Undertones

By: WhisperedSilvers

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Simmer down; I know you're angry

I can make, make it okay

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Arc One:

the dawn of a new era

"You know, I'm still confused as to why you're with us Rukia." Yumichika remarked offhandedly, his fingers brushing the side of his hair.

Rukia's eyes subtly glanced to her left, "What?"

"Why did your brother decide to have you come with us on patrol? You're not even part of our squad."

"Neither is Shuhei and he's here." She replied, her hands twitching. The humidity in the air was thick, almost like smog—despite the clear blue skies.

"Captain Zaraki recommended Shuhei for this particular assignment." Ikkaku commented dryly, his grin was malicious, "Why did big brother Byakuya let you off the leash?"

Rukia's eyebrow twitched, she stopped abruptly her foot sliding to outwards, and she was satisfied when she heard a muffled curse and a large thump. "I don't particularly know why Nii-sama does such things. And it wasn't Nii-sama that advised me to take this assignment, fool."

For some reason, Ikkaku sometimes reminded her of Ichigo.

Shuhei frowned, "Then who—"

"Captain Ukitake did." Rukia glanced to the left side of the dense forest, "When I asked why, he said he wanted me to be exposed."

Yumichika looked at her curiously. Even if though he didn't want to quite admit it, the young Kuchiki had a lot more field experience than him and Ikkaku. He couldn't speak for Shuhei. Her shikai had multiple forms and her kido was well above average. She hadn't received her Bankai, yet. It was only a matter of time. She killed an arrancar and an espada—why wasn't she a lieutenant yet?

"Exposed?" It was Shuhei that asked this, but Ikkaku was already sitting on the ground and responded bitterly, "Violence. Brutal violence." He sneered, "She has killed, but she hasn't killed—the way we kill."

"We aren't murderers, Ikkaku." Yumichika spat, "We are shinigami. We purify hollows and keep the balance—we do not kill."

"Don't you think I know that!" He growled, before scratching the back of his neck and sighing. "What I'm saying is, she hasn't seen violence, brutal violence—that's what Ukitake wants her to see. She'll break if she isn't exposed to something ruthless."

The little Kuchiki looked at him with something akin to inquisitiveness. She has seen violence, lots of violence; she lived on the streets—most of the Soul Society do not know that the younger sister of Byakuya Kuchiki was a street-rat. For the sake of her brother's honor, she wouldn't say anything—that and someone told her too much information is never a good thing.

But she understood what Ikkaku was saying. She has seen merciless, inhumane violence, but seeing and doing—those were two different things.

"I know." Rukia surprised the three men with her acceptance, "I know." She looked into the dense brush of trees, "I can't hide it and I can't ignore it. Facts are facts for a reason. I have to face it sometime."

On the outskirts of the Soul Society, there was a dense forest before entering the gates of Rukongai. It wasn't much of a forest, the terrain was rocky, and the moss was slippery—more mountainous than anything, with high thick trees and the cool sky. There have been multiple sightings of hollows within this particular brush. It was almost as if something was calling them into this area—the assignment was basically to scout the area.

She felt an inkling of something and stilled. "Do you feel that?"

Ikkaku pulled to a stop, "Feel what?"

A familiar howling sound roared and the ground shook with the sheer force of the wind. The reiatsu was dark, darker than usual and it was strong.

"That."

That was the only word she said until she sped to the sound of the hollow, Yumichika, Shuhei and Ikkaku hot on her heels. The fog was thickening, the water in the air swirling in her nose and hugging her lungs. The grass was damp now, slick with rain and the roar of the hollow became almost deafening.

"Is that a Menos?" Yumichika sounded scandalized; Rukia couldn't fault him for it. It did look like a Menos Grande. But a Menos so close to the Soul Society didn't make sense, with so many patrolling officers and fighters in the area—it isn't ethical. Coming into enemy territory wasn't logical.

"It has a red mask." Ikkaku pointed out. The hollow was tall as a Menos Grande, but the masks were red and dome-shaped. There was no white in sight; everything was red, their teeth, their spikes and their eyes. The black cloak still remained. There were at least twenty.

"If it shoots Ceros, it's a Menos." Rukia replied, adrenaline thick in her throat. "I'll take the left."

"Reap: Kazeshini!" Shuhei growled, eyes narrowed and his scythe rotated into a rapid spin. Flinging the chain towards one of the hollows, the hollow moaned and released a Cero, instead of bright, reddish violet Cero, it was whitish, blue—the Cero was nullified by the spinning of Shuhei's scythe.

"It's like they mutated!" Yumichika exclaimed, before gritting his teeth, leaping high and cutting down a Menos straight down the middle.

"Tch, does it matter?" Ikkaku grinned, "Extend: Hozukimaru!" With a snarl, he leaped and cut down three Menos within the span of three minutes. The shrieking got louder, they moved faster, the Ceros shooting rapidly, and dodging the Ceros only left the terrain more unstable.

"Dance: Sode no Shirayuki! Tsugi no Mai, Hakuren!" Rukia cried, a white ripple of ice blasted from her zanpakuto, icing three of the Menos. Waving the hilt with her hand, the ice cracked. The Menos shattering into white particles.

She inhaled sharply when a sudden movement she caught at the corner of her eye, she twisted sharply to see the Menos grow arms, it moved so quickly—almost equivalent to shunpo—the long fingers, white as bone—dug into her ribs, and she saw something—like a flash.

"Because our Captain is weak and sick, I'm usually in charge of everything! Therefore you may call me 'Captain Kaien' if you like!

Rukia's eyes widened, the air in her throat loose—

"Remember as long as I'm in your division, I will stand by you even if I die."

She can see him, she can hear him—she could feel him. Kaien.

The blood was seeping threw her clothes—she couldn't move. The Menos slashed the other side of her ribs—she coughed blood—she rolled onto a half-sitting position on the ground.

"Whenever you fight from this point on, there is one thing that you must never do. And that is to die alone. And when that time comes, where will your heart go?"

She could taste the sun on her skin; she could feel the grass under her fingertips—

"Your heart will be passed on to your friends. If you pass it on to your friends, then your heart will always live on within them. Kuchiki, that's why you must never, ever, ever die alone."

This was a memory—this isn't real.

"Rukia!" That was Shuhei, his scythe spinning and cutting into the Menos—it disappearing into black particles. He crouched down, helping her sit up, "Are you okay?"

She shook off the shock, the anxiety rising in knots. Ignoring the pain in her ribs, she stood up, "These aren't ordinary Menos. They can tap into our memories and use it against us. Like a flashback!"

Yumichika and Ikkaku were in earshot distance, they stiffened, their grips on their zanpakuto tightened.

"Then they have mutated." Shuhei stated.

"Don't let them touch you! Especially their hands!" Rukia cried out as she used shunpo to cut down another Menos. "The memories are a distraction."

The slash on her ribs were bleeding, but it bleed slow. She couldn't afford to pass out, not now. There were only five left. Five Menos left and she needed to report this back to the Head Captain.

"Dance: Sode no Shirayuki! Some no Mai: Tsukishiro!" An ice pillar caught in the center of a Menos, encasing the hollow in a beam of white light, freezing the Menos. She slashed the air with her blade, the ice shattering along with the Menos.

The back of her neck prickled—there was one behind her—but how—

The Menos slashed her left arm, blood raining onto the ground, she was slammed into a tree and she braced herself for a new memory.

"Mommy! Mommy!" A boy with hair as black as hers and stunning blue eyes came running towards his mother, with a grin bright as the sun and dimples forming onto his cheeks.

Rukia blinked. This wasn't a memory. The little boy was running toward her? How was that possible? She was watching him run toward someone else? Her arm was numb now and she could barely hear Ikkaku screaming at her.

The woman whose back was turned from her, shifted so now she was facing the running child—

Rukia nearly gasped. It was her, an older her.

"What is it?" Rukia smiled softly when the little boy hugged her leg.

"Uncle Byakuya said he's gonna teach me how to use a zanpakuto!" The child's grin widened and his eyes sparkled—

This wasn't a memory—this was another time—and Nii-sama, purple eyes were so wide, her eyes were burning. The future?

"I thought your father said he was going to teach you?" Rukia rubbed his hair.

The scene in front of her was fading.

"Daddy and Uncle Byakuya are going to teach me together!"

Rukia was nearly close to hyperventilating.

"Really? Your father doesn't like competition, Kei-chan."

Her son. Her son's name was Kei.

"Stop telling my child lies," Toushiro appeared in a fraction of a second, his teal orbs burned when he paused to drop a kiss at the corner of her mouth, "We decided to teach him together, he'll learn that ice is far better than those dammed flower petals."

Rukia screamed. It wasn't a scream of pain or agony—it was a scream of pure, unadulterated frustrated confusion.

It was Captain Hitsugaya.

Captain Hitsugaya.

Captain Hitsugaya.

The very same captain she must have spoke at least four sentences in her whole life span, the very same captain who had an ice zanpakuto, the very same captain that—that was nearly executed.

This had to be a dream. A nightmare. She needed to wake up, she needed to wake up, needed to wake up right now—

"Kuchiki, get a grip!"

Rukia slowly blinked. The image disappeared, the hands her shoulders she recognized were Ikkaku's and Yumichika and Shuhei looked at her with concern. The little Kuchiki caught sight of Shuhei's torn arm and this wasn't a dream.

"Huh?"

Yumichika sighed, "Dammit, Kuchiki." He ran his hand threw his short locks before glaring at her almost accusingly, "Your brother would have slaughtered us, if anything had happened to you."

Rukia blinked, hard. This still wasn't a dream.

"Did any of you see anything?"

Shuhei looked at Ikkaku.

The scarred man grimaced, "I saw Captain Magurama saving me from a hollow."

Yumichika looked at the sun, "I saw me fighting Captain Zaraki."

The bald man stood up and Rukia followed in suit, the man brushed some blood that was splattered onto his forearm, he felt the remaining three people look at him in almost expectance. He sighed in defeat, "I saw myself as a Captain—"

Yumichika threw his head back and laughed hysterically, his eyes watering, "A Captain—"

"Shut the hell up!" Ikkaku replied, slamming the back of his palm onto the man's neat locks, suppressing a grin when the hair flew into an awkward position. "I saw myself as Captain of the Eleventh Division. I know it doesn't make sense—"

"Yes it does." Rukia cut him off with a pale expression, she forced her thoughts to remain in one direction, "Apparently the newly formed Menos have the ability to—I don't know how to put this in a way to understand."

Rukia huffed when Ikkaku raised an eyebrow, "It has the ability to show us our memories of the past and the future."

The three men looked at her in shock.

Shuhei broke the silence, "You mean something like time?"

Rukia nodded, "The Menos can show us stages through time. Enough to cause us to be distracted." She wrapped a hand around her slashed arm wincing, "I saw a glimpse of the past and the future." She hissed when she grabbed her zanpakuto, "It was enough to for the Menos to gain the upper hand and attack."

Shuhei looked at Ikkaku, "We need to inform the Head-Captain."

Yumichika groaned, "Just when things were getting back to normal."

Someone had thrown a wrench into his plans.

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In a world full of darkness

I've become your midnight sun

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"Head-Captain Yamamoto, we have defeated twenty Menos Grande on the outskirts of The Soul Society." Ikkaku had bowed before giving his report.

There was a deafening period of silence before Ukitake explained with slight horror, "Twenty?"

Kenpachi scoffed, "You bastards had all the fun."

Yamamoto was silent, before Ikkaku reported, "These Menos were different from the ones we have encountered before, Rukia Kuchiki has a better grasp on the situation. I will let her explain."

Rukia nearly winced, mostly from the bleeding of arms and ribs, and slightly because she could feel everyone's eyes on her. "Head-Captain Yamamoto, the Menos Grande appeared to be mutated."

"Mutated?"

"Yes. The Menos had the same height and characteristics as a regular Menos Grande, but their heads were red and dome-shaped. They had no white on them, only red. Their Ceros, were white and they have the ability to use shunpo." Rukia felt her brother's gaze on her before she continued, "They have the ability to see into the past and into the future."

There were gasps of outrage and Yamamoto's eyes opened, "What do you mean?"

Rukia swallowed her anxiety and gave him the best hypothesis she could think of. "When the hands of the Menos come in contact with skin, they send something like a shockwave through the body. I saw flashes of the past, like the scene was happening right in front of me. I could feel it." Her arms held the sides of her ribs and Byakuya tensed, "They used the flashes of memories as distraction to attack." She paused, the thoughts more clear, "I assume that they have another ability that uses the flashes of time or uses time in general to manipulate their opponents."

A silence entered the room after the little Kuchiki's declaration. The tension in the room thickened, before Ukitake spoke up, "What did you see, Rukia?"

Her lips thinned as she recalled the happy memories, it seemed like ages ago she was that genuinely happy. "I saw Kaien."

It was three words and Ukitake felt his heart plummet.

"What about you, Ikkaku?" Kenpachi asked gruffly and was surprised to see him smirk deviously.

"I saw myself as the Captain of the Eleventh division."

Kenpachi laughed almost manically, "Wouldn't that be a sight to behold."

"Were your memories from the past, Hisagi—Ayasegawa?" Yamamoto inquired.

"Yes, sir."

"How is that there was three flashes from the past in three shinigami and one flash of the future, enough to say that it was from the future?" Yamamoto questioned almost accusingly, "How do you support your assumption based on one subject?"

Ikkaku spoke before, Rukia could lie, "Little Kuchiki had two hits—once from the past and once from the future."

Rukia, most definitely, wanted to kick the bald man out the window for opening his mouth. He was so much like Ichigo—her frustration was increasing. She didn't want to think about that memory—that thing—just yet. It didn't make her feel any better knowing that he was in the room. It made her want to throw up and scream at the same time. It wasn't just anxiety making her sick, it was the sheer thought of being with him in the room.

"Kuchiki."

She swallowed, her face pale. "In my memory—my future memory, I-I saw myself, an older version of myself."

It was a mere glimpse, but it felt like an hour, her hair was long like her Nii-sama's, not like the short bob she has now, she was a few inches taller, she didn't where the standard shinigami robes, she wore a pants, almost like the sweat pants in the human world, black in color and charcoal—a shade off true black, sleeveless shirt, with blue dragons twisting around the back. Her lieutenant badge wrapped tightly across her arm and her boots and her boots—those boots she knew she grabbed them from the human world.

Rukia inhaled and did her best block out everything. "I saw my son. I have a son and he looked like me."

She felt everyone stare at her and Yamamoto was giving her an odd watch. There was a glimmer of interest flashing in his eyes and she felt something inside her shrivel up.

Please don't ask, please don't ask, please don't ask—

"And the father?"

She fought back a flinch, "Didn't see him."

Lie.

His eyes crinkled. Checkmate. The old man inwardly smiled. Ah, so he was here—in this very room.

"I see." The head-captain lifted his head up, "Captain Kurotsuchi, I want an investigation done upon this matter. I want all Captains and their squads taking shifts for border patrol. Is this understood?"

"Yes, sir!"

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Wanna change, the first step is the hardest

A brand new age has finally begun right now

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"Is it true?"

Rukia lifted an eyebrow as she slipped on her shinigami sandals. Unohana had finished healing her so she didn't grimace—it was only a flesh wound, it disappeared without a scar. She couldn't help but feel the shock of memories when she grazed the area of her skin as she stretched her legs. "Is what true?"

Renji didn't hesitate. "The Menos can see through time."

Byakuya must have told him and Rukia's eyes hardened, "Something like that. It's more like glimpses into the past and the future. We don't know if that's their only ability with the manipulation of time."

"Is it like time travel?" Rangiku's voice inquired curiously, her hand resting underneath her chin. Rukia wasn't quite sure when Renji and the Tenth Division's lieutenant began to spend time with each other, she assumed it was because they were both lieutenants, or was it because they were drinking partners—she couldn't quite pin the dots together. But what made her slightly faint around the women's presence was that she was his lieutenant. Meaning he could show up anytime.

"I guess. If they can display flashes of different parts of time, they probably do travel in time," Rukia explained, she tightened her zanpakuto to her waist, "I mean it's the only explanation," She paused, "That we have right now."

"What did you see Rukia?" He probed, his tone a bit more than curious.

Her eyebrow twitched, "I saw Kaien."

Renji flinched, "And?"

"And what?"

Renji scoffed, his hands crossed under his chest as he leant against the side of her bedroom wall. Rangiku looked at him with a raised eyebrow. "You can't lie to me Rukia, you saw something else. Captain told me that you saw two glimpses."

Her amethyst orbs sharpened, Nii-sama wants to know.

Brother or not, this was something that was not coming out of her mouth. "Nii-sama informed you didn't he."

It was a statement not a question.

"He said two flashes. He didn't say what."

Rukia contemplated on telling him. He was her best friend, he grew up with her, he had her best interests at heart—he was a mole for her brother—so she decided to fill him on half-truths.

"I saw my son." Rukia didn't have to look at Renji to know that his jaw dropped, "His name is Kei and he called me Mommy and I have a son."

Despite the next part of the memory she smiled gently. She had a little boy and it made her so happy that she felt the sun brighten in her soul.

"Did he have orange hair—"

The little Kuchiki elbowed him in his stomach, immediately knowing where that sentence was leading him.

"Not that it's any of your business—but no."

Renji even out of breath, looked surprised. He was almost completely sure that she would have ended up with the substitute shinigami. They had a bond that no one could quite understand; he knew that both of their feelings towards each other were strong—stronger than he could comprehend. But if it wasn't Ichigo—

"Whose the father Rukia?" Rangiku squealed. "This is so exciting! Whose your future husband, Rukia?"

Rukia paled quite quickly. There was no way was she answering that question. Nope. Absolutely not. "I didn't see him."

"Lies!"

Her skin was cold and she could only stare at Lieutenant Matsumoto in surprise, how did she know—

"Don't even try, Rukia! I know when women are lying." She grinned and laughed manically. "It's a gift!"

Her blonde hair danced when she hopped up and down with excitement. Her blue eyes twinkled knowing that she caught the little Kuchiki in a lie—she has her cornered, "Now spill."

"So what if I'm lying," Rukia felt a thrill run through her, "I'm not telling anyone anything."

"C'mon Rukia~" She sang and the dark-haired girl wondered if she could escape without being trampled by the busty blonde and her nosy red-haired baboon.

"MATSUMOTO!"

It was his voice that made ice drop into her stomach. She was going to hyperventilate. Rukia blanched, but what was he doing in the Kuchiki estate? Besides looking for Rangiku, her brother would have strangled the man—as eloquently as her Nii-sama could—for causing such unwanted noise in his home.

"Captain!" Rangiku's voice was sweet and light, unaffected by her Captain's murderous voice.

The door of Rukia's bedroom slip open, there stood Captain Hitsugaya with a tick in his eyebrow. After the defeat of Aizen, his silver hair shorter, more messy and boyish with a fringe dangling neatly at the bridge of his nose, a turquoise scarf loose against his neck and his zanpakuto strapped to his back. His teal eyes were burning with irritation and Rukia snapped out of her trance.

She inwardly scowled. Why was she staring at him?

"Matsumoto, what did I tell you earlier?"

"To finish the paperwork-but you see Captain, I had to make sure my dear little Rukia was alright!" Her answer was sunny and the once injured girl looked at her in thinly veiled irritation-already knowing that wasn't the answer.

Hitsugaya turned his eyes to the owner of the room. His eyes simmering with fire and she nearly flinched. She pulled on a mask in indifference, "Captain Hitsugaya, is there a reason why you're in my room?"

Renji looked at her.

It was odd. Rukia was a pendent for formalities, she didn't greet him-instead she question him and Rukia wondered if this was how Ichigo felt when shinigami entered his room.

"Kuchiki, I assumed you are healed."

A statement not a question.

"Yes." She responded flatly, her feet wanting to run out of the room. Just where the hell was Nii-sama?

He looked at her carefully, and Rukia was wondering why he was still looking at her. Even Rangiku was looking at her. But all thoughts came to a screeching halt when he stepped inside her room, now walking towards her, his strides deliberate and she had to stop herself from stepping back.

"Then why do you have ice on your hand?" He grabbed her wrist, her hand covered in frost, icicles bloomed onto her fingertips. Rukia's eyes widened, when had-how did, wasn't this Sode no Shirayuki's power?

She hesitated when she answered, her confusion clear in her tone, "I-I don't know?"

Her eyes narrowed, how was this possible? She ignored his hand on her wrist and twisted her wrist. The icicles were less than six inches, but more than three-they were sharp-like claws.

Hitsugaya took his other hand and cracked the icicles; the icicles disappearing into snow evaporating into the air like crystals-the ice melting when the attachments were broken. Her hand lay bare in his and it burnt her wrist. He was warm and rough and she needed to stop this train of thought right now.

"You're summoning your zanpakuto's power without drawing it." Hitsugaya stated as he dropped her wrist. His eyes flickered to her zanpakuto and pushed his hands into his pockets. "Have your Captain speak to you about it."

He turned around and left, "Matsumoto, let's go."

Rangiku blinked in surprise. Had her Captain willing touched someone? She didn't have much time to think about this before she replied quickly, "Right."

She followed her Captain out of the estate.

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The life right here won't hold me down

Getting so hard to see the stars

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"Well, I have to thank Captain Hitsugaya for catching this new power," Ukitake replied lightly after hearing what Rukia had discovered.

Her hand twitched, but she didn't say anything.

The white-haired man continued, "You see Rukia, shinigami with elemental reiatsu have the advantage; they are able to summon a zanpakuto's power-their element without drawing their blade. They have to control it. Loosing control over elemental reiatsu is very dangerous. Take Captain Hitsugaya for example,"

She didn't know why he was still talking about him.

"As a child Shiro-chan leaked his reiatsu unconsciously; it caused the area to frost." Ukitake stated, "What caused your reiatsu to freeze your hand into a claw?"

She thought for a moment, "I was irritated and angry."

He nodded in affirmation, "Your reiatsu runs on your emotions. You aren't normally angry and hot-headed like Hitsugaya," He chuckled at that. "But because you were angry your reiatsu responded to your emotions."

"So what does this mean?"

"It means that you have a new and very powerful ability. Even if you haven't achieved your Bankai, this new ability can prove to be very lethal. You must learn to control this new power or it will become a threat to you and the others around you." Ukitake warned, "Elemental reiatsu is very rare. Summoning a zanpakuto's power without drawing it's blade can only be used if you have elemental reiatsu. Head-Captain Yamamoto uses flames and heat, but you and Shiro-chan use the cold and ice."

"So how do I learn to use this power?" Rukia asked curiously, her head tilted to the side.

"Well," He grinned sheepishly, "You're going to have figure that out yourself. All I can tell you is that unless you ask Head-Captain Yamamoto to teach you—"

Rukia felt something die inside her.

He tried to have me executed—no.

"Or Shiro-chan,"

She nearly screamed in frustration.

"Or you can ask Sode no Shirayuki to teach you."

That caught her interest, "I can do that?"

Ukitake chuckled, "C'mon Rukia, think outside the box."

Rukia was in the private training grounds of the Kuchiki estate. Meditation seemed to be the only thing she could do right now. She needed to tap into her zanpakuto to speak with Sode no Shirayuki. She placed her sword in front of her and sat against the rock. She closed her eyes and focused on her reiryoku. It was bright and white. She curled into the energy, like silk threads and then the ground disappeared. She was standing in a meadow or was it a mountain? It was covered in a blanket of snow, but it wasn't snowing, the sky was blue and the wind was gentle on her face.

"Lady Rukia." Sode no Shirayuki appeared in front of her, her eyes paler than the ocean, her smile was warm in contrast to her powers.

"Sode no Shirayuki," Rukia bowed before asking, "Is it possible for me to share your powers without summoning my blade?"

She nodded, her smile edging towards what looks like a smirk. "Yes. Only shinigami elemental reiatsu can do this."

"However, it will take much work for you to develop and expand your techniques." Her hand waved in the air and snow began to fall, "The control is the most difficult part. Without using a zanpakuto, you have no basis to draw out your reiatsu." She explained—her hand cut across the wind, sharp like a blade.

"In order to draw out your reiatsu without your zanpakuto, think of reiatsu as a form energy. Not pressure, but a form of energy. Than gather it in the pit of your stomach and disperse it. Not only will it make you feel awake, you feel as if you can gather it into the tips of your fingers." Sode no Shirayuki gathered a small ball of reiatsu into her hands, and with a flick of her fingers, the reiatsu coiled into flexible ice twists, "Notice how you can change the properties of the ice. Never drain the reiatsu you summon in your body completely, it can damage you."

"Controlling your reiatsu will be challenging." She warned, her blue eyes darkening. "You must create a balance within yourself." She smiled, "But I think it would be that difficult for you. Controlling your reiatsu is a lot like using kido. When your reiatsu and reiryoku are balanced—it will come naturally. And stronger."

Rukia was summing up the lecture quite rapidly.

"Like kido, you have to have a balance of reiatsu and reiryoku. The stronger your reiryoku, the stronger your reiatsu—summoning your reiatsu without the sword is like summoning energy in the form of a sphere, dispersing the energy rapidly and evenly into your body. You can't drain your reiatsu completely or the body will be damaged." Rukia stated, her eyes shining with excitement.

Sode no Shirayuki blinked at how fast she comprehended the new amount of information, she nodded and smiled. "Yes. The techniques I can show you are limited; you will have to be creative and expand on them."

"Alright!"

When Rukia opened her eyes it was dusk. The sun was setting and she knew dinner would be a couple hours. She had enough time to train.

"Okay." She murmured. She cupped her chin, focusing on her reiatsu she felt silk in her throat and she blew quickly, but soft. Wind, silver as the ice she wielded, covered the training area in ice, the force of the wind crashing into trees, icing parts of the compound and—

"Oops." She prayed that Nii-sama wouldn't scold her.

"Maybe I put too much force?" Rukia frowned; she was gentle when she blew, "Perhaps the speed?"

She cupped her chin again, and blew this time slower and softer. The whisper of silver covered a flower, she controlled the wind with the speed and force of her exhales. "Okay, I need to control my breathing."

"Let's see," Her left hand swiped up, then swiped sideways and then she twitched her fingers—the humidity in the air froze into thin ice needles, "Slowly, slowly." She aimed at the frozen tree and flicked her hands back; the needles snapped forward and didn't even reach halfway from the distance between her and the tree.

"What?" She fumbled with words, she used enough force and she aimed correctly—so why wasn't it working?

Rukia inhaled, finding the water in the air, locking it with her fingers, the tips glowed a lavender color and she swiped up and then sideways—needles formed and snapping her wrist back—the same thing happened—it fell to the ground a few seconds later.

"Damn it!" She growled, her hands snapping back to her side—her anger caused the ice on the ground to shoot up like spikes.

"Kuchiki, I assume you like your home?" A voice that would sound cold, even icy to most people sounded like a crackling fire in hers. She cooled her anger and turned around to see Captain Hitsugaya standing casually on her roof.

"Captain Hitsugaya, is there a reason you're standing on my roof?" Rukia inquired noting with some irony that this sounded something similar to a conversation she had earlier with him.

He used Flash Steps and in a second he was standing a foot away from her. She had to force herself not to blink. "The very same reason I was in your room earlier."

She bit the inside of her cheek, "Lieutenant Matsumoto isn't here."

He smirked, "I noticed."

"So then why are you here?" Rukia's tone bordered on the verge of insulting and insulting a Captain isn't her in her best interest.

He didn't answer and she didn't expect him to.

She tried again, "Does Nii-sama know you're here?"

It was a pointless question; her brother would have noticed the minute his reiatsu came into contact with the manor.

"You already know the answer to that," Hitsugaya scowled, "And I don't really care."

Rukia was finished with asking questions; he didn't answer them and she couldn't guess. He was a prodigy and because he is a prodigy—he was very experienced in mind games. She couldn't come up with a reason why he was here—she had no relationship with him, in the future—

She needed to stop thinking, right now.

"Captain Ukitake asked me train with you." Hitsugaya finally answered his arms crossed over his chest.

She could help but blurt out dryly, "Not train me?"

"No." He raised a snowy eyebrow, "You don't need to be trained. Being trained and training with are two completely different things. First, being trained means you are learning to fight a certain way, training with means practicing your skills and working on expanding and strengthening them."

"And you just agreed to do this," Rukia asked reproachfully, before adding quickly, "Do Captains not have important work and duties to carry out? Should you really inconvenience yourself with something as petty as this?"

"Are you questioning me, Kuchiki?" His tone hinted at something she couldn't place.

"No sir," She swallowed, "I'm saying that something as small as this, you should not trouble yourself with."

If Hitsugaya was surprised he didn't show it. He didn't understand why she was so against him training with her, many shinigami would have jumped at the opportunity, it was as almost as if she were avoiding his presence. Ever since the Captain's meeting today, she looked shaken up—pale and there was blood dripping off her arms and ribs. She didn't look at anyone except Head-Captain Yamamoto and Captain Ukitake. She didn't even look at her brother. She wanted to get away from that meeting as soon as possible.

He confirmed it again when he went to grab his lieutenant from the Kuchiki household, she held his gaze. But she seemed quite hostile, her reiatsu was agitated, he assumed it was from Abarai and Matsumoto—but her reiatsu is acting the same way, as it was earlier, now.

"You skills are hardly insignificant, Kuchiki. Do not sell yourself short." Hitsugaya snorted and Rukia's eyes widened at the backhanded compliment. "I'm a Captain and we also have to train. So don't think of it as a favor."

"I won't."

He continued as if he hadn't heard her, "And I am absolutely certain that you do not want to train with Head-Captain Yamamoto."

She visibly blanched.

Hitsugaya smirked, "That's right. Tomorrow at Squad Ten's Barracks at noon. Do not be late."

I'm doing something kind of different. Instead of regular break lines, I'll use lyrics. Song: Aquarius by Tinashe.

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