rows above her and also below her. This was the entirety of Soul Society's history. Sanae's eyes settled on the terminals lining the back of the platform. She approached them cautiously. She glanced over all the buttons and miniature screens. It looked like she could input any search that she wanted. Her blue eyes hardened with her final resolve as she stepped up to the terminal and began inputting her data.

She started with the year, 1746.

Then she inputted the date, June 16.

The screen in front of her lit up with a list of all the things that had happened on that day. She saw that a number of squads from different divisions had gone on missions, some to the human world and some staying in Soul Society. There was a Captain meeting between Old man Yama and Division Eight's Captain. Sanae used the buttons to scroll down the list. She was getting frustrated that she couldn't pinpoint the answer that she needed.

She typed in something else, Division Three.

One search was highlighted as Sanae clicked on it. Her breath was ripped from her throat in distress as she read the words on the screen.

Note: Twenty-four Shinigami were found dead in the forest area of District Thirty-four of West Rukongai. All belonged to Division three, wounds found on the bodies were inflicted by that of a Zanpakuto. Foreign DNA was found on all bodies and was identified to be of Shinigami, Igarashi Sanae. Location of Igarashi Sanae is unknown – current.

Another post was under that one.

Note: Yamamoto-sou-taicho has announced that an official search for former Shinigami Igarashi Sanae is underway. She has been named as the prime suspect in the murders of her squad. Any Shinigami found to be harboring the fugitive will be dealt with accordingly.

Sanae stumbled back from the terminal. She pressed one hand to her forehead. She had suddenly become dizzy. Her stomach was churning uncomfortably as she leaned over the nearby railing and held in the vomit that wanted to escape. She took deep, shuddering breaths and tried to calm herself down. It wasn't working very well.

She slammed her eyes shut in an attempt to settle her racing heart. She began to slowly process what she had just found out.

There was no mention of the Hollow attack. That night, Sanae had received a 'order' telling her and her squad to go to a location that was becoming infested with Hollows. She remembered getting handed the slip of paper, she remembered reading it and then heading out.

If there was no log of the order for that day, or at anytime, then that meant it hadn't been an official order. Someone had sent her and her team out there. Someone had set Sanae up to take the fall…

Sanae suddenly had the uncontrollable urge to laugh. She held her stomach and laughed. Tears pooled in her eyes and dripped onto the platform as she laughed and cried in unison.

She wasn't crazy. She wasn't a murderer. Someone else had done this. Her laughter subsided as she wiped at her eyes with the back of her hand. "Everyone…" she whispered to herself. "I'm sorry this happened to you. I promise I'll find out who did this." Her hands gripped the railing so tightly that her knuckles were turning white. "I'll avenge you all."

Sanae had never felt true relief up until that moment in her long life. For over two hundred years, she had been carrying around the burden that she had killed her team, her friends, but it had all been a set up. The question she had to figure out now was why? And who?

Who would've done such a thing? Who had she pissed off enough to set her up like this? What did they possibly gain from making her disappear from Soul Society? Now that she had her answer, Sanae needed to find Yoruichi. She'd be able to help her figure this entire thing out, and it would be nice to tell her that after all this time that she hadn't killed her team.

X

Sanae got out of the Daireishokairo as quickly as she had gone in. The door sealed behind her as she ran around towards the exit. She didn't look back down at the central forty-six chambers; she didn't want to risk being seen now that she had her information. If she was caught, she could plead innocent, maybe. She still didn't have proof about the order, but at least she could make a solid argument about it.

Sanae emerged into the late afternoon sunlight. The sky looked like it had caught fire from the way the orange and reds mixed together. Sanae didn't check behind to make sure that the door had closed behind her as she ran over the bridge connecting the underground complex to the rest of the Seireitei. She reached the large doors and pushed them open, stumbling out into the large courtyard. As she did so, she suddenly felt a flare of impressive reiatsu coming from somewhere in the distance behind her. Sanae's eyes widened as she recognized the reiatsu to be Ichigo. She whirled around, and tried to pinpoint from memory where he was emanating from. To her, it felt like he was near the main central part of Seireitei. He was near the Senzaikyu; he would be saving Rukia soon.

It died down almost instantly and it was with relief that she could still sense him standing. He was obviously fighting someone powerful and had used all of his teachings to defeat them, and he had won by the looks of it. She was proud of him.

Sanae turned back and went to run off when she froze, her whole body felt like it had just had icy cold water poured all over her as she stared up at the face of someone familiar.

She hadn't even sensed them approach her. Sanae swallowed thickly, her eyes took in his appearance as she settled on his bespectacled face.

"Aizen…" she noticed the white haori that was now clad on his back. "…Taicho."

Ukitake was sitting under his beautiful cherry blossom tree in his division's garden. The small table by his side held a pot of tea as he reached for the mug and sipped at it cautiously, it was still scolding. It was just about sunset, his favorite time of day. After giving out his orders for his squad to help with the location of the Ryoka he had retreated to his favorite spot with a book in hand. His illness had kept him inside for three days now, but he was thankful to finally be out of bed and enjoying the rest of the day.

"Yo."

Ukitake turned his head and gave his long time friend as smile in greeting. "Good evening, Kyoraku."

Kyoraku approached Ukitake, a pensive look on his face as he sat down next to his best friend. Ukitake noticed his sour appearance but didn't comment on it just yet as he poured another cup of tea and handed it over to him. "I apologise for not being at the most recent meeting. My illness took a lot out of me this time."

Kyoraku drank from the cup. "It's alright…Old man Yama knows you can't always be there. You should know that we've been given special wartime privileges now. We have to carry our Zanpakuto at all times."

"Really?" Ukitake's eyebrows shot up in alarm. "It's gotten that bad?"

"Mm." Kyoraku nodded. "Abarai-fuku-taicho was defeated in battle against one of the Ryoka."

"No way!" Ukitake gasped in disbelief. They all knew how powerful Renji was. It was hard to fathom that he could've been defeated so easily. Ukitake turned to look over his shoulder. "Kiyone! Sentarō!"

His two third seats suddenly appeared together, kneeling on the floor. "Yes, Taicho?" they both said in unison. Ukitake coughed quietly into his arm and then furrowed his brows seriously at them. "Retrieve my Zanpakuto for me."

"Right away!" The man and woman disappeared from sight.

Kyoraku chuckled as he took another drink. "You gave them permission now?"

Ukitake smirked at his friend. "I still haven't chosen a Lieutenant yet, and I can trust those two."

"They are very loyal." Kyoraku toasted his cup to the air. Ukitake agreed with a pleasant smile. Kyoraku finished off the tea. As he lowered to cup his expression changed to something akin to discomposure. "Say, Ukitake…this morning…you didn't feel any strange reiatsu when the Ryoka entered the Seireitei, did you?"

Ukitake looked over at his fellow captain. "I was asleep when it happened, why?"

Kyoraku sighed. "I think I might be going crazy…either that or Nanao-chan hasn't been confiscating my sake enough."

"Kyoraku…" Ukitake scolded lightly with a frown.

"Ukitake-taicho!" Kiyone suddenly screamed into the garden. Both captains jumped up in fright as they turned to the frantic third seat as her chest heaved with every breath she took.

"Kiyone, what's wrong?" Ukitake asked as they stepped towards her. Sentarō appeared behind her, also looking panicked.

"Your Zanpakuto! It's missing!"

X

Kyoraku and Ukitake stood in the latters private quarters. Kiyone and Sentarō hadn't returned to the room with them. The two captains stared at the open empty cupboard which normally housed the white haired mans Zanpakuto.

"Impossible." Ukitake mused as he examined the cupboard. "There's no sign of forced entry. Whoever took it knew how to open it."

"Ukitake…" Kyoraku muttered quietly. The white haired man looked over his shoulder at his friend.

"What is it?"

Kyoraku met his olive green eyes seriously. Ukitake was concerned right away; Kyoraku hadn't looked this serious in years. "What I was going to tell you before, about the reiatsu I felt earlier today. It was Sanae. I felt Sanae."

Ukitake looked at him confoundedly as his mouth opened and closed repeatedly a few times. "What? Are you sure?"

Kyoraku nodded. "I am. I thought I must've been dreaming, or drunk. But now this," he pointed to the empty cupboard. "It has to be her, Ukitake."

"She's come back…" Ukitake whispered in disbelief.

"And she's with the Ryoka." Kyoraku finished ominously. The pair shared a concerned look.

Sanae cleared her throat. "Aizen-taicho." She bowed respectfully, as any Shinigami would to a superior. Sanae met his gaze once more. She wanted to look away; she was scared that if they kept eye contact for too long that he would figure out who she was. During her time previously in Soul Society, she had only crossed paths with Aizen a handful of times. Back then; he had only been the third or fourth seat in division five. But it was the first time since she had been back that she had run into someone she knew.

Aizen's kind smile had her relaxing slightly. She had never known the man to be cruel, and he was always polite when she had spoken with him. "I haven't seen you around before…" His voice was warm and soothing.

"Sorry!" Sanae bowed her head once more. "Kagawa Tatsuki, tenth seat of division thirteen." Sanae raised her head and met Aizen's brown gaze. She tried not to let the worry seep through to her expression; she didn't want to get exposed.

"And what are you doing here, Kagawa-san?"

Shit! Sanae hissed in her head. Shit! Think! Think! Think!

"Ukitake-taicho asked me to fetch a report from one of the guards that are normally on duty here, but I can't find them. It's quite unusual, don't you think, Aizen-taicho?" Sanae made a point to look around the area and scratch her head. She watched as Aizen did them same and then tapped his chin.

"Hmm. It is indeed. I wonder if the Central Forty-Six called them in for other matters?"

Sanae needed to get out of there. If she spent any longer with the Captain she might slip up with something, she needed to leave. And if he recognized the Zanpakuto at her hip to be Ukitake's—well, she was going to need to run fast.

"I should give Ukitake-taicho my report."

"Of course." Aizen said with a wave of his hand. "This is peculiar indeed. I shall look into this matter further and convene with Ukitake-taicho myself."

Sanae clasped her hands together and bowed. "Thank you, Aizen-taicho!" Sanae spun on her heel and hightailed it out of there as fast as she could. Her hear was racing in her chest as she didn't look back over her shoulder at the Captain.

If she did, she might've seen the cunning smirk that Aizen had on his face as he watched her go.

Sanae crept into Ukitake's private quarters later that night. She was silent as she moved around the room and headed for the cupboard at the back once more. She stared at Ukitake's sleeping face as she passed him. He looked so tranquil as he slept. Her heart hurt as she forced herself to remain focused and open up the cupboard with her reiatsu once more. She untangled the Zanpakuto from her side and placed it back onto the holder gently.

"Sorry for taking you away from your master." She whispered apologetically to the katana as she closed the doors soundlessly. Sanae turned and brushed the beads away as she headed to the door. She paused for a moment to stare down at Ukitake once more.

Her friend sighed deeply in his sleep and coughed quietly. Sanae frowned at her feet and wiped at her eyes. She so desperately wanted to wake him up; all she wanted was a hug from her friend. But she needed to protect him. She couldn't talk with him yet. Steeling herself and her emotions Sanae walked towards the door.

"Sanae-chan, is that you?"

Sanae froze. Her lungs stopped working as she stared blankly ahead as she heard the rustling of bed sheets.

"Sanae-chan?" He called out again softly. Sanae turned her head slightly so that she could see him out of the corner of her eye. He was sitting up in bed; she could see small droplets of sweat on the side of his face. He was obviously still suffering from his illness. She could tell that Ukitake was trying to distinguish if it was her or not, she was in a Gigai after all with different coloured hair. Once Ukitake saw her vibrant sapphire eyes he knew that it was her.

"I'm sorry, Ukitake." Sanae whispered.

Ukitake moved to get out of his bed and approach her. He heard the shuffle of her feet. "Sanae! No wait—"

It was too late. She was already gone. The only way to know that someone had been in the room was the way the bead curtains rocked back and forth in the nonexistent wind.

CAUSE BABY NOW YOU FEEL LIKE NUMBER ONE, SHINING BRIGHT FOR EVERYONE!

Guyyyyyyyssss if you haven't heard the news BLEACH IS BACK! THE ANIME IS RETURNING NEXT YEAR!

Holy shit I can't believe that after 8 painfully long years the anime is finally returning to continue the Blood War arc. omgggggggggg i've been squealing with happiness for days now since it leaked on wednesday! But now that it is official I had to post a chapter today to commemorate this spectacular day!

Again sorry i've been late in posting this story, my ItachixOC has practically taken over my life for like six weeks, I've been pumping out chapters for that story every week. It's nuts I know. I'll probably be breaking my weekly tradition because I wanted to write this chapter instead of Onyx and Ivory.

Anyway! Now that i've got my fangirling out of the way (not really) I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Honestly if you can't guess who was behind Sanae's unfortunate past then you haven't been paying attention! I honestly can't wait for the reveal as we'll finally get to see Sanae in action-I'll be able to introduce her Zanpakuto! Finally! And yes her Zanpakuto has all been fleshed out and waiting to be revealed ugh can't wait.

Also...on a serious note...I hope you're all taking care of yourselves in this uncertain time concerning COVID-19. I'm thinking of every single person in the world at this time. I live in Western Australia so I've been quite lucky and it hasn't hit us as much as the rest of the country and the world. Everyone who has been affected is in my thoughts and if anyone needs anyone to chat to while they're in quarantine my ears are always open. Again, much love and stay safe xx

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xXThatRandomKidXx- Thank you! I've been trying my hardest with keeping her in the dark but also giving everyone little sprinkles of her past and powers. But soon it'll all come out! I can't wait for their relationship to develop too! Again thank you and stay safe friend! x