December 12th, 2000
Rirī
"Human world duty?" echoed Rukia in surprise.
Rukia had truly blossomed under my tutelage. While she was not able to unlock her bankai in a year, she did achieve it in three which was still very impressive. Her reiatsu growth had exploded since I began feeding her bits of my energy into every meal I prepared for her.
She was diligent, meticulous, and completely devoted. She had Sōsuke's drive for perfection, with the deposition of Jūshirō and Shunsui combined.
Out of all of my students, she idolized me the most. It was a nice change of pace to be treated so highly. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't tickled pink. When I was in Soul Society, she was almost always a step behind me. The only times she left was when she would return to the Kuchiki residence on the weekends for family training, or when I snuck away to go bother Tōshirō for attention or harass one of the other captains for shits and giggles (most Sōsuke and Genryūsai).
Rukia was an excellent lieutenant and I absolutely trusted her. If I were to compare the Rukia under my guidance to the canon Rukia, I would brag that my Rukia was ten times stronger and a hundred times more flexible to adjust to chaotic situations.
I was so dang proud of her!
"Mm-hmm. Everyone needs to go at least once," I told her. "I volunteered you. I know you won't need help, my dear."
Rukia's beaming smile in response warmed me. "Yes, I won't let you down, Captain Rirī."
"That's my girl," I said, reaching forward and gently patting her head. "It'll only be for a year since I'll need you back as my lieutenant sooner rather than later."
"Okay," said Rukia. "When do I leave?"
"The first of the new year."
"I'll get started on packing right away," she said, standing up from her desk beside me. "Um—what should I do with the paperwork?"
"I'll handle it," I reassured her. "Good luck on your mission, Ru!"
She bowed sharply in thanks before taking her leave, a spring in her step.
I had no clue when she was supposed to meet Ichigo, so sending her up on literally the first day of the year seemed like a safe bet.
(◕▾◕✿)
December 28th, 2000
I called my children into the kitchen. Sora had already returned to his apartment on campus. He said he had some drama going on with his friend group and needed to be there for New Year's. Wasn't surprising given his type of friend group.
Gremmy was the first to enter, the middle-schooler yawning and rubbing at his eyes. He always had a white hoodie on with some comfortable pants at home. I bought him a variety of hoodies over the years, but the boy was drawn to mostly white. On occasion, he'd pick something with a design over it—such as Totoro, or a cat. He was a consistent boy.
Orihime was open to other colors. She rocked it in white, don't get me wrong, but she was happy to switch to some pale blues, creamy ivories, or burgundy reds. She had a preference for modest sweaters, leggings, and of course the butterfly clip I gave her as a child for her to summon Magnolia.
"Mama?" Gremmy inquired upon noticing I had laid out stacks of literal cash and my debit/credit cards, complete with a notebook that had all the passwords and necessary contact information for them.
"I'm afraid I'll have to take care of some things at work for a bit," I apologized to them. "Would you two be okay to stay here without a guardian or would you like to stay over with Uncle Kisuke?"
"We'll be okay, Mother," Orihime reassured me, her eyes warm and loving. "Do you know when you'll be back?"
I reached forward and tucked a strand of her hair behind her ears. With my other hand, I cupped Gremmy's face. The smaller boy had moved in to hug as soon as he realized I would be leaving. "I'll be able to come back for a few days every month. I'm not sure how long I'll need to be away though. If there's an emergency, you remember how to contact me?"
Gremmy nodded firmly as he leaned into my hand. "Break the glass orb on your desk, or summon one of the butterflies."
"Yes. I'll come immediately. Remember, your older brother is also one phone call away—"
"We know, we know," Orihime giggled. "It'll be okay, Mother. I'm strong, remember?"
"That you are my princess." I leaned forward and nuzzled her nose before kissing her forehead. "Be an angel while I'm away. Don't let your older brother bring home any of his friends, and don't let your younger brother stay up too late with his video games."
Gremmy pouted at that, his cheeks puffing out. Orihime nodded, accepting her big sister role with ease.
Sora had unwittingly become the male lead to a harem. There was a yandere added in when he joined high school that I had to quickly kill off when she got jealous of Orihime. Sora was so painfully uninterested to the girls (and occasional boy) throwing themselves at him, I had to wonder if he was asexual and aromantic.
After one standard anime trope incident involving the bathroom, Sora was forbidden from having any friends over. Unless he had already slept with one of them (and thus hopefully broke the harem), they were not allowed inside.
I said my goodbyes to my children still at home, then headed back to Soul Society.
I couldn't let Rukia sense my reiatsu while I was masquerading as a human, now could I?
And now this way... this way the stage was set.
After over two thousand years of preparation, the play could finally begin.
Time to get some extra cuddles from Tōshirō as my reward!
(◕▾◕✿)
May 15th, 2001
Rukia
Rukia was oddly tired. For the past couple of months since arriving in the human world, she had been feeling drained. It wasn't an illness, but something was off. Rukia was tempted to admit it to Rirī, but she knew how Rirī would react.
Rirī would immediately force Rukia on sick leave, take on all of her responsibilities, and dote on her until she felt better. It was kind, warm, and sweet and Rukia liked how motherly Rirī could be with her, but it was also suffocating, humiliating, and made her feel guilty. When Rukia was sick, it was up to Rirī to manage all the paperwork and missions. Rirī had placed so much faith in Rukia by choosing her as a lieutenant right away that Rukia was loathed to disappoint her.
Rukia wanted to be acknowledged by Rirī more than anyone else. It was Rirī's opinion who Rukia valued above others—even more than her adopted brother.
So Rukia did not tell Rirī she was tired, and she felt an odd drain on her reiatsu.
She hoped it would go away with enough time.
Her time in the human world was interesting so far.
Meeting that weird Urahara guy was a stroke of luck. She didn't realize that the Soul Society had many contacts in the human world, but the guy approached her right away and offered her help in getting situated.
Rukia was grateful for the assistance. She had only ever been to the World of the Living a handful of times, and all of them had been with Rirī for joint missions (usually with Captain Aizen or Captain Hitsugaya's team). They were fun missions—Rukia and Rangiku were endlessly amused by Captain Aizen and Captain Hitsugaya bickering back and forth—but because there were three captains involved, Rukia never had to take the lead. If Rirī wasn't there, she deferred to Aizen and Hitsugaya.
She hadn't encountered any real threats, but she did enjoy the solo work. She was proud Rirī didn't feel like Rukia needed any backup, and Rukia was determined to make sure that faith wasn't misplaced.
'As lieutenant of the fifth division, I'll complete my time in the human world flawlessly,' Rukia thought to herself.
She had a lot to live up to.
(◕▾◕✿)
May 20th, 2001
Orihime
Orihime hummed to herself as she worked on chopping up dinner. Sora had stopped by unexpectedly, so she was pleasantly surprised to be making dinner for the three of them. Gremmy was holed up in his room upstairs, playing some shooter game. Orihime could occasionally hear him yell at people over his headset. Her older brother seemed a touch sullen, his eyes downcast, and he kept sighing into his cup of coffee.
Sora took another drink of his coffee. "Do you know when Mom will be back?"
"She wasn't sure herself," Orihime admitted, finishing chopping up the cabbage head and now adding it to the okonomiyaki batter. "Would you like pork belly strips?"
"Yes, please." Sora sighed again, looking around their dining room. Their mother had a taste for antiques, both European and Japanese. Their kitchen was as modern as can be, but their dining room was basically a European tearoom complete with porcelain tea sets and cute hanging tea plates. Their living room was pretty modern as well, but the downstairs study screamed old-style Japanese office.
Sora looked out at the living room, surprised to already find their latest family portrait. Mom insisted on always having their portrait done by a professional oil painter. One was done every year, and the latest one was hung up in the living room. The rest were moved to their finished basement which was remodeled into a mini dojo for Sora, Gremmy, and Orihime to train.
In their latest family portrait, Mother wore a fox mask over her face. For fun, she had told them, and they too wore fox masks to match her.
It made for an interesting picture, but that was their mom.
Orihime finished making Sora's comfort food for dinner, handing him a plate of okonomiyaki. "Are you okay?"
"I don't know," Sora admitted. "One of my friends said something really weird to me. I could use Mom's advice."
"One of your friends, not acquaintance?" Orihime asked. If it was a casual acquaintance or classmate then Orihime would be okay to try and help, but Mother was very strict that Orihime didn't interact with any of Sora's friends unless he was going steady with them for at least a year.
"Yeah," he sighed. "There was a misunderstanding."
'There's always a misunderstanding,' Orihime thought, taking a sip of her own coffee that she had added chocolate to. 'Yummy.'
"Anything I can do?" Orihime offered.
"No. Mom'll be mad if I ask you to get involved. I just hope he'll forgive me," Sora sighed again, taking his first bite of dinner then smiling. "Man, your cooking is only getting better, princess."
"Thank you." Orihime beamed. She hoped to one day be as wonderful at cooking as Mother. "Are you going to stay home tomorrow?"
"Yeah. I don't have any more classes until Tuesday next week, so I'm going to relax here for a bit."
"Okay. Oh, Mother wanted me to tell you she pre-ordered that new game you wanted."
"Oh! The one by Lilynette?"
"I think so."
"That's great. Thanks!"
Orihime smiled at her brother. 'I should bake something. What do I want to make?'
Mother made sure their kitchen was a cut above average, so there was nothing Orihime couldn't make. If she lacked ingredients, all she had to do was go to the store or order them online. Mother always encouraged her, Gremmy's, and Sora's hobbies, no matter how odd. When Orihime was smaller she tried painting and Mother took them camping so Orihime could feel inspired by the views.
Now, Orihime loved cooking and baking the most because it's what she did with her mother. That and training, but cooking felt more rewarding because she got to eat what they made afterward!
Sora finished his dinner then headed up to his bedroom. Orihime could hear the start-up of the X-Box, so she knew he'd be up playing games all night. That meant she could use the kitchen without fuss.
She felt like she was in the mood for something colorful and light so she whipped up a macaron batter. As they had two ovens, she doubled the batch amount so she could bring extras over to their neighbors, the Kurosakis.
They were always very nice. Orihime was friends with Ichigo. Ichigo was a nice boy, even if he wasn't as big a fan of cooking. He was comfortable and easy to talk to. Thankfully, Orihime was also friends with one of his younger sisters, Yuzu. Yuzu liked to cook so she came over a lot to bake with Orihime and Mother.
In the past year, Yuzu had become very interested in Gremmy. Orihime thought it would be so lovely to have Yuzu has a little sister, but her dear younger brother was entirely oblivious to Yuzu's feelings.
Orihime didn't remember their mom much, but she did remember holding Ichigo's hand a lot when he was smaller because he frequently cried so hard he couldn't see straight.
It took her a couple of hours to finish making the pink-colored macarons. She took a plate up to Sora and Gremmy who both thanked her with a kiss on the cheek, then she took the rest over to the Kurosakis.
It was late—past eight—but she knew for a fact that none of them went to bed until nine at the earliest. Most of the time it was closer to midnight before the house actually got quiet.
Isshin Kurosaki opened the door with a big smile on his face. "Princess! Come in, come in. Are you doing okay?"
"I'm fine," Orihime reassured the man who she came to love as an uncle. "Sora actually came home today. I thought you all might like some macarons I made."
"You know we can never turn down your baking," Isshin laughed, ushering her inside.
"Sissy!" exclaimed Yuzu who bounded into the living room. "What did you make?"
"Macarons," Orihime said, holding up the filled plate. "Do you want to come over and make some with me this weekend?"
Yuzu's eyes lit up and she looked expectantly at her father. "Can I?"
"Of course!"
Orihime chatted with Yuzu and Isshin for a bit more before she went further into the house to say hi to Karin and Ichigo. Karin was studying upstairs, Orihime only popped in her room to kiss the top of her head like Mother always did for her, then left her alone. It always made Karin smile shyly when she did it which Orihime thought was precious.
She opened Ichigo's room to find him letting out a yell of surprise and—
"Ah," said Orihime as she stared at the young woman on Ichigo's floor.
"Ah," said the young woman who stared back at Orihime.
"Wait, can you see her?" Ichigo asked, pointing at the young woman.
"Yes," Orihime answered, blinking in surprise. "Am I not supposed to?"
"Now not one, but two humans?" the woman muttered to herself.
"Can you shut the door, Princess? I don't want anyone else barging in." Ichigo scratched the back of his head sheepishly. Ichigo had picked up the habit of calling her Princess from Orihime's mom. Orihime complied, tilting her head curiously.
'She doesn't look like a Hollow,' Orihime thought. Mother had taught Orihime all about Hollows and Shinigami. Mother told her that Orihime should be careful when dealing with each of them, and to only act in defense. Some Hollows could be good, and some Shinigami could be bad. Orihime's powers could be used to protect or destroy either group.
'Then she must be a Shinigami,' Orihime concluded, her smile brightening with realization. 'I've never met one before. I wish Mother were here.'
Mother had told Orihime she'd meet a fair few Shinigami when she was older, and once she was of age, Mother would personally introduce Orihime to many Shinigami and Hollows.
Orihime didn't know what exactly her mother did, and she did not ask. In time, she knew the truth would be revealed.
She took a seat on Ichigo's floor as Ichigo and the Shinigami—who introduced herself as Rukia—began to tell Orihime quite the story.
Ichigo apparently had a high volume of reiatsu—spiritual energy—that attracted a hollow named Fishbone D. Rukia was wounded saving him, and Ichigo had to take her Shinigami powers in order to save his family.
"That's quite the ordeal," Orihime said, processing everything that had been said to her. She tapped on her chin as she thought. "Then... Miss Rukia, do you have enough reiatsu to keep doing your job as a Shinigami?"
Rukia's face was crestfallen as she shook her head. "No. For some reason, it's not coming back like it should."
Orihime felt that would be the case. She always knew Ichigo had an odd presence about him ever since Mother taught her how to feel for souls and reiatsu. Rukia—
Rukia felt like something else was with her. It was hard for Orihime to get a good feel on Rukia. Perhaps it was because she was a Shinigami, or maybe there was something wrong with Rukia; something actively preventing her reiatsu from returning as quickly as it should.
Orihime chewed on the inside of her cheeks.
'Mother was very clear to not show my powers unless it was a life-threatening situation,' Orihime thought. 'Or if I somehow get sent to Soul Society, in which case I need to do everything in my power to stay alive.'
Orihime thought she might be able to help Rukia, though. She had never healed raw reiatsu, but perhaps—
'No, no. It's not life-threatening now,' Orihime thought. 'If it becomes an issue I will, but for now I should hold back. Maybe the thing that is preventing Rukia from getting better will prevent me from helping her. Mother said to think carefully, and not act rashly. To help the most people, a clear mind is best.'
"Miss Rukia, if you've lost your powers," Orihime said slowly, thoughtfully, "then would you like to come stay with me? My mother is gone, and we have a spare room."
"Ah—you live right next door?" Rukia asked, surprised by Orihime's generous offer. "Are you sure you're okay to take me in?"
Orihime smiled. "I would rather believe people are good and be wrong, than distrust them and regret it later."
Rukia smiled at her. "What a nice view. I'll take you up on that offer. You should get some rest, Ichigo."
"Right," Ichigo sighed, scratching his cheek. "Uh, you sure you're okay with this, Princess?"
"It's fine," Orihime reassured him, then showed off her nonexistent biceps. "I'm strong!"
Ichigo snorted, reaching forward and flicking her nose. "Right. Thanks."
"No worries," Orihime said. "Come on, Miss Rukia. Have you eaten yet?"
"Um, no, but—"
"Great, I love making second dinner!"
(◕▾◕✿)
"Interesting family portrait," Rukia observed once Orihime showed her inside.
"Oh, thank you," Orihime chirped.
"Is that your mother with the pink hair?"
"Yes. She adopted us."
"Was it her idea to wear the masks?"
"Yes!"
"Interesting," Rukia repeated.
There was the sound of footsteps coming down the steps. Her younger brother, Gremmy, entered the living room. He looked over at the two of them, his golden eyes narrowed upon seeing Rukia. It was plainly obvious that Rukia was surprised to find yet another person able to see her.
"Miss Rukia, this is my younger brother. Gremmy, this is Miss Rukia. She'll be our guest for a while."
Gremmy wordlessly nodded at Rukia, his gaze assessing. The chess prodigy had always been reluctant to socialize with others outside his family.
Rukia, thankfully, was unbothered by Gremmy's silence. She offered him a polite smile before she bowed. "Thank you for your hospitality."
"I'll be making a second dinner. Gremmy would you like anything?"
"Something I can eat with one hand," he said, his sharp gaze still focused on Rukia. "Thanks, Sis."
"Mn!"
(◕▾◕✿)
"Going somewhere?" Orihime asked.
Orihime was used to waking up early to prepare breakfast. Normally Mother would be up with her and making lunches, but since Mother had to go away Orihime took over that role. Goodness knew Gremmy and Sora couldn't handle it.
Both boys knew how to cook, they simply hated getting up early.
Some days Gremmy wouldn't even go to bed. He'd still be up when Orihime's alarm went off. On those days, he'd make breakfast for Orihime. Orihime enjoyed the thought, but she really wished her cute baby brother would take better care of himself. She knew he couldn't get sick, but still...!
Rukia had gotten up early and entered the kitchen to find Orihime packing their lunches. Rukia noticed that Orihime had even prepared lunch for her.
"Well, today I figured I thought I'd go to a candy shop before school," said Rukia, keeping her voice low as to not wake up the other residents in the house.
"A candy shop? I have an uncle who owns one," chirped Orihime. "It's called Urahara Shoten."
Rukia gasped. "Wow! That's exactly where I need to go."
Orihime couldn't help but gasp as well. "What a coincidence!"
Rukia whistled. "I wonder if he's why you can see me."
Orihime only smiled in response, reluctant to lie but not wanting to go against Mother's wish to keep her powers secret for as long as possible.
"May I go with you?" Orihime asked. "It's been a couple of days since I saw my uncle."
Orihime and Gremmy visited the shop every weekend since Mother went away. Auntie Yoruichi insisted upon it, and if they were even ten minutes late, their beautiful aunt would show up at their house to check on them. Of course that wasn't the case for the past month since Auntie Yoruichi was out of the country, but she said if when she got back and learned they missed a single day they'd be super-duper grounded.
Rukia smiled. "I can't say no. Thank you."
"Mn. One moment—oh, would you mind covering your ears?" Orihime politely asked.
Rukia blinked in surprise. "Uh, sure."
As Rukia covered her ears, Orihime pulled out a blow-horn from the kitchen drawer. She blew it, the loud sound making Rukia wince.
"AAAARRGH!" Gremmy cried out.
"Thanks, Sis!" Sora chirped.
Orihime smiled at her brothers' antics. She had purchased the horn not long after Mother left when she realized she had trouble getting Gremmy out of bed. The horn definitely woke him up and it saved her a trip up the stairs.
Orihime placed their bento boxes in the little bags. She handed one to Rukia and placed the other in her backpack. "Ready?"
"Yes."
Orihime beamed. "Wonderful."
(◕▾◕✿)
"Uncle Kisuke!" exclaimed Orihime, rushing into the store with a spring in her step. Jinta and Ururu didn't bat an eye at her jubilant appearance, Ururu even smiling at her.
Kisuke Urahara popped up from behind the counter, an easy smile on his face as he accepted the running hug from Orihime. He held her tightly, patting her back. "There's my favorite princess. Doing okay?"
"Mm-hmm. I'm tagging along with a friend," she explained, looking back at Rukia.
"Oho?" Kisuke's smile stretched. "And how can I help Miss Shinigami today?"
Rukia glanced nervously at Orihime.
'Ah, should I step out?'
Since Rukia still hadn't spoken, Kisuke returned his attention to Orihime. Kisuke gently touched Orihime's shoulder. "Princess, here."
Orihime held out her hand as Kisuke placed a bag of candy inside it. She smiled widely. "Did you make these yourselves?"
"I think I've got Rirī beat now," whispered Kisuke. "Why don't you and your brothers tell me what you think?"
Orihime giggled. She loved Kisuke's candies, but it would be difficult to beat Mother's versions. "Will do."
"Atta girl." Kisuke patted her head.
"Is Auntie back?"
"Not yet. I'm sure she'll regret missing you though."
"You're all welcome to visit," reminded Orihime.
Kisuke's smiled was kind. "Thank you, Princess. If you need anything at all, you know where we'll be."
"Thank you, Uncle." Orihime's smile was bright. She adored her uncle.
She may not have had a father growing up, but between her mother, Uncle Kisuke, Uncle Tessai, and Auntie Yoruichi, Orihime didn't feel that she was missing out on much.
"Why don't you wait outside now while I attend to Miss Shinigami?" Kisuke gently suggested.
"Mmkay," agreed Orihime. "Miss Rukia, I'll be waiting."
Rukia smiled faintly. "Thank you, Orihime."
(◕▾◕✿)
Bonus
"Is he your mother's brother?" Rukia asked when they left.
"No," answered Orihime. "Uncle Kisuke is a friend of my mother's." Orihime giggled. "But sometimes I think he wishes it was more."
Rukia smiled in amusement at that. "Well, I wish him all the best!"
(◕▾◕✿)
Here are the captains at that point in time:
1st - Captain Genryūsai Shigekuni, Lieutenant Chōjirō Sasakibe
2nd - Captain Suì-Fēng Soifon, Lieutenant Marechiyo Ōmaeda
3rd - Captain Gin, Lieutenant Izuru Kira
4th - Captain Retsu, Lieutenant Seinosuke Yamada
5th - Captain Rirī, Lieutenant Rukia Kuchiki
6th - Captain Byakuya Kuchiki, Lieutenant Renji Abarai
7th - Captain Sajin Komamura, Lieutenant Tetsuzaemon Iba
8th - Captain Shunsui Sakuranosuke, Lieutenant Nanao Ise
9th - Captain Sōsuke Aizen, Lieutenant Momo Hinamori.
10th - Captain Tōshirō Hitsugaya, Lieutenant Rangiku Matsumoto
12th - Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi, Lieutenant Akon
13th - Captain Jūshirō Ukitake, Lieutenant Kaname Tōsen
(◕▾◕✿)
We're here! We're here! AT LONG LAST WE'RE HERE! *Happy crying*
Most of this act will be done through Orihime, with us occasionally popping back to Rirī when we need more context.
Answer: Hitsugaya or Urahara.
Question: You are a Shinigami captain right when Soul Society is forming. You can pick any Bleach character to loyally (their definition of "loyal") serve you (they would be born around your time, screw plot). Who do you pick?
Reviews are love!