Jushiro Ukitake, had an above average stature, but a thin and frail form. His hair was a silver waterfall that ended just above his spine. His emerald eyes shined like gems in a pale ocean.
"Do you really still have to do this?" A child- like voice complained from behind him, the man smiled.
"Yes, my little clown fish. Boring as it may be, filing and reviewing subordinates' reports is as vital to the Gotei's operations as fighting. My only complaint about this whole ordeal would be the afternoon sun." The captain whipped away a bead of sweat that formed on his forehead.
In his office the sun's rays beamed through the large windows. The office had several posters dedicated to koi fish, two cabinets stood opposed to each other on opposite sides of the room.
"That doesn't make this any less boring. Come on let's go do- huh? Rukia!" A second voice resounded this time from a red patterned koi fish. The other voice's owner was a yellow pattern voice fish, the duo swam through the air towards the captain's sliding door.
The door opened, and in stepped Rukia Kuchiki.
She changed.
She still wore her standard shihakusho, the difference was the new white gold lined short cloak that adorned her shoulders.
Her dark hair was done into a pony tail that hung from the right side of her hair. She seemed more ethereal thanks to the way she walked.
The captain's eyes met her purple ones, their meeting was cut off thanks to her bowing before him.
"I apologize for disturbing you, Captain. But I have a request." Her request seemed less like a request and more like a plea. Before her silver haired superior could even speak, his two koi fish agreed.
"Of course!"
"Whatever you need!"
The girl straightened her posture, she shot the two fish a quick smile, which resulted in the duo swimming in a circle above them.
"Uh, it seems like my ability to deny you has already been taken, so tell me Rukia. What do you need?" The petite young woman looked away, clenched her fist and bit her lower lip.
"Teach me. Please captain teach me Bankai so I can destroy the person who killed my brother!" Veins appeared on her forehead and neck. Ukitake could tell she was not handling the death of her brother well, his face was calm on the exterior.
Internally it was a whole different story his mind split into two. One half observed his subordinate while the other entered a world of fog and endless still water.
This world bathed in eternal twilight, the only noteworthy thing of notice was Ukitake.
"I need your guidance, Mimihagi." The silver haired man closed his eyes as if he was praying.
The emaciated man felt it before he ever saw anything, the once still water splashed at his feet and legs. Beneath the water shadows came to life, they twisted throughout the world, from perhaps from an endless distance away.
They soon all came together rising above the water.
What stood before the soul reaper was the reversed side of a clenched hand, the appendage was different from a standard one thanks to the eye at its center. The soul reaper's posture relaxed as he looked at his other half.
"That name...it is yours as it is mine. Isn't that right Mimihagi." The shadowy hand spoke, its voice was distorted like a hollows but lacked the malice they all carried.
Jushiro looked down, seeing that his body had changed into a reversed flesh version of the shadow hand. The change did not frighten him, what he stared at was a mirror, and there was no reason for a person to fear their reflection.
"Yes, I know. So I am asking myself. What do you think is the correct course of action with the Kuchiki princess?" Ukitaka said.
The shadow hand paused then spoke, "She is on the path of an avenger, there is nothing we or anyone can do to push her off of it. All we can do is ensure that at the end of her path she will still be with us."
The squad thirteen captain shook his palm like he would his head, "Thank you, Mimihagi." Ukitaka began to return to his original body. Before leaving completely he heard the other hand shout.
"Is it not vain to thank yourself!?"
Back in the real world Rukia and the koi fish awaited the response, she knew it was outlandish, crazy even! Her heart beat picked up pace as she thought about the corpse of her brother, soul reaper law stated any deceased captains were to be sent to Hell. The reason being that they were simply too strong for their spiritual energy to break down and enter the cycle of reincarnation.
That was the price for power, a price she would pay over a thousand times over.
"Fine, I will help to teach you bankai Rukia."
Her purple eyes expanded, as a large smile ran from ear to ear on her face.
"Thank you, captain! Thank you!" Joining the young shinigami in her joy were the two koi fish who both chanted.
"Rukia's going to get a bankai! Rukia's going to get a bankai!"
"Ugh, yes, but I warn if you want the power to face down a soldier of Aizen's the training will be intense." This time, the captain received a determined shake of the head as his answer, a relaxed smile crossed his face.
"Pack what you need, we'll be going off to the Frozen Frontier for your training."
"T-the Frontier as in the barely explored ice waste land?!" Rukia's face went pale as she heard that the frontier was a place where only the strongest creatures could survive, each was on the level of a Adjuchas.
"Yes. Even for seated officers this place is seen as the most dangerous in the Soul Society. If you want to stay back now because of the danger, I will not hold it against y-"
"I will not back down!" The young girl screamed, which forced the koi fish to fly up higher out of fear.
"A-alright then, you know what to do. I will be waiting for here, we leave immediately as soon as the s-augh!"
"Captain!" Ukitaka began coughing up a concerning amount of blood, he held up a hand and stopped the younger soul reaper from helping him up.
"Really why now?!"
"Oh, come on ya slug you were so cool for a second, you seemed like a real ancient master!" The two koi fish complained, which caused their master's jaw to drop.
"I'm not ancient!"
The captain and his twin zanpakuto spirits argued, which made Rukia giggle as she quietly left the office. She had work to do, she would be leaving as soon as the sun set.
...
"You're leaving?!" Renji and Rukia stood in her room inside of the Kuchiki family estate.
"Yes, and please don't follow me." She had her back to him, her eyes caught glimpse of the setting sun that created an orange painting over the horizon.
"Like hell I would, you talking as if this is some short vacation! You're going to a death zone, Rukia!"
"What would you have me do then, huh?! You already have a bankai I don't, if I wanted to try and avenge him I wouldn't even last five seconds against any of them! I need to do this..."
The young woman pushed back her tears, she refused to look at him, she simply fiddled with the straps of her luggage. She expected him to return her outburst with even more rage, her throat was already sick of the constant shouting. The desire to leave and say goodbye filled every part of her being.
Instead of shouting, Renji hugged Rukia from behind resting his head on her shoulder.
"Sorry, that wasn't exactly the nicest thing I could say. Ha. Alright, I understand go on ahead, master bankai and come back in one piece alright. I'll be waiting here for you like always." The tears refused to trickle down her face, but the red haired man could hear the large gulps of air she took to stop herself from weeping.
He cursed himself internally, if he had been stronger then maybe things could have changed for the better. Rejecting those thoughts, the man focused on how warm the woman in his arms felt, she did the same instead of focusing on the heat of his body she focused on the firmness of his muscles.
Both had genuine smiles on their faces as they held each other.
...
A few moments later the sky began losing its orange hue signaling the approach of the night. Ukitake stood by an archway that seemed to have been constructed using paper, with a fairly sized bag on his back.
"Perhaps she changed her mind?" He muttered. His ear twitched as he looked above and saw a small dot become increasingly bigger until it crashed before him.
"Ouch, forgive me for my tardiness, captain!" Rukia climbed out from a crater made by her own crash, she looked normal except for the large bag bigger than her own body on her back.
Going wide eyed the captain stared at his subordinate and would be partner for their journey.
"Um...Rukia is that not a tad bit...excessive?" The dark haired woman shook her head.
"Of course not captain! Everything here is vital for the journey." She patted the side of the bag which resulted in a peach colored bunny plush falling out. The two stared at the plush then each other, the younger soul reaper quickly retrieved her plushy and stored it away.
She spoke with red cheeks, "U-um. Yes! Like I said, everything in here is vital. Let's move on shall we? Why did you decide to use a Senkaimon captain? Is the frontier really that far?"
The older man nodded, "Yes, it is normally we'd sail there, but time is of the essence. That is why I am taking you there, to help you develop your sword skills alongside your bankai training. I even got Lady Yoruichi to lend me a device she used to help young Kurasaki in his bankai training."
The silver haired man patted his bag, before them the space inside the arch twisted and reconverged, connecting their location to the arch at the frontier.
"Ready?"
Rukia looked back behind her for a moment, shook her head and walked forward into the arch. With a proud smile on his face her superior followed suit, the both of them leaving the home of the shinigami.
...
Night time had finally overtaken the Soul Society, fireflies flew through the soul reapers home. They were like miniature stars that descended to greet and visit the guardian souls, the beauty of the night was lost to one man however.
Renji entered the captain's office, one of his eyes shot open, the lights were on, however there was no sign of his captain.
"Captain! Where are you?!" The red haired man paused when he heard groaning come from the ceiling, a grey clump contrasted against the yellow wood that the office was constructed from. The moaning continued as the clump began to move, disappearing then falling down before him. Landing with the style of pancake butter on a pan, the lump then narrowed out and began to hover.
What stared back at the lieutenant was a single green eye.
"Captain?" Renji decided to assume whatever odd creature he found around the barracks was most likely his new captain. His guess was proven correct not by an audible response but instead, the appearance of the ever familiar hour glass.
"Hm, name?"
"Ghostfreak, I like to take my naps as him, because I don't have to worry about the pesky need to know how to distribute my weight." The alien spoke to the soul reaper, but the ghost saw his lieutenant not paying attention. A quick flick to his forehead allowed him to regain his subordinates attention.
"Ouch, captain, why?!"
"Because the coolest person on the planet is right in front of you and you're ignoring him, duh, also don't be so butt hurt about your lady friend. If you want to make sure she lives after everything just get stronger, that's one of the main reasons I'm here after all." The ghost alien crossed his arms, as the lieutenant's eyes seemed to sparkle.
"You can do tha- wait, how do you know all of that?!"
"That's what you notice?" The ghost spoke in its ethereal voice.