A Writing Blog

Dark Souls AU

The grey and silver parapets seemed endless against the navy skies and dying stars as the Blade of the Darkmoon wandered aimlessly, letting his feet lead him down paths he’s taken thousands of times. Aged slate cracking and crunching beneath his feet as the wind stirred, howling along the rooftops, swaying him, tempting him. Closing his eyes the Blade of the Darkmoon sighed -- he knew the result, embracing the wind that swayed him would change nothing of his fate. Still. He tried. Letting himself slip, shingles sliding off with him, cracking in protest as he fell.

Lifetimes passed, and yet, days seemed like months and years turned into days. Time was no longer linear, but instead always in flux, and often, he felt as if he was reliving the same day over and over again. Only the darksign wrapped around his left side a tattooed and cursed reminder that even as the world around him turned to ash, he was destined to remain -- regardless of time.

It burned and his body was returned to the bonfire far below, The Darkmoon Tomb, his eternal resting place. Even in this cycle of death and return it seemed a fitting end for a Chosen Undead.

A fill for the prompt, “If you think the end of the world will stop me from blaring my music, you’re sadly mistaken.” for Bridget and Garrus. 

There was this never ending haze that seemed to permeate from the ground of Omega -- like smoke and steam that never seemed to drift off or dissipate and cause the neon to glow in a fog like haze, it reminded her of home, of the rivers and the fog that engulfed her home in the early mornings. Except, this haze was neon red and smelled of tar and something still foreign to her even after spending all these years in space. Gaze listless as she watched the rocks float steadily by the window she couldn’t help but sigh -- it had been two weeks since Cris’ funeral. Two weeks. That’s all it took for the Alliance to sweep everything she had done for them, Saren, the Geth, fucking Sovereign, all of it, under the rug, discredit her and run the rest of them off.

Day 17 of barbex‘s fictober “You shouldn’t have heard that.”

Shiori meandered into the office of the Tenth Division,sat on the couch in front of Matsumoto’s desk and started a conversation with her about some wine festival that's taking place in the World of the Living in the coming weeks and wondered if she'd be interested in coming along. His Lieutenant laughed and agreed and he couldn't help but grimace as her paperwork was forgotten in order to speak with Shiori, there was something that stirred in her chest as she continued on and apparently ignored him, they had both agreed on professionalism while in a relationship and he understood her to be doing just that, but in that same moment he couldn’t help his jealousy and instinctively he snapped, “Captain Nakano,” his voice was sharp and it cut their conversation to a halt, “don't you have more important things to do than bother my Lieutenant?”

He watched her face fall slightly, the smile that was so easily hung there replaced by the slightest frown and he felt a pang of regret twist his stomach, “Of course, my apologies, Captain Histugaya.” She stood without another word and bowed to them both and left without another word.

Rangiku sighed loudly and looked over at him like a petulant child, scolded for talking during class, “You know, Captain, you can be so cruel sometimes, she only comes to see you. She just always has an excuse for why she’s here otherwise, so that it’s always professional -- or personal, just not with you.” She watched him closely as his hands faltered, pen slipping for a moment over the document he was attempting to review, and she continued while she had him off balance, “She loves you, Captain. She's just terrible at showing it, just like another Captain I know -- it's what makes you both so endearing.”

He scoffed but his mind reeled at her words -- that was something that he hadn't thought about. Their lives had just returned to normal; fifty years to relax after Aizen and Arrancar and everything else, “Don't be ridiculous, Matsumoto.” They had been seeing each other for twenty years now, but to them, that's no time at all, but now, her words repeated in his mind for the rest of the day.

By the time he came home, he was greeted to a hot pot of tea and take out on their shared kitchen counter. He could hear music filter out from the bathroom and water run, apparently she had already eaten and continued her nightly activities without him. It shouldn't bother him, they were both Captains with little free time, there wasn't always time for each other, he understood that, but Matsumoto’s words continued to rattle around in his mind and he wanted -- he didn't know what it wanted, which only served to bother him more.

By the time he had finished, the water was drained from the bathtub and she had joined him back in the living area and poured herself a cup of tea, “Toshiro, I wanted to apologize, it wasn't professional for me to come into your office today and I--” It was enough thinking, enough of how contrite she looked as she left his office and knowing that she probably scolded herself for the rest of the day over it.

He cut her off, pressing a kiss to her lips and he could hear the teacup in her hand clatter to the floor, “I love you.” The words were whispered and as soon as they left his throat he was panicking, jumping up, cheeks red and eyes wide,“You shouldn't have heard that -- I meant to say that it's okay because -- I know that you were just coming to--” his words were frantic and his eyes refused to meet hers. Why had he said that? Of all the things he could have said to her, and he chose that.

Day 16 of barbex‘s fictober “ Domestic Bliss.”

Of all the things that Shinji Hirako had imagined himself doing in his lifetime, he could safely guarantee that sitting in the backyard of a three bedroom home wringing out bedsheets was firmly not among them. The unusually warm autumn day had made his wife, he paused, a smile stretching across his face at the thought, Shiori was his wife, another thing he had never thought he’d manage -- anyway, it made her decide to clean their home, washing bedsheets and sweeping floors, letting his jazz music float around their home like the soft breeze that carried what was left of the leaves around their yard. She had disappeared for just a moment -- walking back inside to carry some of the mats outside to shake, leaving him to wring out their wet bedclothes and apparently think about his life up until this moment.

She was humming to the sound of his records as she returned, shaking the mats and laying them in the sun for the afternoon as she sat at his side again, before reaching into the bucket, however she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his cheek, “Thank you for helping today, Shinji.” Her soft words and the gentle kiss caught him off guard and made him melt, especially as she reached in and helped him get the last of the laundry somewhat dry, he followed her over to the clothes lines, watching as her hands, so often used for kido or sword wielding or even signing papers gently lifted the soft fabrics and pinned them to the line. Walking over, he lifted the rest of the sheet up and copied her, and the two continued to hang their laundry from the line until the last sheet was fastened to the line of twine.

Walking over to her, he wrapped his arms around her waist and pressed a kiss of his own to her forehead, “You know,” he smiled and began to sway in time to the music, making her laugh and join him, arms wrapping around his shoulders and pulling him close, “a hundred years ago, if someone had told me that I’d be married and doin’ laundry in my backyard to the most serious and somber woman in the Seireitei I’dve laughed at them and walked the other way.” His hand slid up her arm now, leaving a trail of goosebumps in its wake as he grabbed her hand from his shoulder, and spun her outward, drawing another airy laugh from his fellow Captain.

She looked so much brighter now, smile easily splayed across her lips as she swayed in time with him, and what has to be for the millionth time in his long life, he thought of how beautiful she was; hair a mess while cleaning their home, laughing as they sway in the backyard to faded jazz music but she was everything, strong and determined and brilliant… And his. “You look like you’re going to have an aneurysm there, Shinji.” Shiori laughed again, this time at her joke and the way his nose crinkled as he rolled his eyes, and he couldn’t help but thank some higher power for giving them both this second chance. Pulling her in once more he kissed her, it said everything he thought was too ridiculous to say out loud and she kissed him back in just the same way, reminding him that she loves him just as much as he loves her.

Day 15 of barbex‘s fictober “Their voice had never sounded so cold.”

So, when I created Hikari, I made the point of making her as a way to write more about the Seireitei as it was closer to the inception of the Academy. She’s a window to the past that Kibo just sort of left open after only using it for the flashbacks 100 years ago. I knew from the beginning she was going to die, that her purpose was to foil Shiori -- all gentle words and kindness and compassion instead of distrust and frustration and masking of emotion. She was made to show the bond that formed between Shunsui and Jushiro in their early years, and the hope that they had back then, and how she helped them grow that hope, even in her death. So this fic takes place ~900 years before the current canon.

TW: Character Death Below the Cut

Day 14 of barbex‘s fictober “ You know even less about this than me? ”

Everything about this was experimental – she had been collecting data since she had come to the World of the Living almost a month ago, and Kisuke has had almost a hundred years of data behind him, and Tessai, former captain of the Kido Corps was here as well to help them in their ventures. All of the math seemed right, the numbers and calculations in theory seemed to hold up, especially if they could get the ratio of reishi in the pillars correct and exactly the same, the various kido required for the reishi calculations were daunting, but Shiori had Tessai had worked on that more often than the calculations she had worked on with Kisuke. There was no way this could possibly go wrong.

The biggest lie that one can tell themselves is that nothing can go wrong, when everything can go wrong. Everything.

It started off innocuously enough, small amounts of replication and teleportation; Kisuke had borrowed one of Jinta’s long discarded toys and brought it down to the basement with them, the pillars themselves were labor intensive, and currently they were only a meter tall – the idea of making ones big enough to encapsulate all of Karakura town seemed more daunting now than ever before. The replication process seemed easy enough, their calculations held up and it seemed like a perfect duplicate of the small red car placed within the square. Where things went wrong, however, was the teleportation, upon starting the incantation for teleportation with Tessai, the duplicate care caught fire, and subsequently exploded.

Kisuke was leaning against the rock after she and Tessai managed to put out the fire that was still burning, even though there was absolutely nothing there. “So. Do we know where we went wrong?”

Were there something to throw, Shiori would have done so, “These are all theoretic calculations, nothing of the scale we’ve decided on has ever been speculated before. The kido required for the pillars alone is astronomical – it could be something in the spell itself, a miscalculation in the reishi quantities, or you know, this whole plan is fucking crazy and we have no idea what we’re doing.”

Kisuke’s grin only widened at that, “Wait… You mean that you know even less than me?” This time she actually hit him, a light twap on the back of the head as she indignantly glared at him, before sitting crossed legged beside him, grabbing the spiral notebook placed on the rock, she noted their first attempt, and the results while Kisuke turned his attention, “So what you think, Tessai?”

The former Kido Captain hummed for a moment, “It could be anything that Shiori listed, it’s hard to pick something specific out until we do more testing. Just keep trying to isolate the individual variables that might be causing it until we solve this problem and then move onto the next.”

Shiori sighed heavily and collapsed onto the floor with a loud thud, this was going to be a long, tedious and absolutely painful process, but someone has to do it, and honestly there was no one better suited than the three of them. Counting to ten, she stood and returned over to their designated test site, grabbing another seemingly innocuous toy from Jinta’s discarded pile they tried again.

It took two weeks for them to make the progress that they hoped for – Kisuke’s basement looked like a battlefield; craters and pieces of the rock faces were missing, pillars of various sizes had sprouted up all around the seemingly never ending training grounds. They were all sore, exhausted and cranky, but they had done it. Halfway through the mess of testing they had all thought it was impossible, but here they were – certain that it would work, and proud of all that they had accomplished, “I will deny it to my dying day if you ever tell anyone, but you’re pretty amazing Kisuke.” A smug grin spread across his lips, but before he could get out a snarky remark she continued, “And Tessai, it’s been an honor to work with you; your notes and advancements in kido have been inspiring, especially over the last one hundred years.”

Day 13 of barbex‘s fictober “ A person is speaking but nobody listens.” 

The room is silent save for the sounds of feet pacing the floor outside; this is the last exam for the sixth years at the Academy before they’re organized for the division placement tests, everyone wants to do well. The better your scores at this exam the better your place in the picking order for Divisions. Shiori sat at the front of the room, placed in the middle of the long table while waiting for the rest of the academy teachers to assemble; she could already hear her students pacing outside the door.

Shiori was in the middle of proctoring an exam when the Hell Butterfly came -- it distracted the student and the spell she was attempting to cast backfired and she ended up flat on her back, “Get out, Ayame.” The words were flat as the butterfly landed on her outstretched fingers, “We’ll call you back in once I’ve taken care of this.” The words were whispered to her, Rukia Kuchiki has been apprehended in the World of the Living and is currently being held in the cells of Division Six’s barracks. Her sentence has been confirmed -- death for her crimes will occur in 28 days atop Sokyoku Hill.

The reishi associated with this particular butterfly wasn’t that of Division One, but she recognized it as the Captain of Division 13s reishi, and she frowned -- Jushiro wasn't playing fair; he knew she cared about Rukia, and knew how worried she had been when they had lost word with Rukia some time ago. “Excuse me, please continue with the exams, something has come up and I must attend to it.” She stood before anyone could protest, outside the door she was met with a wide eyed Ayame, “Head back in, your exam will resume.”

The girl couldn't help but stutter, Shiori’s voice was hard and sharp and had a volume that the girl if never heard before and it sent chills down her spine, “W-without you, Nakano-sensei?” Shiori simply nodded, she was too angry to respond well and would prefer not to set the girl more on edge than she had been at the start of the exam. Without a word she was off, the sea of students, enjoying the free day parted as she walked through; the undercurrent of her own reishi as well as the look on her face enough to strike fear in every student she passes. Once outside the Academy she immediately headed towards the Sixth Division’s Offices - fury fueled her steps forward, she had known Byakuya since he was a child, knew how he was raised and knew that he chose to do nothing to save the one person who needed him most in this world. She would remind him that being a Captain didn’t mean simply following the laws because they’re there, but to follow them because they are just and meant to protect society.

The office was relatively quiet when she arrived, but she could feel the stirrings of his spiritual pressure inside, and without knocking or hesitation she slammed the door to the offices open and stormed inside, “Your sister has been sentenced to the death of a traitor and yet you sit here and do nothing?” Her hand slams on his desk and he looks up, and for a moment she sees surprise on his face. Evidently, she was the last person he expected to show up here, or at least, the last person he expected to yell at him, but before he could respond she continued, “The price of nobility isn’t to just sit and accept the laws as they’re given, you, of all people should know that,” teaching at the time when Byakuya found Rukia, she was told the story of his late wife then, knew that he had been willing to pursue love and justice beyond nobility, beyond the Seireitei then, “I guess the difference now is that she’s expendable to you. You paid your debt and now that she’s trouble for the Noble House of Kuchiki it’s easier to watch her die then fight for the last remaining ties you had to your wife.”

He stood, face as calm as a still pond on a windless day, Shiori could feel the fury, the impulsiveness in his reishi but he remained firm and emotionless, “I don’t believe that it’s something a teacher of the Academy should concern themselves with. You no longer have any standing without the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, so why should the death of a criminal mean anything to you?” The words came with ease and it was as if he was discussing the weather with a subordinate instead of the death of the only family he had left.

She shook with anger -- she knew Rukia, the brilliant, striving girl, she tried so hard to please him, please his family. She trained until she was ragged, with her and Kaien and even Jushiro, just to please him and the faceless name of the Kuchiki family, and her brother, the man who loved her sister so dearly as to break every law that the nobility held, just called this girl a criminal, stirred something that she had worked her hardest to quell from the day she was accepted at the Academy one hundred and sixty years ago. She slapped him. Hard and fast and she did it without thinking, “Your pride blinds you, Byakuya Kuchiki. When your sister dies at the end of the month, the sin for her murder will be on your soul and yours alone. You abandoned her and I hope your men all hate and spite you for it because evidently, no life holds any meaning for you.”

Her hand stung as she turned on her heel, the grim satisfaction of his cheek turning pink was enough to sate her for now, before she could leave, however, Renji stood frozen at the door -- in the flurry of emotions, she missed his approach and she’s certain that he’s seen everything, “N-nakano sensei.” The words were stuttered and she could see the panic on his face; she was angry with him too, knowing that he had also abandoned his childhood friend in her hour of need, but there was no point, in what he just witnessed was enough the drive fear and shame into him, she could feel it in his reishi and see it in his eyes.

Shunpo took her from the doorway of the Sixth Division, and within a short walk, she found herself in front of the Thirteenth Division and walked into Jushiro’s office being quickly followed by his third seats who hurriedly announced her arrival as she opened the door, sitting in his office was Jushiro and Shunsui, drinking tea and a knowing smile on both of their faces, “ I see you received my message, Shiori, it’s been a long time.”

With a deep bow she settled in with the two older Captains, “You both realize that there’s no point in going to the Head Captain or Central 46 to contest this sentence, correct? It’s well within the rights of both to pass judgement as harsh as this. Even if we would speak out against it, no one would listen to us.” She poured a cup of tea while both men looked on, lost in thought themselves as they took in her words, “The only advocacy that could work is that of a noble clan and I’m certain that none of them would be willing to step in on behalf of Rukia.”

Day 11 of barbex‘s fictober “There was a legend about the well in the garden.” 

Early fall had colored the Seireitei, bright oranges, golds and reds hued the world around them and shone so brightly against the pink and yellow watercolors of the dawn, Byakuya reached over to the far side of the bed to be greeted by emptiness and cold -- it was the third time this week he had woken alone. He rose and dressed himself before sliding the door of their shared bedroom open to find Shiori sitting on the lip of the stone well in the garden; her hair was down and a simple white yukata framed her figure, the collar was askew and allowed him to see the lines of her collarbone against her skin.

Shiori didn’t notice his approach, her mind was worlds away as her eyes watched the bright red and gold leaves chase each other across the water. Now was her favorite time of year; crisp mornings and vibrant days there was so much to enjoy but, she felt… lost and for whatever reason, this well seemed to answer her call. “Did you know that there’s a legend about this well?” She looked up to be met by Byakuya’s always calming gaze, of course he’d notice she was gone, he was too observant, too kind, too good not to notice. “My father used to tell me the story.”

Sliding over to make room for him on the cold stone she waited, “Of all the times I visited here through the years I never once heard of a story associated with this well.” As he sat she curled up into his side, head resting on his shoulder. She was glad it was early enough for them to do this, even if it was at the expense of both of their sleep. They were reaching out for each other, he was searching for her in all of the distance she had put up between them. She accepted, of course she did, he was warm and welcoming and trying to hard to be more than he was ever taught to be.

Curling up into his side she smiles as he hums at her words, “It’s something of a family secret.” She couldn’t help but laugh at that, but of course, another Kuchiki family secret, she could feel him gazing at the top of her head at her laughter, but only pauses for a minute, enjoying the sound of her laughter before continuing. “The story is that before the foundation of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, this was the well that young women would come to this well while getting water for their families. One day a young woman came to the well to find an old woman sitting there, in tattered rags and covered in mud, her heart broke for the woman and she agreed, giving the woman water and the shawl that she had with her. The kindness the young woman showed her, the old woman prayed for the young girl’s fortune in life - promising love and fortune in return for the love that she had been shown. The next time the young woman returned to the well, her eyes met that of a man and it was in that moment she realized that she had found the love of her life.”

There was a long pause -- they both knew that the story was ridiculous, but there’s meaning behind it, and the promise that was there was what was to inspire people; especially the younger generation. She smiled, wanting to break the silence with something easy, “I’m under the assumption that they are the first recorded ancestor of the Kuchiki family?” The laugh that rumbled through Byakuya’s chest could be felt from where she was curled up beside him.

“Of course.” She could hear the smile in his voice even if she couldn’t see him, “How else could a story like that be handed down the generations if it didn’t involve our family specifically.” His sense of humor was lost on both people, but she’s so happy to see it peak through, especially when they’re alone like this

Day 10 of barbex‘s fictober “You will love them in the end, like they said.”

So this particular day’s writing needs a preface; in wading and struggling and crying through the Bleach universe, my dearest and by far most evil friend who ended up introducing me to Bleach and I decided that we were going to basically turn the canon on its heels, for pacing and character development and honestly just for better flow than our man Tite Kibo.  

So in the end, we created this Bleach Universe with a better flow, more arcs and a different ending. Which was jokingly called “The Good Ending” where everyone ended up not destroying their character development through the series and progressed in their lives after the main arc of Bleach. Then we have the “Mostly Canon Ending/Neutral Ending” with a few changes of things that either seemed nonsensical or drawn out while still adding our character’s arcs into the mix. And finally the “Canon/”Bad Ending”” which is just as it sounds, the canon ending to the series, with only the addition of our characters.

Today’s piece is going to be about those three universes (in the order earlier listed) and her realizations and beyond of love in each of them.

Day 9 of barbex‘s fictober “In a new light.”

In the evening after she had passed her Captain’s Exam, Shiori couldn’t help but feel lost – for over one hundred years she had maintained a certain facade and now, she wasn’t certain of who she was. “You seem lost, Captain Nakano.” She looked up to see Byakuya standing behind the bench she was on – honestly she shouldn’t be surprised, there were so few people who would be that formal with her and be aware of her new promotion, “I must admit I was impressed at how skilled you had become. May I sit?”

She nodded, “Of course, Captain Kuchiki.” It was polite and formal, almost stiff she was still too caught up in her own thoughts to truly respond. Marveling at how over one hundred years have passed and how little has truly changed in the Seireitei since her departure, and how the transition from Lieutenant to teacher to Captain was more difficult than she anticipated. She didn’t have friends or colleagues here anymore – only past students or respected mentors, everyone else was an anonymous face from her time as a Lieutenant. It left her uncomfortable. Realizing just how poor company she was being a blush crawled up her neck and dusted her cheeks, “I apologize, Captain. I seem to be lost in my own thoughts today.” Looking over she offers a shy smile, between storming into his office to berate his abandonment of his sister and ignoring him now, she can’t be making a very good impression on the head of the Kuchiki clan.

“It’s understandable, adjusting to the position of Captain after so long as something as menial as a teacher would seem to be a difficult one.” The Captain was lucky that she had become accustomed to such brusque words while working under his grandfather for forty years, most of the Seireitei sees him as apathetic and perhaps, at times he is, but there’s more to him – wit and passion stir beneath the surface there’s just so much that can’t be shown because of the formalities of the nobility. “I also wanted to apologize – a lot has happened over the course of the last two months and my behavior, especially towards my sister and my men was unacceptable.”

Laughter bubbled in her chest at the Head of the Kuchiki clan apologizing to her, covering her mouth and hoping to pass it off as a cough. Looking over at him she smiles, “Your familial ties and responsibilities makes it difficult to see shades of grey, no one expected you to see things differently.” She flinched, it was honest but came out poorly, “That was poorly worded I’m–”

“I appreciate you being honest with me, Captain. Too few people decide to look past the title.” She smiled at that, “Without your… heavy handed suggestion it would have taken me even longer to come to the realization I came to.” She laughed at that and noticed him looking over at her as she did so, it was strange, to see each other in such a different light, “You have a lovely smile.”

Day 8 of barbex‘s fictober “ What are your thoughts on cooking?”

The two Captains sat in the office of Division Ten in relative silence, only the sound of pen against paper echoed in the otherwise empty office. It was an important tradition they kept, both busy and dedicated to their work, they made certain to make time for each other, even if it was just sitting in the same room together, being with each other was enough. Rangiku had left three or four hours ago; she had dinner plans with the other lieutenants and left the two captains alone, in the back of her mind she worried that they would forget to eat, and that she’d find them asleep on the couch yet again when she made it back to the office in the morning.

Weekly officer assignments were always the bane of Shiori’s existence – they were tedious and required so much time and attention and worst of all, paperwork in triplicate. Only about a third of the way through the pile she honestly felt like crying, or sleeping, or eating or anything other than finishing this damn stack of papers. She soldiered on though; knowing that the sooner she finished, the sooner that the two of them could drag each  other to bed, the thought motivated her on, she missed the feeling of waking up next to him. Especially after so many nights spent in their offices.

Toshiro had moved onto Rangiku’s paperwork about an hour ago – the woman never finished her work, there were reports here from six weeks ago she hadn’t filed. He wanted to be angry or disappointed, but instead he just sighed – there was no point, and at least it meant that their evening was spent together, even if it was in his office. That was until his stomach growled loud enough to shatter the once peaceful silence; Shiori laughed and looked over at him, he couldn’t hide the blush that quickly crept across his face and neck, “Well, I suppose that’s our interruption for the night. What are your thoughts on cooking?”

Day 7 of barbex‘s fictober “In the distance.”

How long had it been now? Six hundred, no, seven hundred years? Too long. Shunsui thought as he seated himself between the two stones. He missed her – especially in the recent years, she would have had more eloquent answers than he or Jushiro had, and it made him miss her more. Taking a deep breath he settled himself, a light breeze rustled his kimono as he reached behind himself for the small basket he had brought with him, inside was a bottle of sake and three cups. Placing a cup on each of the stones, he pours the three of them each a glass.

After taking a long drink of sake he sighs, this was always one of Jushiro’s favorites and the light breeze continues sweeps across the top of the hill making the pins in his hair clink. “Rukia is going to be taking the Captain’s exam soon, you’d be even more proud of her now, Jushiro, she’s really come into her own these last few years.” He’s met with the light chiming of bells, but nothing more and it stirs the longing for his companions that never manages to go away.

The Head Captain raises his glass again and takes a deep drink, there’s so much that he’s lost in this life, so much they all had lost; friends, family, love and sometimes it’s something to be humbled by. To be grateful for what you’ve had and what you’ve lost, pushing you to be greater so that you don’t lose anything ever again.

He thinks of the three of them; smiling kids at the Academy, all jokes and laughter, becoming the inspiration and hope to the rest of the Seireitei. The three of them became inseparable – even after being placed in different divisions, they always found time for each other; there were so many evenings spent settled together cuddled next pillows on warm summer nights. Laughter and kisses and gentle touches filled their youth, life was so much simpler back then, no wars, no death, no captain's’ duties. He missed it. Missed them.

Trying to remember it now is like looking into the distance, though there are objects that are sharp in his vision, so much of what he sees is blurred. Did Hikari actually look like that? What did Jushiro’s laughter sound like before sickness had him so tightly in his grasp. He couldn’t remember the feeling of the three of them together, their combined warmth into the late hours of the night.

He poured himself another glass of sake as his eyes misted over, “There’s so much that’s changed since you left, Hikari. Even our great elder Unohana has left us, Old Man Yama too.” He cleared his throat, as you do when trying to hold back tears, “I hope you and Jushiro manage to find each other in that never ending cycle; the life we had – it only comes around once in our lifetime, and if you both left me, you better have found each other.”

Day 6 of barbex‘s fictober “They had made a poor job of hiding the damage.”

It seemed strange in hindsight, the very air of the Seireitei was different, more charged with spirit energy than usual, for almost a week Shiori ignored it -- after everything that had happened with Aizen, and now arguments within the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions about the reinstatement of the Vizards while still trying to control the fallout from Aizen’s defection, it was easy enough to overlook. What she shouldn’t have ignored, however, was the distance that seemed to have appeared between herself and her Zanpakuto, the chair that Shiori had brought with her from her office at the Academy had sat empty in the Captain’s office for the last three days now, and Ajisai never goes that long without some sort of communication with her.

Day 5 of barbex‘s fictober “Once, just once.” 

Warm lantern light flickered down from the tall maple trees where they hung, blowing softly in the breeze in the courtyard of the Kuchiki estate, the normally silent grounds were filled with quiet murmurs of the Seireitei’s nobility and captains. It was a night of networking and opulence, a show of the Kuchiki family’s power, and the power of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads. These sort of events bored Shinji to death – it was always the same, and yet the Head Captain required all of the Captains to attend every year, regardless of host, and in full uniform no less. As another servant passed he quickly grabbed a glass of whatever she was carrying and brought it to his lips, eyes passing disinterestedly through the crowd.

Yoruichi Shihoin was surrounded by a crowd of nobles, no surprise there, they seemed as wrapped around her fingers as they ever were. Observant and poised, the woman knew how to play a crowd, especially of the people she’s been forced to socialize with her entire life – the third seat of Division Two was beside her with a traditional kimono on, he was obviously here as a guest of the Captain, what was his name again? Kenta? Kiyoshi? It’s unimportant.

Zaraki seemed to have left, what a surprise, he’s probably off getting some real booze instead of the light wine that was being served at this event. Taking another drink his eyes continue to wander – both Shunsui and Ukitake were flooded with young noblewomen, Shunsui seemed to be enjoying the attention and the alcohol, Ukitake was simply being as charming as he ever was, the women there would never get over the older captains now. Speaking of older captains, the Head Captain seems only to make an appearance at the start of these events, and then disappears, his frown deepens at the thought and he places his glass down.

Unohana always got a pass as Captain of the Fourth, sick people take precedence over nobles, apparently. Kensei and Love seemed to have the same idea as him and were secluded in a corner of the courtyard, drinking alcohol as it passed by. Rose, however, seemed to be blooming (pun absolutely intended), nobles flocked to him in droves, and never left without a smile. He was definitely… something, at least he was helping keep the nobles busy.

The host of the event seemed to seamlessly make his way through the crowd, taking what Shinji assumed to be the appropriate amount of time talking to each of the individuals invited, he noticed, however, that the head of the Kuchiki family seemed to glance at the opposite side of the courtyard at regular intervals. Eventually his curiosity was piqued and he stiffly moved until he could see past the people and the trees and found what the Captain of Division Six had been keeping close watch of. Lieutenant of Division Six, Shiori Nakano sat discreetly at the back of the courtyard clad in an exquisite black kimono with gold embroidery that caught the lantern light just so, and for a single moment his mind was completely blank, she looked beautiful. He then noticed the young man beside her – the heir to the Kuchiki family, Byakuya, he recalled and it made him scoff, he understood the Sixth Captain’s motives. He only wondered if Shiori was aware.

His thoughts were broken only by Ginrei Kuchiki thanking them all for coming, officially allowing the captains to leave the event, but Shinji stayed, eyes still on Shiori as her Captain approached – there was too much noise and he was too far away to be able to hear what was said, but as she stood and bowed he was certain he understood. Shinji waited for her to leave, grabbing another glass of wine he made small talk with Yoruichi and Kisuke, that was his name, eyes every so often straying over to the gates of the estate. Fifteen minutes after she left he placed his glass on one of the tables scattered around and thanked the head of the Kuchiki family for such a pleasant evening.

Walking past the gate of the estate he moved with purpose, his shunpo put him in front of her room in less than a moment, not bothering to knock he walked into the Lieutenants quarters, only for his feet to meet the soft fabric of the kimono on the floor in front of the door, “Shiori.” Her name was a whisper, he had to be quiet, most of the Division was likely to be in bed, and he certainly shouldn’t be there at this time of night, but he had to tell her. Walking past the entrance, he finds her staring blankly at a wall in nothing but her underclothes, the look on her face was soft, more vulnerable than he had ever seen in the past.

Letting out a deep sigh he watched her for a little while longer before quietly sitting at her side, her apartments were sparsely furnished, most of what was there is what comes with the space, no personal items, no clothing out of place - save the dress at her front door, no forms of entertainment save for the small bookshelf that was tucked away in the corner of the room, “You shouldn’t be here, Shinji.” Her words lacked her usual sharpness and grinned as he turned to look at her, nothing Shiori ever did was spontaneous, especially with their tenuous relationship, she always had a plan, a reason for being where she was when she most certainly shouldn’t be there. Right now, she had none of that, and he could so easily read the frustration on her face.

Shinji brought his nails up for inspection while keeping her in the corner of his vision as he spoke, “I take it you had a good time at the Momijigari festival this evening?” The smallest of grimaces appeared on her face at his words, she had to know by that reaction, “You certainly kept the most interesting company.” She now turned to openly scowl at him now all while wrapping her arms more tightly around herself, she buried her head into her knees before she spoke.

There was an inaudible murmur and he hesitated for only a moment before running his fingers through her hair, making her lift her head and repeat herself, “I understand what’s going on Shinji.” His eyes softened at her words, this headstrong, ambitious, intelligent woman was sitting here trying to grapple with the fact that she was only made Lieutenant as an intermediary, “I know that tonight was a test from the Captain to see if I could handle the nobility and to see if Byakuya could tolerate me outside of a professional environment.” Her words paused and she leaned into his hand that was still gently running through her hair. 

Shinji couldn’t help but think that this was truly the most intimate thing that they had ever done, and it made his chest pang in jealousy, he wanted more, he wanted all of her and his eyes found hers once more as she continued, “The purpose of all of this is to see if I would be a suitable wife for the future head of the Kuchiki family.” The world seemed to deflate around the two of them as she uttered those words, “I was to remain third seat as the current captain retired and Sojun was to take over as captain with Byakuya as his lieutenant. Everything changed with Sojun’s death, and I guess it made the Captain concerned for the future of the family.” Her head rested on his shoulder now and Shinji moved his arm to wrap around her waist as she continued, “Excellent test scores, with a serious demeanor and an unprecedented understanding of the laws of the Seireitei seemed to be exactly what he was looking for, and now as a third seat of Division Six, I was no longer seen as a common woman from the Rukongai, instead a distinguished member of the Thirteen Court Guard Squads.”

There was a sadness in her tone that he hadn’t heard before and she buried her face into his neck, there wasn’t any more that needed to be said so instead he shifted and gently brushed the hair from her forehead before placing a soft kiss there, he called himself a fool twelve times over as he kissed her again and again, they both knew better than this and yet here they were. She deserved to know that she was more than just some ornament or trophy, she was beautiful and intelligent, and right now, there was nothing in this world he wanted more than her, “C’mon doll, let’s get you to bed.”

Day 4 of barbex‘s fictober “The hall was a place of wisdom and authority, or so they said.”

Everything seemed to bright, her head hurt and her body ached, Kumiko decided in that moment that jet lag was a punishment that she really didn’t deserve right now. Her grandma waved her off to school this morning after the two of them ate a peaceful enough breakfast, the one saving grace to this entire situation was that at least it was the first day of the term; coming in during the middle of the year would have been exhausting.

The school grounds were what she expected, and she was greeted in traditional japanese fashion as she made her way into the office with the papers that her grandmother had handed her before she left this morning. She was given short, if direct instructions on how to reach her classroom and that they hope that she does well this year. She nods and quickly makes her way there only to be greeted by the teacher -- of course they’d know who she is, the one new face in the sea of children that they’ve seen for years.

Instructed to write her name on the board she quickly does so, and introduces herself. It’s over more quickly than the teacher anticipated as Kumiko quickly finds a seat at the back of the room, but it doesn’t take long for the homeroom teacher to get through her introductory start of term lecture and for her to shuffle out and the next teacher to shuffle in. It was different, more efficient and the classes her face paced and challenging enough that she had to focus but not difficult enough for her to get lost, she was honestly glad for the chance to focus on something other than the death of her father, among the other circumstances that brought here here.

By lunchtime she had gotten the hang of the routine of the individual teachers as well as the school and her classmates, food was passed out and she continued to sit in relative quiet. Girls came and asked her questions, about France and her life before Karakura town, but regardless of the question, her answers were always succinct and to the point and it seemed to give pause to the rest of the class.

By the end of the day, the school was monotonous and calm, there were the class clowns, of course, the talkative girls in the middle of the room, the quiet smart kids at the front corner nearest the podium, then the loners and less social people at the sides and back of the room, but all of that seems to extend beyond countries, and the normalcy was welcome.

Well, it was, until she walked out of the school to be greeted by a tall orange haired kid tossing a shorter, shouting angry kid across the front of the school yard. The orange haired kid was saying something about “respecting the dead” she missed most of it because she was more interested in the five or six guys who were coming from behind, “Yo. Carrot top, behind you.” Kumiko’s warning came too late, however, as two of the guys already grabbed him in a headlock. That’s when an ever taller guy comes in and eventually the guys run off shouting about how the two guys were freaks of nature, and she shakes her head, a place of wisdom and authority her ass -- where were the teachers now when you needed them? She scoffed at the thought and walked over towards the both of them, offering a hand to the orange haired boy who had unsurprisingly ended up on the ground, “Nice job there,” dumbass, she added mentally, “you ever think about not taking on a group of guys in a six against one?”

He takes her hand and she pulls him to his feet, the bigger guy just sort of shuffles in beside them -- she recognizes both of them from her class, but they both seem to be about as talkative as her, “You’re Kumiko, right? The new transfer student.” She nods at the orange haired kid’s question, “I’m Ichigo Kurosaki, and this is Chad. Thanks for the help.”

She nodded and started walking off, the situation was handled and she was obviously no longer needed there, making it about halfway down the street she heard Ichigo Kurosaki shouting for her, turning, she was greeted by that same boy running her over. Crashing onto the pavement they both groaned and she couldn’t help but grind her teeth, “Dumbass.” It was a whispered hiss, “Is there something else you needed, Kurosaki?” He shrugged, and this time, it was Chad that helped them both up and she nodded her thanks to him.

“Figured since you were so quiet in class you’d want to talk now,” It was brusque and Ichigo’s hands were in his pockets and he just seemed to follow her no matter how long she went without talking. Well, it could be worse, she figures, at least these two seem capable and are willing to just go with the silence instead of trying to pry information out of her.

Day 3 of barbex‘s fictober “Now, behave,” they murmured.

The succinct tapping of her feet against the wood floors of the Sixth Division matched the pace of her thoughts this afternoon; the Captain had scouting reports for divisions one, two, ten and eleven as well as wanting information on the dispatched squad who were currently in stable condition under Captain Unohana’s care.

To the Seireitei, Shiori Nakano was what was expected of a Lieutenant of the Thirteen Court Guard Divisions. Her hair intricately twisted, shihakusho perfectly adjusted, while making as little noise as possible while passing from barracks to barracks. There was never a minute of hesitation or a word spoken out of turn, her bows were all deep and she left as quickly as she arrived. Before this, she was just poor kid from the Rukongai, pushed to the outskirts because of her spiritual pressure and abandoned in death, she was left in this world that was the afterlife to starve.

She would be exceptional. Not because she wanted to be, but because she had to be. There isn’t an alternative.

Shiori returned to the Sixth Division Captain’s quarters almost a half hour before she was expected, kneeling in front of the door, she quietly raps at the wood, head already bowed as she heard the footsteps of her Captain within shuffling towards the door. Their conversation was pleasant enough – reports on the condition of the squad were handed to him. Bowing once again she paused before turning back to the head of the Kuchiki family, “Is there anything else you need, Captain?”

Her question was met with a gruff hum, “No. You have completed your duties for the day. Dismissed.” She bowed again, deeper this time and muttered her thanks to the Captain. In the courtyard of the Sixth Division she exhaled, this was the only time she allowed herself to be the girl from the Rukongai – the moments where no one could see her, otherwise someone would use her vulnerability against her. Taking another breath, she disappeared from the Sixth Division’s Barracks, shunpo taking her just outside the living quarters of the Captain of Squad Five.

Knuckles reaching the door it opened before she had the chance to knock and instead is greeted by a pair of amused hazel eyes, “Yer early.” She wanted to scoff, instead she shifted to the side of him, removing her shoes and placing them carefully beside the door, soon followed by her Lieutenant’s armband – that’s not who she was here.

The sound of his ridiculous music echoed throughout the room and she turned back to look at him, her features softer than that of Lieutenant Nakano, she was Shiori now, “Aren’t I always?” Shinji’s grin widens at that and he pulls her further into his quarters, making it only to an armchair before she grabs the sleeve of his haori and tugs, reaching up on tiptoes to press a kiss to his lips. Shuffling for a moment, Shinji finds himself sitting on the armchair with her above him, long breathless kisses interrupted only by gasps for air that seemed louder than the jazz music that continued to play. His hands slid up her body, eventually making their way to her ass, pulling her closer and pinching, pulling away she pushed the hair out of his face and blinked coyly at him. “Now, behave,” the words were murmured against his lips, she was still breathless and his hands running up and down her sides was a distraction, “or I will be more than happy to make you.”

Day 2 of barbex‘s fictober  “Under the sun and the moon.”

A cold breeze crept through his bones as he stood on that rooftop on the cold November dawn. Karakura Town seemed quiet enough, almost peaceful, if he could ever believe that after everything that had happened here in his adolescence.

This was what he wanted though, right?

Part time college student, part time Soul Reaper, his life was busy, but he couldn't imagine himself anywhere else. Black robes rustled in the early fall breeze, he stretched and felt every bone and muscle in his body ache in relief. Slow nights were the norm now, but sometimes, he enjoyed coming out onto the rooftops to remind himself of what exactly it took to get here.

Ichigo’s walk home was uneventful -- dogs and chickens started waking and so, the once silent Karakura town returned to life under the now rising sun. Slipping through the door as silently as he could, he made his way to the tiny apartment’s bedroom and returned to bed, hopefully without waking the woman lying there. “Morning, Ichigo.” He grimaced, unsuccessful again. “Did you have an eventful night?”

He turned over and was met by the darkest blue eyes he had ever seen, “It was as peaceful as ever.” He pressed a kiss to Rukia’s forehead and pulled her back in close. Outside, the world came into focus for another day, under the setting moon and the rising sun. And it was in that moment he decided.