#Sojun Kuchiki

[muses-with-afp]

In terms of weird-o Bleachy thoughts that rampage through my mind at various times, there is always this page from the TBTP arc:

And while this is a banger of a page in an arc full of them, my goober mind mostly telescopes in on this one panel:

Am I not supposed to wonder at this panel? Because here I am on a Friday wondering. More specifically, I am wondering: What am I supposed to take away here? And, what is it that I do actually take away here (today at least)?

As usual, I'll start by describing it because you have to start somewhere, I guess. This scene is a mostly pointless aside to the story, since I don't think we learn anything super substantive, plot-wise. What we do learn is that Byakuya is what passes for a "teenager" during this period, takes his training and role super seriously, and Yoruichi tortures plays with him on occasion.

The panel that draws my eye, however, seems to be communicating a few things at once: One, Byakuya realizes he has a guest. Two, that guest is Yoruichi. And three, Yoruichi greets young Byakuya tits out, which provides some color as to the nature of their relationship. I don't think either points two or three are revelations to the audience. Is anyone shocked the guest is Yoruichi? No, we've already spent some time with her in this arc and know she's definitely around. Also, is anyone really shocked that she and Byakuya have a teasing quasi-sibling relationship? Again, no, we've probably gathered as much since at least the SS arc.

For me, then, it's point one that scratches at the ole brain pan. What I am to make of Byakuya realizing he has a guest? Does he often receive guests at House Kuchiki? My guess is no. He looks sort of curious. The art isn't giving, say, razzle-dazzle anticipation, either (i.e., in that he is really keen on the guest being someone specific). I suppose you could squint really hard and say he might be hopeful as to who could be calling on him, but more in a diffuse "someone took time out of their day to see me" sort of way and less of a heart-skipping prayer that the guest is XYZ, who he's been dying to see again for ages.

I think this latter interpretation might be closer to the truth once the scene continues, and Byakuya goes from, "A guest for little ole me?" to this:

Which is just the zany shit I love to see from my Bleach characters. To be perfectly honest, I think Kubo does a pretty good job at nailing teenagers in all their ridiculous reaction formations and exaggerated responses to things (I say lovingly). However, I think that his relative curiosity ("A guest?") turned immediately to, "GO AWAY, YOU," could be read as he may have been excited or hopeful to receive a guest, one who is not Yoruichi. And, his overblown reaction to Yoruichi likely betrays the fact that even though she's a pain in his ass, he's pretty happy to see her.

So, what to make of all that. Well... perhaps we're supposed to take home the idea that perhaps Byakuya is isolated, even now. We get a hint of that at the very beginning of the scene:

Here, Ginrei (Byakuya's grandfather) notes that he is staying at the manor rather than the barracks, which implies that at least one close family member doesn't always come home. Given that Byakuya's father is the Vice Captain of Squad Six, it's likely his father has a similar schedule (i.e., periods of absence from the home where Byakuya lives). Combined with Byakuya's curiosity at receiving a guest and subsequent deflation at who that guest winds up being, perhaps we are supposed to understand that he's pretty lonely.

Now, before someone accuses me of going easy on Byakuya, I definitely think some of that loneliness is of his own making, given what a cocky brat he is to Yoruichi in these panels, a perspective that gets echoed by Kaien shortly afterward:

But, being a cocky brat is sort of a thing teens do on occasion. And, not having a lot of people to socialize with probably doesn't help with beating that quality out of someone learning how to behave appropriately.

Given how this arc shakes out in the end--with Yoruichi going into hiding to help a friend--the potential people left to call upon Byakuya dwindles further. Then, after his dad dies an unspecified amount of time later, it dwindles further still.

And so, on that thought, I end this post. Because what's Bleach without a little tragedy coupled with humor? (My personal favorite variety of Bleach.)

[jessfandrawer]

The Bleach Wiki's profile for Byakuya's father says he was kind, did not have a fighter's spirit, died in action, and was buried next to his wife. I can't stop thinking about it.

[timetravelbleach]

Bleach Returns 2024 Day 3: Shikai/Fav Friendship/Black Hole Disco

In the time travel story, Toshiro is good friends with Yoruichi's and Byakuya's fathers. He went to the academy with them and was a part of both of their divisions at one time: Toshiro being the former third seat of the sixth division under Ginrei Kuchiki, and Toshiro being the former lieutenant of the second division under Yusuke Shihouin.

Sojun is a canonical character, only shown in a character database book many years ago.

Yusuke is my OC, one I made for my story. Yes he was inspired by Chika's design. Leave me alone, I like Chika's design.

[irlkisukeurahara]

❝The constant need to appear flawless, to uphold the image of the Kuchiki head, had cost him more than he would ever admit. Admitting weakness—any form of weakness—was a death sentence. It was why his father was dead.❞

[sashi-ya]

六 𝐊𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢 𝐒𝐨𝐣𝐮𝐧 cosplay 🌸 𝐅𝐚𝐭𝐡𝐞𝐫 𝐨𝐟 𝐊𝐮𝐜𝐡𝐢𝐤𝐢 𝐁𝐲𝐚𝐤𝐮𝐲𝐚

You might not know him, but he is Byakun's dad! I wish Kubo drew his mom too! I wanted to cosplay him for so long and here we are! Just a cute picture and a bonus track... Dear Sojun playing with Byakuya and his Wakame Taiishi 💖🌸 ~

Also, I know Byakuya has the sweetness of this man inside his heart, that's why I decided to name my OC and Byakuya's baby, Sojun 💖

[toshiro-taichou]

Hello 👋 how have you been doing? I just wanted to say I enjoyed the new chapters for Ice Changes The Story. Hyourinmaru, Sojun, Yusuke, and Zombie Toshiro love their personalities. Zombie Toshiro was good unexpected twist. Great art of him love the details. I was wondering are you going to add the zanpakuto rebellion arc to this story? And will Toshiro meet Karin?

Hello!! I have been quite fine. I am glad you are loving the new chapter of my story. I try to be as accurate as possible with Hyorinmaru. As there isn't much about Sojun and we know nothing about Yoruichi's father, their personalities are quite fun to write. A friendship between a Shihouin, Kuchiki and a prodigy is very interesting and something that came out of nowhere, plus I thought it would be interesting if TT (Time Travel) Toshiro had some connections to Yoruichi, Byakuya and Yushiro.

A few people love the whole unexpected twist of Zombie Toshiro. I felt like it wasn't explained quite a lot after the whole Mayuri changes Toshiro, Rangiku, Kensei and Rose back to normal, so I wanted to dwelve into my own thoughts and projection. Plus with the battle between Kenpachi, Byakuya and Toshiro vs Gerard, some of Toshiro's skin had turned black and it was never explain as in the next shot of Toshiro, it disappeared.

I am planning on adding all side arcs and some movies and non cannon stuff, I want to make the book as a complete rewrite story of Bleach while having fun. Change on Side, Change the story was a massive inspiration for me and it changed my whole life. Without that book, Ice Changes the Story would not exist.

And yes, Toshiro will meet Karin.

I still have a lot planned for Ice Changes the Story and it has only just started.

[fictional-birthdays]

Happy Birthday, Nianzol Weizol and Sojun Kuchiki! (Bleach)

[idontthinkimokaymentally]

Hello there Sojun Kuchiki fans.

[gallusrostromegalus]

ok I need elaboration on pretty much all of those bankais that you haven't already talked about but for now i'm probably most curious about ichigo and hanataro? please, a measly few crumbs of context

The short version of Ichigo's sword situation is that he is D'artanigan to Zangetsu's Three displaced-during-the-fuckery-surrounding-his-parent's-meet-cute-slash-manslaughter-thing Musketeers. We got his dad's half-starved family Zanpakuto, The Family Ghost from his Mom's side, and a guy made in an evil instapot that wandered in here on accident and precipitated the whole enfuckening. They are untied in their goal of "Keep Ichigo Alive" but unfortunately they also have a collective IQ of Negative Four.

Reader: Gee Ichigo, why does the author let you have THREE Zanpakuto spirits?

Ichigo: That's nothing! Orihime has SIX!

Ichigo and Orihime's nonsense is connected to how The Almighty operates:)

Meanwhile, short summaries of Unohana and Byakuya's Bankai under the cut:

Unohana:

Minazuki is a sword primarily about the manipulation of flesh- healing injury, making better fighters by pushing the flesh to it's limits- This is a spirit that is distinctly VISCERAL in nature. It has mass. It has a very distinct body.

So it follows that, in order to supply injured patients with blood and drugs and new flesh and everything else, Minazuki is giving up some of her Mass. Consequently, the Stingray form of Minazuki is the SECOND one- she cannot create her elixirs and make new flesh from nothing. First she must FEED.

Which is why Minazuki's liquid format is acidic blood that devours anything organic. It's why Kenpachi!Unohana's bloodthirst was so bloodthirsty: she was literally starving for biomass to complete her sword's two forms and finally put her Soul in Balance.

In the fic, Ukitake is one of a handful of people old enough to remember "Yachiru" Unohana, and until Zaraki's arrival, probably the closest to understanding her. That Unohana and Retsu both understand the horrors of the flesh he lives with every day more intimately than anyone else in his life, and it's the basis of an almost sacred friendship between them. He knows perfectly well where the emergency transfusions and drugs she creates come from, and they have a standing agreement that if he predeceases her, she is to feed his body to Minazuki so he can pay forward at least some of the debt given to him.

He will not be the first of Unohana's friends that have been willingly devoured by her sword.

Byakuya:

Senbonzakura has been with the Kuchiki family for generations, passed from one head of the clan to the next in a sacred ritual that allows the Zanpakuto to bond to its new weilders and grant them the power accumulated with generations.

But for course, everything has it's cost.

Byakuya was not the head of the Kuchiki clan when his father Sojun died prematurely and make Byakuya the orphan heir apparent as an adolescent. He was not the head when he met Hisana in a grove of cherry trees in the middle of harvest, and fell in love with her He was not the head when he had a terrible row with his grandfather Ginrei and the rest of the clan elders about his elopement. He was not the head five years later, when on a cold spring morning before the plum trees had blossomed, Hisana died of a miscarriage.

One week later, when the plum trees bloomed and the cherry trees had budded, Byakuya came to his grandfather, head bowed and heart broken, and agreed to take up the mantle of Clan Head. His soul had already been torn in half, what was another half?

Everything has it's cost, and the price of Senbonzakura's power is the sacrifice of the weilder's own original Zanpakuto spirit, and by transference, the imminent death of the previous head.

He had known this day was coming, ever since his own native Zanpakuto spirit failed to awaken at the academy. At the time, he'd thought it a mercy that the poor thing wouldn't awaken and be aware of being devoured. But now, as he held the tiny, warm body of the spirit out to Senbonzakura, he could only think of the child he never got to hold.

...with Senbonzakura, at least, she'd be at rest with something beautiful that loved her.

Because Senbonzakura loves it's family, and in particular it adores Byakuya. It has, ever since Byakuya fearlessly climbed it's branches as a small boy, since he partook of the sword's fruits as a young man, and now, when Byakuya offered the most precious parts of himself to the sword with a sense of peace and profound trust. And Senbonzakura repays that trust in kind.

The sword's shikai release is the same, or at least similar for all it's wielders, but long-term friends of the family note that that is a LOT MORE blades than the sword ever summoned for Ginrei or any other head.

The Bankai is different every time. Senbonzakura is ready to give Byakuya whatever Bankai he wants immediately, but it's not until after he adopts Rukia and sees her fooling around in the family orchards when she thinks he isn't watching that he realizes the shape it should be.

It's name is "Senbonzakura: Sakura no Kaju-en" and it is beautiful and terrible.

Sakura no Kaju-en requires only that Byakuya pierce the flesh of his enemy or the terrain around him with one or more of his petal-blades. Once in the ground or embedded in flesh, the blade is transformed into a seed and an entire magical cherry tree grows from it, converting the Reishi and spiritual energy around it into its own mass. Since Byakuya is effectively wielding somewhere around 10,000 petal blades in his shikai alone, he can summon up to 10,000 devouring cherry trees, which will radically alter the landscape of battle and blossom into millions and millions of new petal-blades.

That is, unless his foe is unfortunate enough to have the blades penetrate their flesh. Then the trees will devour them as they grow. Even a truly massive opponent like Yammy can be mulched in minutes.

The trees initially blossom almost white, but as his enemies are felled and Senbonzakura drinks, the blooms grow pinker and then redder until they transform into deep crimson fruits.

It's a brutal Bankai, but a beautiful one. When Byakuya looks out upon the blooming landscape and tastes the sweet fruits of his efforts, it brings him peace to know the small, sleeping spirit he had to sacrifice is playing somewhere within, they way he saw Rukia playing in the family orchards that day.

[astrered]

Bleach AU: Visored Role Swap

AU in which the people sent to investigate during the Turn Back The Pendulum Arc change.

Kensei and Mashiro still go, because it is the job of the 9th division to investigate, but when the situation becomes too dangerous, Yamamoto chooses different people to come assist them. Hiyori is still sent after them, because they need the expertise of the Twelfth Division, but it is during the following meeting that things change.

It is still Ushoda Hachigen who follows, his talents in Kidou far too valuable.

Instead of Hirako Shinji, the one sent is Sasakibe Chojiro – because Yamamoto’s lieutenant is as strong as the younger captains, so there is no reason for the old man to worry. Shinji stays behind, keeping a watchful eye on his lieutenant – or so he thinks, because he doesn’t know Aizen enough to notice that the man hidden by an illusion isn’t Aizen at all.

Instead of Aikawa Love, Ukitake Juushiro is sent – he is old and strong, trusted by Yamamoto, and he worries about the younger Shinigami.

Instead of Otoribashi Rose, Shihoin Yoruichi is sent – fast and ready to investigate the scene, confident in her experience and abilities as Captain of the Second Division.

Instead of Lisa, it is Kuchiki Sojun who comes along, because he may be sick but he is still a lieutenant and he has been feeling so much better lately, going as far as accompanying his father to the meeting, and so Kuchiki Ginrei isn’t worried – at least not more than usual – when Sojun volunteers to go.

And so they leave, never to come back.

They do not escape Aizen’s experiments, and the Hollowfication begins though its victims are slightly different.

Urahara and Tessai save them, as Urahara still came to save his lieutenant, and are framed for a crime they didn’t commit.

But it is not Yoruichi who saves them from Central 46. A disguised Soi Fon, young but oh so fast and furious, desperate to know what happened to her Captain because while she greatly dislikes Kisuke (but not hate, not when there is no betrayal and feeling of having been left behind for another) she wants answers and he has them. With her Captain’s life in danger, she doesn’t hesitate to follow Urahara.

And so they escape to the Living World.

Kaname Tousen still becomes the Captain of the Ninth Division, content to wait for Aizen’s instructions.

Shiba Kaien is promoted, becoming Captain of the Thirteenth Division but never quite managing to find a good lieutenant, at least not one who truly has the strength it takes. And when Kaien dies (or maybe disappears, who knows in this AU), it doesn’t take long for Aizen, always so diligent and hard working, to become the new Captain of the Thirteenth Division.

With Yoruichi and Soi Fon both gone, the Second Division is left greatly weakened. It is a division traditionally led by the Shihōin Family, but Shihōin Yūshirō is meant to be the Head of the Clan and too young anyway – and so the Second Division stumbles a little, temporarily held together by some members of the Ōmaeda Family until they can find a better candidate. And then comes along Ichimaru Gin, young but a prodigy like they’ve never seen before, with his ever present grin and creepy demeanour, never betraying his thoughts and feelings – yes, Captain of the Second Division is a title that fits him perfectly.

Yamamoto names his third seat, Okikiba Genshirō, as his new lieutenant – but it is a heavy title to bear, and the name Sasakibe Chojiro haunts the First Division.

Needless to say, a lot of things change – and the battle of Karakura is even more emotionally charged than it would have been otherwise.

I will try to expand on this AU later on, but I’m curious to hear if anyone has ideas!

[irlkisukeurahara]

🥺🫶🫶🫶🫶

OK everyone gimme your bleach ocs! I wanna draw and make new friends! If you have a bleach oc you'd like me to draw just throw them at me wherever:)) I also love hearing their lore, feel free to loredump me, I enjoy oc and bleach rambles

[kwnblack]

Kuchiki Sojun, son of Kuchiki Byakuya and Haruka Komori, a clean commission I did for @sashi-ya (and shamelessly forgot to upload in time, forgive me). I love, love, LOVE lineart commissions.

➡️Support me on RedBubble !

🌸Instagram | Twitter | Facebook | Artstation | Deviantart🌸 ☕️ Dm me for commissions!  ☕️

[irlkisukeurahara]

I think Byakuya would've had significantly less psychological issues if he had/grew up with biological siblings. The harshly negative spotlight of being the only son of a Kuchiki who's already been deemed a failure by his father for being sickly and not fit for battle has absolutely fucked him up.

[doomxdriven]

I've written about how when Bount devour the Souls of beings with supernatural properties (such as Shinigami, Quincy, etc), they can 'Vampirize' or take on aspects of the techniques/abilities that were tied to those Souls, but what does that translate out to for Jin? How, in Jin's canon for this blog, does this apply to him?

For Jin, there's three notable instances;

— During the later portions of Jin's main verse (we're talking Post CFYOW , like, No Breaths From Hell adjacent times), Jin kills and devours the Soul of Zennosuke Kurumadani, giving him access to some of their Zanpakuto Spirit's (Tsuchinamazu) abilities. Given the fact that Zennosuke was not... a very powerful Shinigami, the abilities Jin gained from their Zanpakuto Spirit are far weaker than anything he already possessed, but the utility of having even low-level earth-manipulating techniques is still useful to have alongside his uber crazy wind shenanigans.

— At some point in the past, long ago, Pre-TBTP, during the last 'Quincy Extermination' carried out by the Shinigami, Jin (who once again found himself allied with a group of Quincy) killed and devoured the Soul of a certain Kuchiki Clan member, and its eventually revealed in the present timeline that this Kuchiki was Sojun, Byakuya's father (this also leads to some juicy heightened stakes and tension between Byakuya and Jin.)

The exact nature of the abilities Jin gained from Sojun's associated Zanpakuto Spirit are vague, but they have something to do with 'blade-petals' similar to Byakuya's Senbonzakura, only far weaker and with a wind element thrown in. Serves as another useful utility and a little boost to Jin's inherent wind related techniques and abilities (could be the source for Jin's Black Winds technique).

— During the same incident that led to the death of Sojun Kuchiki long ago, Jin killed and devoured the Soul of Shinigami Seizen Suzunami, Shinji Hirako's predecessor in the Captaincy of the 5th Division (this also maybe sets a bit of history up between Jin, Shinji, and Aizen as well). The Zanpakuto Spirit that was linked to Seizen's Soul (Shiden) would end up giving Jin access to decently powerful lightning-based abilities and techniques that greatly augment and blend in with those his Doll was already capable of, especially since Seizen was a wielder of Bankai.

However, the main benefit Jin got from devouring Seizen's Soul was the ability to access some lighting-based techniques without having to go through the full summoning process of his Doll, (though the techniques he can utilize with a fully summoned Doll are of course more powerful).

Should be noted too that some of this does vaguely carry over into Jin's various AU's as well, but when all is said and done Jin still mainly relies on his innate abilities and the abilities of his Doll-- everything else are just feathers in his cap so to speak.

[thegreenfaery]

Ring Out, Wild Bells Preview

Byakuya meets Gary

Byakuya gingerly brought the cup to his lips. There was a small chip to the left of the handle, and he half expected it to snap off. The coffee smelled stale.

Abarai had made it.

Byakuya sorely wished he hadn’t.

Still, his father’s presence made him hold his tongue and play the gracious guest.  He was asking Abarai about the ranch. Byakuya wasn’t remotely interested, and let the murmur of conversation trickle over him as he looked about the cramped room, coffee untouched.

It was messy, untidy, but not unclean: the sort of jumbled chaos that happens when someone has far too much stuff in too small a space.

Along the walls, shelves housed a multitude of oddments and ornaments, trinkets and teapots. Occasionally, the antiques were separated by box room dioramas, all carefully crafted by a skilled hand in painstaking detail, and each labelled with a description, date of completion, and finished with the flourished initials H.S.

In the centre of the room, piles of books adorned an aged, mahogany coffee table, and many more were crammed into the case set back in the alcove. All were well-thumbed and dog-eared with cracked spines, their titles barely visible under the muted glow of the nearby floor lamp.

The lamp itself had also seen better days. The tall, wooden base was marred with deep scratches and what appeared to be teeth marks, and there were numerous gaps along the scalloped edge of the shade where tassels should be. The floral fabric was frayed and faded and so hideously outdated, Byakuya felt queasy just looking at it.

Next to it, stood a dusky pink velvet armchair. Even beneath the crocheted blanket draped across it, the cushion was clearly lumpy, and it was easy to work out which side its owner favoured when seated. Balanced across the top of the wing back sat more blankets, freshly laundered and folded; teetering and threatening to topple into the dog bed below.

The dog’s ears suddenly pricked up and he lumbered awkwardly to his three feet. Once upright, however, his missing front leg paid him no heed and he dashed through to the kitchen, tail wagging furiously.

His owner had returned.

“Buster, get down. There’s a good boy.”

She could barely see over the bags of groceries, and nearly knocked over his Dad’s drink as she plonked them down on the dining table. Abarai managed to move it out of the way just in time.

Rukia wasn’t faring much better, although Byakuya was fairly certain that she stood on his foot on purpose as he shuffled to make more space.

Her cheery apology only confirmed his suspicions.

Hisana sniffed and frowned before spotting the drink she’d nearly spilled. “Renji, what coffee beans did you use?”

He blinked at her. “Err… the ones in the tin?”

“Which tin?” she called back, as she started putting things away.

Byakuya wasn’t entirely sure how many people she was planning on feeding but, loathed as he was to admit it, it was quite impressive at just how much stuff she was fitting into the fridge.

Abarai manoeuvred awkwardly around Rukia who was stood on the threshold between the dining area and the kitchen.

If Byakuya didn’t know any better, he’d say she was deliberately getting in his way. Getting in his way and eyeing up his…

Byakuya stopped himself from finishing that thought. His therapist was back in New York City, and he didn’t think his Dad would appreciate him skipping out on family time for something quite so trivial.

“Oh for goodness sake, Renji! Those are for the plants!”

Byakuya did his best to stifle his amusement as he watched his Dad pause before surreptitiously spitting his drink back into the cup.

Rukia was less successful, although she didn’t let that bother her as her sister shooed Abarai out of the kitchen and back into her ogling orbit.

Once again, Byakuya allowed the lull of idle chatter wash over him, and his gaze wandered once more about the room.

It fell onto the large wicker laundry basket where a mountain of socks and woollen tights seemed to be… moving?

“What the hell is that?” Byakuya asked, not quite believing what he was seeing.

“Hmm? Oh, that’s the cat,” said Abarai.

Byakuya looked at him unconvinced. “No. No, I have seen cats and that is not a cat.”

“Garrrryyyy!” Hisana came running through, utterly gleeful as she scooped up what Byakuya could only describe as a cross between Gollum and the Thanksgiving turkey. “There you are! How’s my handsome man? I’ve been looking for you! Where’s your sweater?” She threw half of the blankets from the back of the chair onto the collapsed heap of socks, before finding a bright orange abomination and shoving it over the creature’s head.

It had the scrunched up face of an extremely shrivelled potato, and it meowed loudly as she began forcing its limbs through the leg holes, its light hazel green eyes darkened with betrayal.

“Oh, don’t look at me like that, you’ll get cold without it.”

It was extremely vocal in its disapproval.

“Ohh, shush. Yes, I’ve got your prawns. Let me just find your bowl.”

It leapt out of her arms, landing clumsily on the table.

Only then did it appear to notice the strangers in its home.

It stared at Byakuya.

He tried his best not to look at it, but as with so many grotesque things, he couldn’t quite draw his eyes away. He was pleased to note that both his Dad and Rukia were sporting similarly perplexed expressions.

It twisted its head so that it was almost upside down as it tried to work out who and what Byakuya was.

Byakuya would do the same in return, only he really wasn’t sure he wanted to know the answer.

All of a sudden, it launched itself onto the top of the door before overbalancing and falling off into Hisana’s outstretched arms.

It yowled pitifully as it flopped its head back so that it could make sure everyone was watching.

Hisana tutted quietly, “Oh, you’re such a drama queen.”

[gallusrostromegalus]

Hello again, apologies if this has already been answered, but which captains get along the best? Any unlikely friendships within the gotei 13?

I did a post on some of the friendships in AEIWAM but I'd like to elaborate on a few of them so:

Less than a year after the events of Turn Back The Pendulum, Widower Sojun Kuchiki died, and a teenage Byakuya was orphaned.

Now, Byakuya wasn't totally alone in the world- he still had his grandfather and the rest of the Kuchiki clan, but that sort of ended up being the problem. Ginrei was massively overworked as captain of the 6th, and had to ask Byakuya to step into some of his late father's roles early, like taking a diplomatic trip to some of the clan's land holdings up North. A largely boring and scripted event, but an important one and good practice for the future Clan Head.

-So of course, it immediately went catastrophically sideways when a rival clan attacked and attempted to kidnap the Kuchiki heir, shutting down the portal system to prevent support from the Seireitei arriving in a timely manner. Young Byakuya, already doing poorly from the grief of losing his father, suddenly found himself alone in unfamiliar territory, surrounded by enemies and hopelessly outnumbered.

Unfortunately for the rival clan, just because the portals were down didn't mean that other shinigami weren't in the area.

The memory is burned indelibly into Byakuya's mind.

It was a blazingly hot, almost painfully bright bright summer afternoon, the sun gleaming off the blades of his would-be assassins. They were good, and had separated Byakuya from his retinue, but at least he had managed to buy time for the village and the rest of the diplomatic party to escape. He stood, panting, holding the blank asauchi sword that had not yet been called to host a zanpaktou spirit, between himself and the leader of the strike team. All around him, spears and Kido Spells were trained on his person. No escape. Nowhere to strike that wouldn't immediately get him killed.

Despite there not being a breath of wind in the valley where he stood, something was causing the Alarm Bell at the top of the valley to ring, making Byakuya look up-

The sun was behind the leader as he was saying something about how their contract didn't actually specify that they had to keep him *alive* so how about he be a good boy and come quietly before they decided he was more manageable dead, but Byakuya wasn't actually paying attention.

Behind the leader, the sun seemed to be having some kind of spontaneous Eclipse. Or at least, there was a dark spot in the middle of it that seemed to be rapidly expanding and surely that can't be righ-

Sharp

It wasn't even a word, more an impression in his mind that something was hurtling in his general direction with the intent to disembowel, and not even centuries of Noble Breeding to be stoic in the face of peril could stop Byakuya's entirely correct prey animal instinct to duck and cover.

The blast from the impact would have been enough to pin Byakuya to the ground anyway, given how it scattered half the strike team and the dust blinded the rest. Byakuya felt the interloper's feet strike the ground on either side of where he was curled into a defensive ball, and the string of invective was too fast to parse but the way his rough voice echoed in Byakuya's chest left no doubt to his meaning.

A swing of the Odachi from his impressive wingspan cleft three of the assailants in twain and mortally wounded a fourth. The headless corpse of the leader thudded to the ground behind him, vaporized from the neck up by the flying kick he'd taken to the head. There was a strange jingling noise, the bells of a child's toy, and one of the remaining assassins recognized the chime and spiky silhouette-

"SHIT! IT'S THAT SWORD BASTARD! THE ONE FROM NORTH 80!!"

The remaining assassins started to back up, and Byakuya peered up from where he was hiding under the protective stance of recently-appointed 11th Division Captain Zaraki Kenpachi.

"THAT'S CAPTAIN SWORD BASTARD TO YOU!" He roared back, bristling magnificently and the remainder of the strike team scattered.

Once satisfied they were fleeing and not regrouping, Zaraki reached down with his free hand and grabbed Byakuya by the collar, pulling him to his feet.

"Zaraki-Taicho?" He asked, almost not believing his luck. "How did you get here so fast? The portals are down and even Captain Yoru- Captain Fon's shunpo would take days to reach me from seireitei!?"

Slowly, Zaraki turned his head and actually looked down at the boy, single functioning eye blinking in confusion.

"Byakuya?" he asked, cocking his head sideways. "-The fuck are you doin' out here?"

"BYAKUSHI??" Yachiru shrieked with excitement, popping up from behind her father's shoulder, and scrambling over to climb into Byakuya's bewildered arms instead.

"I- I'm on a diplomatic inspection of land holdings for the Kuchiki Clan. Sir." Byakuya babbled, unconsciously settling Yachiru on his hip, still waiting for his heart to resume a regular pulse and not whatever this live-hummingbird-in-his-ribcage nonsense was.

Zaraki squinted, displeased with that answer. "...Didn't your dad die just last week? The fuck are you doing out here? You should be home mourning or something."

Byakuya's gaze flicked away from the captain, face wan and jaw tense. "I have. Duties." he winced.

"Hf." Zaraki grunted, still displeased, and Yachiru pulled a spare hair tie out of her kimono. "Whatever. Relatedly, where the fuck is 'here', actually? Also- We have a Portal system??" he asked, changing the subject gracelessly but with deep mercy.

"We are in Inuzka, the town inside the Kuchiki Clan's ancestral land holdings in North 41." he answered- Zaraki could stand to be more polite, but Byakuya had to admit he wasn't precisely out of line- He wasn't Clan Head yet, and even if he was, as a Captain, Zaraki still would outrank him. "If you didn't come here by the portals, you must have already been in the area... Forgive my impudence into prying, but what are you doing here? Eleventh Division exercises?"

"I'm fuckin' lost." Zaraki shugged, unbothered by the question. "Tryin' to go see family while they're done here for the summer and I thought I could just follow the Red River up to the headwaters and then I'd be close enough but I must've picked the wrong tributary..." He muttered, folding his arms into his Kosode and reaching out through the neck hole to scratch under his chin, contemplative.

Byakuya blinked in surprise. "I didn't know you HAD a famil-" He started, then slapped his hand over his mouth, mortified.

"HAH!" Zaraki's laugh rang through the empty street and he affectionately slapped Byakuya's shoulder. "Did you think I just fell out of the sky one day? 'Salright, I look like something that got tossed out of Heaven's garbage tip." he grinned, and Yachiru giggled as she braided Byakuya's hair.

"My apologies, sir." He mumbled, face flushed. "-Well, the Gotei-13 *had* a portal system but this was a very coordinated attempt to kidnap me and there was an agent in the Seireitei that sabotaged the portal system, preventing both a retreat and form help arriving. I got the villagers and my retinue safely through before they went down, but I'm not sure how I'm getting back..." he puzzled.

Zaraki frowned into the distance, the hand on Byakuya's shoulder rubbing a slow circle as he considered something. "These duties- sort of a 'go practice yer meetin' people manners' trip?"

"It was supposed to be a routine diplomatic excursion, yes." Byakuya nodded, confused. "I've been here before with- with my father, and we had planned to go together again, so it's not like this was dropped on me suddenly." he muttered.

Zaraki nodded. " 'S summer break for school right now, yeah? Yachiru starts school in September, when do you go back?"

"Um. The first week of September as well?" Byakuya blinked confused.

Zaraki tilted his head to peer down at Byakuya, and gave him a strange grin. "-And you know how to read a map, right?"

"Yes?" Byakuya huffed, starting to get annoyed at this strange interrogation.

Zaraki suddenly dropped into a crouch, single eye level with Byakuya's own, and the boy startled to see that his iris was a pale yellow, like a hawk. The Captain threw his arm around his shoulders and pulled him in close.

"...How d'ya feel about goin' on a REAL Diplomatic Mission?" he asked with a decidedly conspiratorial drawl.

"YEAH! COME SEE BA-SAMA!" Yachiru bounced in his arms with excitement, waving a handful of clover flowers he suspected were being incorporated into the braid.

Byakuya tilted his head sideways, hoping they would make more sense at a forty-five-degree angle.

***

Minutes later, the recently-installed Spirit Phone on Kuchiki Clan Head and 6th Division Captain Ginrei Kuchiki's desk rang.

The elderly head of the Kuchiki clan looked to his even more elderly commander, and then to the piebald clown that was now running the 12th division. Mayuri pressed a button on the strange device he'd hooked up to the Spirit Phone which would allow them to record and track the call, which whirred and clicked, and he listened for a moment into the earphones before giving Ginrei a thumbs-up. Yamamoto nodded as well, and with grave seriousness befitting a likely hostage situation, Ginrei picked up the receiver.

"Captain Ginrei Kuchiki speaking." He spoke, trying to keep the icy growl out of his voice and failing.

"Hi Grandpa!" Byakuya called cheerfully on the other end of the line.

"BYAKUYA?!" Ginrei yelped. "Are you alright? You need to get out of Inuzuka now! The Ozaki clan have-!"

"Oh no, no- they already attacked! I'm fine!" Byakuya interrupted him. "Captain Zaraki saved me!"

There was a moment of very confused silence.

"...Zaraki?" Yamamoto asked, stepping in to speak into the receiver as well. "What's he doing there?"

"You gave me leave to go see my family and tell them where I live now, remember Boss?" Zaraki grunted.

"HI JI-SAN!" Yachiru called as well.

"...Well that worked out nicely. What a stroke of good planning on my part." Yamamoto nodded and Mayuri rolled his eyes.

"I- Thank you, Zaraki-taicho." Ginrei said, bewildered but genuine. "...Where are you now?"

"I'm calling from the spirit phone in the town council building in Inuzuka." Byakuya explained. "If I may grandfather, about me getting home-"

"It's going to take at least three months to get the portals up and running again." Mayuri grunted, disappointed that he was not getting to test out his new spirit phone tracking invention.

"...Three months?" Yamamoto glared.

"Don't glare at me like that!" Mayuri huffed. "-With anybody else in charge a blast like that would have taken the system out for good, but *I* build in redundancies! Which are. also damaged. but not obliterated! Urahara hadn't backed up SHIT, if this had happened last year-!"

"Yeah, yeah- Hop to." Yamamoto waved.

"Well, since the portals aren't going to be working any time soon and I'm already more than halfway from the city- I had a thought." Byakuya spoke up, voice gentle and sentences clearly enunciated, making sure Ginrei could follow his logic. "It's an awful shame that the Land Holdings Assessment Meeting won't be held this year, but Zaraki-taicho's family is significantly farther north than I thought, and the journey there would take me through several very underrepresented districts-"

"ABSOLUTELY NOT." Ginrei snarled. "I knew it was wrong to send you to the Holdings without an armed escort, I'm sending the Onmitsukido out to collect you this instant!"

"Now hold on a minute." Yamamoto cautioned him with a hand on his shoulder as there was a muffled noise on the other end of the line. "-I know you're worried but-"

"-He's a Kuchiki, ain't he?" Zaraki interrupted on the other end.

"Yes? Of course? What does that have to do with anything?" Ginrei demanded.

"-Future Head of The Clan and Captain, yeah?" Zaraki continued. "He's gonna have to deal with shit like this sooner rather than later. Already dealin' with it! Tryin' to hide him back in the compound won't teach the kid shit."

Ginrei sighed, pushing his glasses up to rub the bridge of his nose, perfectly aware of where this was going.

"He's not made of spun glass- hell, he'd forced the assassins into having to siege him to get to him when I showed up. Exactly the correct choice for the options and information he had- But I do think you're right that he still needs an armed escort while he's learnin'. I'm armed, and I'd be Escortin' him." Zaraki offered. "...Actually, he'd be escorting me, I'm lost as hell and Byakuya knows how to read a map. I get more time with my family, he gets- What'd ya call it?"

"It would be an Exceptionally Valuable Diplomatic Experience." Byakuya chimed in.

"Byakuya..." Ginrei groaned. They had coordinated and rehearsed this, Gods help him.

"While I appreciate your concern Grandfather, and no shame to the Onmitsukido, but recent events have shown that sufficiently motivated criminals will try their luck against them." The boy continued, undeterred. "...Wheras Captain Zaraki is well-known in these parts- to the point that the Ozaki Clan's would-be assassins scattered at his mere silhouette. I honestly think that 'Within Arm's Reach of The Current Kenpachi' is quite possibly the safest place I could be in all of Soul Society."

"Kid's got a point." Mayuri shrugged, prodding at his call-tracking device. "Even *I* had heard of him as a fighter when I was still on the outside, and I was operating clean on the other side of the Rukongai! The guards at The Maggot's Nest speculated that if he were ever to cross the law, he might not be arrested because they didn't think that hole could actually hold him. Rather natural that he ended up here- very literally nobody in the rukongai wants to cross blades with him anymore."

Ginrei fixed Mayuri with a horrified stare, gaze slowly shifting to Yamamoto.

"...You're both Captains and privy to classified information, but this does not leave this room." Yamamoto said, covering the receiver and glaring imperiously down at both men. "Zaraki's family, especially his Mother, is someone we very much need to stay on the good side of, and I am NOT going to interrupt communication between them, lest we suffer Her wrath."

"Captain Kurotsuchi was in prison?" Byakuya asked, voice muffled like he'd covered the receiver with his hand as well. "-Yeah, he heard 'a me and I heard 'a him, which is why I ask Akon and *Not Him* if I ever need anything out of the 12th." replied Zaraki.

"...Who is She?" Ginrei frowned. "-And if She is so dangerous, you think Byakuya is the person we want to send as a diplomat to Her?"

"What for?" Byakuya continued, curious. "-Operatin' without a license." Zaraki shrugged.

"How does your mouth feel after saying that, Captain Kuchiki?" Yamamoto asked, voice light and pleasantly curious in a way that belied extreme danger.

"It's f-" Ginrei started and stopped. There was an odd sensation in his mouth, a sting like he'd taken a sip of tea without letting it cool down. "...Why is my mouth burning?"

"You were present for the execution of traitor Soya Azashiro, yes?" Yamamoto smiled menacingly.

"Operating what?" Byakuya asked, puzzled. "-Or anesthetic." Zaraki elaborated. "...Ah." Byakuya winced.

"Yes, the sight and heat of the released form of the Sokyoku is not something I'll soon forget, but what does that have to do with..?" Ginrei stopped as a horrible, terrifying thought occurred to him.

"I still do not entirely understand how-" Yamamoto admitted, patting Ginrei on the shoulder. "But Kiko'o is both Captain Zaraki's Uncle, and quite submissive to his Big Sister."

Ginrei paled.

Mayuri frowned in confusion, trying to work out how that happened, biologically speaking. "-Did Zaraki fucking hatch out of an Egg?"

"You can ask him when he returns with young master Kuchiki!" Yamamoto grinned. "-But that said, you see why I will not do anything that would turn her attention to Seireitei."

"...I understand." Ginrei gulped. "-but he's just a boy!"

"Take heart- You've seen how fond and protective of children Zaraki is? By all accounts, it's something he picked up from Her. Byakuya's youth will serve us all well." Yamamoto explained, uncovering the recciver. "Let him go."

Ginrei grimaced, but nodded and lifted both pieces of the Spirit Phone to his face again.

"-was in prison too, but that's just because his family sucked ass and didn't realize talent when they saw it-" Zaraki was explaining on the other end.

"Byakuya?" Ginrei asked.

"Yes, grandfather?" Byakuya asked, Zaraki's voice stopping like he'd been physically shoved aside.

"This journey will take some time, and I am concerned about your schooling." Ginrei said, never one to give up ground.

"Winter comes early up there, we'll be home well before term starts!" Byakuya assured him. "Captain Zaraki suggested I write to you for your sanity while I was away, but I feel like it would be a legitimate academic exercise to write reports on the lesser-known districts for as well." he offered.

"That is very generous of you to offer, young Kuchiki. I would appreciate Zaraki-taicho's local knowledge of the area in those as well." Yamamoto added, grinning at Zaraki's audible groan on the other end.

Ginrei winced. "Promise to return home by the last week of august, and sooner should any disaster befall you."

"Oh yeah, anyone loses a limb or major internal organ we'll hoof it right back!" Zaraki said, managing to evoke the exact opposite of reassurance, and Ginrei hid his face in his hand.

"I promise." Byakuya said, voice soft and sincere. "I'll write often, and call when possible."

"...Please, take care, Hokushin." Ginrei begged, using the boy's nickname. Public displays of sentimentality were unacceptable, but... this was his only grandson, about to venture deep into the wilds with some maniac!

"I will, Ji-san. I'll be fine, I promise." Byakuya replied, returning the intimate nickname.

"Alright punk, we need to get moving before it gets dark." Zaraki interjected, ending the call with an unexpected social grace. "See you in August Old man!"

"Bye Kuchiki-ji! Bye Jii-san!" Yachiru called.

"Go in good health, and I look forward to both your reports!" Yamamoto dismissed them.

"Didn't catch that Boss, bad line-" Zaraki said, then abruptly hung up, negating any vague hopes Ginrei had about his diplomatic prowess.

"Oh gods- What have I done?" Ginrei cried, hanging up the phone and hiding his hands in his face.

"Well, you've agreed to let your only heir and grandson walk into the most violently uncivilized parts of the rukongai under the supervision of a violent maniac that was raised by birds, and a toddler!" Mayuri explained, unhelpfully.

"Don't you have a portal system you need to be repairing?" Yamamoto glared.

"I'm multi-tasking." the freak of unnatural sciences waved, fiddling with his newfangled 'textual communicator' device. "My point is, loathe as I am to agree with someone like Zaraki, he's got a point. If your little star is going to be captain someday he needs to learn to handle worse than this. He'll be fine, or he wasn't qualified in the first place."

"Keep that name out of your mouth, clown." Ginrei snarled.

"That's the spirit!" Mayuri cheered, pumping a not-totally-ironic fist. "Mind copying me on those reports? That shit's gonna be HILARIOUS."

"KUROTSUCHI! PORTALS!" Yamamoto barked and the captain of the 12th abruptly made himself scarce. The captain-general gently laid a hand on Ginrei's shoulder, and Ginrei placed his own atop it.

"I never had children of my own, so I cannot imagine the depth of your fear, but I can imagine it pains you." Yamamoto sighed. "But that was the right thing to do. He will be fine."

"He will. He has to be." Ginrei sighed, sitting back in his chair. "...though I fear that Zaraki's presence may presence may prove more educational to the boy than any of us intended."

***

"Just a tip for the future-" Zaraki sighed, turning to Byakuya after hanging up. "-once someone agrees to your demands, you don't offer additional incentives. That just makes it a worse deal for you."

"I know that!" Byakuya protested. "-the second he brought up my schooling I knew Grandfather agreed to the trip, but that was also him retreating to the tactical ground of controlling my schooling. The offer of reports was the Opening Salvo of the next battle."

"...Fought the old man a lot eh?" Zaraki cocked a heavy, bald brow at him.

"There are limited opponents for me to practice diplomatic sparring on." Byakuya shrugged. "...but yes, he is a prickly old sod."

Zaraki barked a laugh and shook Byakuya's shoulder affectionately. "Alright, where the fuck are we, actually?"

"We're... Here, in Inuzuka Village." Byakuya pointed to their location on the large map on the wall of the village hall. "I'm not sure where in North 80 your family is-"

"Way up here, on the coast." Zaraki pointed out. "So... Oh, we did pick the right tributary!"

"I told you so!" Yachiru rolled her eyes, adding more clovers to Byakuya's braid.

"Lessee- We should raid this place for anything useful first, but we need to get moving soon so we're somewhere high before it gets dark, but... Oh hey, is this Saikoro the place with the big gambling house?" Zaraki asked, tapping a point on the map just upriver.

"I believe so?" Byakuya nodded.

"...Ya wanna learn how to shark at pool?" Zaraki grinned the same conspiratorial grin.

This time, Byakuya nodded enthusiastically.