#for some kuchiki bullshit

[shiinavanhellsing]

I just know this was Byakuya seeing that he had to waste his time dealing with these niggas and having to deal with Shuhei getting possessed.

Byakuya looked so mad at Hisagi in that scene omg look at him 😭

HIS TINY MAD FACE🤏😠

[gallusrostromegalus]

Re: zanpakuto

what about the zanpakuto that have more than one wielder at one (Toshiro)(diamond dust rebellion) also can zanpakuto die? are they forged from a dead, once-powerfull, hollow?

(for An Elephant Is Warm And Mushy)

... imagine zanpaktou as... Optional gut flora.

A human is it's own organism, and bacteria are their own organisms but both work a lot better together. All "souls" are composite organisms, really - you are not just yourself you are also made up of the influences of friends, teachers, books you've read, weird cultural phenomena etc.

The process of hollowfication is therefore a bit like suffering a major gastric disorder and losing a huge portion of your gut flora. Sure, you *can* live like that, but wow, it sucks. But nature abhors a vacuum, and a hollow hole is effectively waiting to be filled, and not just in the way most commonly found in Ao3 's explicit works section - hollows very literally accumulate smaller soul organisms and living fragments of other souls like walking spiritual magnets, which is kind of FUCKING ESSENTIAL to keeping the balance of souls between the planes :)

An asauchi (remember the pre-zanpaktou spirits?) is, essentially, a type of smaller soul or living fragment, but one that specializes in living in hosts that are relatively intact. If they attach to a living soul and/or a tool, it will manifest as a zanpaktou when that soul dies and moves on. If the soul is having a rough go of it, the asauchi starts getting desperate to keep its host alive, and can turn into an inner hollow. An inner hollow is not a bad thing, per se- it's VERY eager to keep you alive, after all. It's just willing to keep you alive at the expense of others, if necessary. So whether that inner hollow takes over or otherwise misbehaves is a matter of the host's self-control. The more desperate your situation, the harder it is to maintain that control.

Meanwhile, if things improve internally or externally, an inner hollow can transform into a regular asauchi or a zanpaktou if the host has a weapon, amd vice versa- a desperate enough zanpaktou can hollowfy.

You can also have more than one of these guys hanging out in your soul at once, like a pack of hopefully friendly remoras on a shark. The VISOREDS all have at least two- the zanpaktou they started with, and a fun new hollow that moved in when they nearly died during TBTP. Ichigo inherited a zanpaktou, a hollow AND a gob of divine cancerous tumor! Kyoraku Shunsui is hosting two zanpaktou- his own, and the Ise Clan treasure. Some zanpaktou are two souls acting as one, like Ukitake's (Ukitake is ALSO hosting more than one symbiotic soul- Mimihagi is more or less living in the same space as the twins or where Ukitake's theoretical inner hollow might live. Perhaps that's why Ukitake has been able to avoid hollowfication despite the extreme bullshit he endures...)

As for the lifespans of asauchi... It varies wildly. Some live long enough to be transferred from history to host, like the kuchiki clan's Senbonsakura. Others bond so closely to their wielder they die with them. Some follow the same cycle of reincarnation most souls do, others die and mange to become large enough to host others.

As for where they come from, the zanpaktou that most shinigami wield pass through the Royal Forge. The Royal Forge is what happened to the Soul King's stomach and part of his torso after he got dismembered- his stomach became an enormous hot and acidic chamber, and his chest... Well. Getting dismembered was not a great time for him, psychologically speaking, and now the Divine Hollow Hole draws asauchi spirits from all over- soul fragments, small spirits, ghosts that got a bit lost during reincarnation - and they stay in the pit, healing, growing, playing and sparring until they are ready to leave and be bonded to a weapon.

Not even Oetsu, the forge master knows all the details of this process. The spirits just seem to know when it's their time and what kind of weapon they will become. Sometimes it's a collaborative process between Oetsu and the asauchi, other times they kick in his door at 1am and go "HOW'S IT HANGING MOTHER FUCKER? JUST KIDDING, I DON'T GIVE A SHIT, I'M A SWORD MADE OF ACIDIC BLOOD."

"how does that even work?" Says Oetsu, pulling his shorts on.

"THE FUCK IF I KNOW, YOU'RE THE FORGE MASTER. CHOP CHOP BITCH."

Most of the resulting zanpaktou (an asauchi bonded to a weapon or tool) are carefully put aside and delivered to the shinigami academy where they will meet their wielders as students. Other, (more annoying) swords are tossed out the window to land where they will in the planes and meet whatever equally profoundly irritating bastard who can wield them.

...this may make more sense with pictures.

[loversequinox]

Byakuya Kuchiki drabble <3

Warnings/notes: Some foul language, descriptions of blood and injuries, mental exhaustion, written with a platonic relationship in mind.

Byakuya Kuchiki, 28th Head of the Kuchiki Clan, Captain of the 6th Division of the South Society, wielder of the zanpokuto Senbonzakura. A very highly respected man, by you and most people in the seireitei. He was your captain and as a member of the 6th division it was your duty to listen to his every command and use your own skills to take on the mission he assigns to you, even if you believe they are above your skill level.

Here you stand, in the middle of a group of dead hollows, panting, bloodied, and injured. "Fuck!" You choke out, swiftly sheathing your zanpokuto. Your head was swimming from exhaustion, having defeated hollow after hollow. The pain caused by the gashes on your left arm and side are making it even harder for you to focus.

Then you hear the roar of a hallow, a telltale sign that your fight wasn't over. You spit the blood out of your mouth, "This is bullshit. Where are the others??!" The other Soul Reapers assigned to this mission with you had practically left you on your own and you really didn't think you could take on any more hollows by yourself.

You hear footsteps coming from behind you, swiftly you turn and grip the hilt of your sword, ready to draw it at any sign of danger. "Drawing your sword is unnecessary, I am here to aid you," Byakuya says coolly.

"Oh. Captain, I didn't know you were coming." You say, the grip on your zanpokuto loosening. "My arrival was not communicated, I came as soon as I could." He sweeps his eyes over your bloody figure, "You are the only shinigami assigned to this mission that did not sustain fatal injuries. You should be proud of your abilities."

You bow your head, "Thank you, Captain Kuchiki. Will the others survive at least?" You ask, sweeping your gaze around your surroundings, looking for the hollow you heard earlier. "That is yet to be determined. Members of Squad 4 should be arriving shortly." Byakuya states as he draws his sword.

The hollow appears, howling at the sight of two potentially tasty meals. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."

edit: forgot to put the divider cred in tags + accidentally tagged Byakuya Togami and not Byakuya Kuchiki :')

[recurring-polynya]

My Top 5 Bleach Filler Characters, Appropos of Nothing

5. Inaba Kagerouza, Reigai Arc

Inaba is, simply put, the pinnacle of Soul Society worldbuilding. He's got this long dramatic backstory and a bunch of rage bottled up in his chest, but also a guy needs a paycheck, so he's just been doing the R&D grind for a hundred years. He knows a shit-ton about the Dangai, which is relevant to his evil scheme, but it's also just his day job (also the Dangai owns, I want a PhD in "the Dangai"). No one else in Squad 12 seems to have the least bit of beef with him, even after he builds an evil duplicate of every person in the Gotei. Unlike a lot of mad scientist characters, he's good with his weapon. Maybe he's weirdly jacked under his villainous smock?? Also, his evil scheme was generally well thought out, and took into account the fact that the Gotei is a bunch of buffoons. ngl, I kinda wish his plan had succeeded, if only for the fact that it would probably really piss Aizen off.

4. Ran'Tao, Bount Arc

Everything about Ran'Tao owns, including:

Sexy glasses

Condemned so hard by the Central 46 that they gave her a kidou seal back tattoo

KIDOU. SHOTGUN.

Stabbed Kariya in the gut

Noped out at the end of the arc because Who Needs the Gotei's Shit?

3. Kuchiki Kouga, Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc I think that when you hear the story about how Byakuya was forbidden from marrying Hisana because she was a commoner, you're supposed to feel this great sense of injustice, like wow! Byakuya actually showed character by standing up for his love! And that's great and all, and then you get the Zanpakutou Rebellion Vintage Kuchiki Bullshit Flashbacks and it's like, oh, the last guy they married into the clan mass murdered a bunch of people and then they had to seal him up in a cave and I feel like that's an important piece of context in the entire Kuchiki Family-Being-a-Bitch-About-Who-Byakuya-Marries debacle.

Which isn't to exonerate the Kuchiki, here! It's very clear that Kouga wasn't that bad before he got pushed over the brink by Kuchiki family machinations. I mean, this is very much an Everyone's The Asshole situation.

I love the fact that they never come out and say that Kouga is Byakuya's uncle, but he's very obviously Byakuya's uncle.

I love the fact that he dramatically cut his kenseikan off with his sword and threw them at Ginrei and they made a gree card of it.

I love that he appears to be exactly Renji's height and has one chunk of hair that is the same color as Renji's and he over-accessorizes horrifically, and at best the Squad Six old-timer's had to be like "Byakuya don't do this to us again" when he hired Renji, and at worst there's a chance that Renji the secret baby that was born after Kouga was banished and he was hidden away in the Rukon so he didn't screw up the succession line but he's actually the true Heir to the Kuchiki.

2. Harugasaki Seizo, standalone episode 313 This dude had a homoerotic rivalry with Ikkaku (doomed, of course, because who could compete with Yumichika?), lost his shinigami powers when he took a blow meant for Ikkaku, and then spent the next hundred years putting his entire pussy into doing laundry for Squad 11. This man invented yearning, even if he did choose the worst possible person in the history of ever as the target of his affection.

1. Amagai Shuusuke, New Captain Shuusuke Amagai Arc He looks like Ross Poldark. He can't hold his liquor. No one knows who witnessed his Captain's Exam. Ukitake and Kyouraku tried to talk him into a threesome. He was nice to Kira. His bankai was a tuba that made a foghorn noise when it belched out fire. His dad was the shinigami equivalent of a narc, who got done dirty by the Captain-Commander. He fought the Dangai Cleaner and won. I love him more than anything.

Honorable Mention: Kenryuu and Enryuu, New Captain Shuusuke Amagai Arc Because they are an important reminder that for all the shinigami buffoonery I am forced to witness, day in and day out, some people graduate from Shin'ou, get shikai even, and still can't get hired by the Gotei.

[x0401x]

Hello, this ask is just for fun......

Top 5 (or top 3) Favorite female characters :

Top 5 (or top 3) Favorite male characters :

Top 5 Favorite animanga :

Animanga you are currently enjoying :

Animanga that exceeded all your expectations :

Top 3 Unpopular animanga you really love :

Favorite romance :

Favorite action animanga :

Favorite fantasy :

Favorite sci -fi :

Favorite drama :

Favorite comedy :

Top 3 Favorite anime movies :

Next in your watch list :

Next in your read list :

Top 3 Favorite antagonists:

Top 5 (or top 3) favorite ships (can be canon or non canon) :

Thanks if you want to answer....

This sure took me a while because, damn, I had to think a lot about each answer.

So, top 3 favorite females:

Sheryl Nome

Oikawa Tsurara

Kuchiki Rukia

Top 3 favorite males:

Gilbert Bougainvillea

Takigawa Masaki

Alphonse Elric

Top 5 Favorite animanga:

I can't really put them in the same category, so I'm gonna write down one of each.

Favorite anime movie: Sen to Chihiro no Kamikakushi

Favorite anime show: Heike Monogatari

Favorite manga: Tongari Boushi no Atelier

Favorite light novel: Violet Evergarden

Favorite regular novel: Mouryou no Hako

Animanga I'm currently enjoying (so far):

Yatagarasu

Hibike! Euphonium S3

Kaijuu 8-gou

Kuroshitsuji S4

Dungeon Meshi

Urusei Yatsura S2

Ookami to Koushinryou

Boku no Hero Academia S7

Tonari no Youkai-san

Bartender

Tadaima, Okaeri

Touken Ranbu Kai

Boukyaku Battery

Jii-san Baa-san Wakagaeru

The Fable

Seiyuu Radio no Uraomote

Now, I'm still waiting for some stuff to air, so this isn't a complete list. Also, the last title isn't exactly one that I'm super enjoying because it's butchering the original, but I'm sticking with it because I like the franchise. I recommend the manga instead of the anime.

Animanga that exceeded all my expectations

The only one I can think of is Suzumiya Haruhi. It didn't exceed all my expectations because they were high from the start, but goddamn. I despise the fact that I came into the show knowing only the memes and opening clip, thinking it was gonna be absolute weeb garbage (because back in the old days it was much easier to not run into spoilers and I'm not even sure if the novel was already being fantranslated at the time), only to find out that it actually fucking slaps. Can you imagine how pissed I was. That I couldn't hate this bullshit of a show. Also endless eight. That shit was traumatizing even though I caught on quick and skipped most of it.

Top 3 Unpopular animanga I really love

I won't say unpopular but these are definitely underrated.

Tsurune (I mean the novel; the anime doesn't deserve much recognition beyond the good animation and sound design, imo)

Nurarihyon no Mago (I know it's been over for more than a decade and the fandom is long dead, but it was temporarily revived by the recent new chapters, and it was criminally underrated in the west back when it was still being published)

Gangsta (used to be really popular when it was on-going, but the fandom lost its hype completely both in the west and in Japan after it entered hiatus because of the author's health)

Favorite romance: Shigatsu wa Kimi no Uso

Favorite action animanga: can't possibly choose

Favorite fantasy: Tongari Boushi no Atelier

Favorite sci-fi: can't possibly choose

Favorite drama: Nana

Favorite comedy: Gintama (I know that comedy isn't the only genre this thing belongs to but comedy is the main one. And yes, I know the story is actually deep but it still takes a backseat to the comedy, narratologically speaking, and this shouldn't be looked down on. Fight me.)

Top 3 Favorite anime movies

I don't really have favorites in any particular order other than Sen to Chihiro, so here are a random few of my faves:

Kimi no Na wa

Senkou no Hathaway

Mononoke-hime

Next in your watch list: All the stuff from this season that hasn't yet come out.

Next in your read list: Nothing, actually. Just keeping up with the stuff I was already reading. Accepting recs!

Top 3 Favorite antagonists:

Johan Liebert

Griffith

Meruem

Top 5 (or top 3) favorite ships (can be canon or non canon):

Let's go with top 10 because I'm a professional shipper. By the way, number 1 is the one that set the bar for all the other ships and anything else is actually just sharing second place. These are really just a few from the top of my head, since I have at least one favorite ship for every fandom I'm in.

RikuTsura (Nura Rikuo/Tsurara)

HakuSen (Haku/Ogino Chihiro)

SakuShao (Kinomoto Sakura/Li Shaoran)

IchiRuki (Kurosaki Ichigo/Kuchiki Rukia)

HaruRin (Nanase Haruka/Matsuoka Rin)

GilVi (Gilbert Bougainvillea/Violet Evergarden)

SoMa (Soul Evans/Maka Albarn)

AruSheri (Saotome Alto/Sheryl Nome)

YuuVic (Katsuki Yuuri/Victor Nikiforov)

SeiRicha (Nakata Seigi/Richard Ranashingha de Vulpian)

[rayshippouuchiha]

That Ichika being Renichi/Ichiren child thingie? A masterpiece!

A crack treated seriously AU where Ichika starts exhibiting powers and can't understand why she feels so different from the rest of the Shinigami and why her father and mother acted so strange when she showed an interest in archery. As a young woman she stumbles upon a conversation where Uncle Byakuya is admonishing her parents and telling them that Ichika has to know her origins. A dangerous situation has her fire off a small cero and she's horrified and an arrancar who saw it called her a 'Child of the God Killer'. Byakuya tells her to go to the Human World(he thought Renji and Rukia already told Ichika after the cero and Ichigo's been made aware and she should get some training asap before she ceros the Kuchiki mansion. Unbeknownst to him Renji and Rukia were still psyching themselves up)

Meanwhile Ichigo is lounging in Urahara Shoten in a loose kimono with his chest out mediating between Muramasa and Shiro Zangetsu when his Soul Society bullshit radar pings and he just sighs but almost passes out at the sight of a child claiming to be his.

I adore this so so much.

Ichika would have the biggest "wait until I tell my strawberry dad about this" card to pull over everyone. No one wants to fight the cosmic horror that is Ichigo by this point

[rarepears]

Here i am again, with my any man x endeavor bullshit

However this time i was thinking about byakuya so we know that byakuya is a talented one, plus he have a very interesting zanpakutou that could wreck chaos on MHA universe, plus he is beautiful and with his noble like character and charm

So imagine this, he gets sent by BNHA one day, but in a middle of a attack of villain, where endeavor was supposed to take care of, but upon arriving there byakuya has already dealt with said villain, but the thing is endeavor saw how he fought

So endeavor then go talks to byakuya since he dealt with the villains, and one thing that could work is that while yes byakuya also do work, he isn't that workaholic

Lol this assumes that Byakuya even gets over Hisana's death but let's be real, there's no mental health support in Bleach. He's not getting any therapy...

which means that the only reason Byakuya would get together with Todoroki Enji is because he (correctly or incorrectly) believes that Enji is Hisana reincarnated.

---

Byakuya doesn't only have Shinigami work to deal with. Don't forget that he's also the head of a noble clan which involves a lot of work; he deals with Kuchiki politics (cough the nosy busybody elders trying to throw more wife candidates at him), Gotei 79 and Central 46 matters as head of the Kuchiki clan. He's BUSY.

He's got no time or energy to be a househusband like what you're implying. Captains don't get to wilynily wander and stay in the living world without a good reason - especially not one with such strong ties to the afterlife (cough politics and making sure the elders don't get up to Not Good Stuff). Unless something major changes within the Kuchiki clan or Byakuya enters some sort of semi-retired life by leaving Gotei 79...

[enough-bleach]

According to leaks from Klub outside desperate renrukis keep asking Kubo why Rukia doesn’t use Abarai surname. But every time Kubo evades the answer and replies with some random bullshit. Also it seems Byakuya doesn’t want to accept Renji and his brat kid to Kuchiki clan, because these two characters still have Abarai surname.

[ao3feed-ichiruki]

Becoming who we were meant to be

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/YTJ4uM7

by rainberries

Ichigo Kurosaki is about to embark on a new college experience when his sister Karin gets into an accident, one she doesn't survive. Knowing the kinds of danger that await his sister in Rukongai, Ichigo must face the choice he's been trying to avoid; commit to a life in the world of the living, or in Soul Society. Sometimes tragedy happens for a reason.

Ichiruki. Possibly some Hitsukarin. Rating may change.

Originally posted on FF.net in 2018. Somewhat of a rewrite. We're back, baby.

Words: 4192, Chapters: 1/?, Language: English

Fandoms: Bleach (Anime & Manga)

Rating: Mature

Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence

Categories: F/M

Characters: Kurosaki Ichigo, Kuchiki Rukia, Kurosaki Karin, Hitsugaya Toushirou, Matsumoto Rangiku, Hirako Shinji, Ukitake Juushirou, Kuchiki Byakuya, Ishida Uryuu, Kurosaki Isshin, Kurosaki Yuzu, Abarai Renji, Madarame Ikkaku, Shiba Kuukaku, Original Shinigami Characters (Bleach)

Relationships: Kuchiki Rukia/Kurosaki Ichigo, Hitsugaya Toushirou/Kurosaki Karin, Karin Kurosaki/OC

Additional Tags: Life in the Seireitei, No more world of the living bullshit, Post-366, Forget everything about TYBW, Kurosaki Siblings, Cross-Posted on FanFiction.Net, Karin and Rukia are badasses, slow-burn, but not too slow, cause these fools have been longing for an eternity, Gotei 14, Nobles and their politics, Karin's love triangle, Sort Of, ichiruki supremacy

read it on the AO3 at https://ift.tt/YTJ4uM7

[they-them-pussy]

first dn and now bleach is trending. the early 2000s are really coming for us. is fairy tail next or is that still ongoing

[0h4thel0ve0f]

The guinea pig (Mayuri Kurotsuchi x reader)

tw: attempted rape (kinda)

words: 2.4k

note: proofreading? i don't know her. also i posted this on my main fanfic blog first but then realized it has a better place here.

Once you realized where you involuntary teleported, you looked up at the sky and let out an annoyed groan. How long would this keep happening? As a kid, you hadn't really known how to control your abilities, but by now you should have learned how not to come here against your will. Yet you were in Soul Society once again, standing by the koi pond of the Kuchiki manor where you had ended up several times in the past years.

You had to get out of there before the guards or Byakuya himself realized you were there so you teleported to the only place you knew and trusted–the Squad 12 barracks. Normal soul reapers–as you had learned from several sources–were terrified of the idea of going there because of its captain, but you went there in hopes to meet him.

“What are you doing here?” You turned around in the lab and found Mayuri sitting beside a table with dozens of sheets of paper lying in front of him. “I guess you didn’t want to come to Soul Society,” he said without waiting for your answer. “Why don’t you just go home?”

You let out a short laugh as you walked over to him with your hands stuffed into the pockets of your jacket. “Because I thought I could just as well visit you if I’m already here,” you informed the captain.

Mayuri let out a humming sound then returned his attention to the interest pages in front of him. But just when you thought he lost interest in the conversation, he suddenly spoke up. “Oh, well, you could just as well stay for dinner.”

“Based on how you treat your test subjects and even fellow soul reapers, I can’t decide if I should be scared or feel honored now.”

“Why?” he asked as he looked over at you.

Was he even paying attention to the conversation? Rolling your eyes, you decided to explain the situation to him. “You found out I was here without your permission yet instead of yelling at me you simply invited me to stick around and have dinner with you.”

He shrugged then picked up a pen to write something on one of the papers. “Don’t get used to it,” he noted.

Something was bothering him, you knew how to detect this much by now. Letting out a sigh, you pushed aside some of the papers and sat on the edge of the desk next to him. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m surrounded by idiots.”

“Is this new information?” you asked with an honestly confused look on your face.

Groaning, he threw the pen away and leaned back in the chair a bit. “Of course not, but I usually try to ignore them.”

“What changed?”

“I had an interesting conversation with Captain Kuchiki about you.” Good to know the two of them were talking about you behind your back. “You already told me how you keep showing up in Soul Society against your will, but I wanted to hear his side of the story. Anyway, he wasn’t thrilled to hear I’ve been experimenting on you. And when I informed him you volunteered, he simply walked away,” he added with a nonchalant wave of his hand.

So he didn’t want to talk about you after finding out what you had agreed to do. “For a moment I began to wonder why… but then I realized that I don’t care,” you told Mayuri with a shrug. “I gave up on him and the best I can do is getting the most of my time here. At least your projects are interesting.”

“I have a theory about the two of you. Would you like to hear it?” You shook your head. “I’m going to tell you anyway.”

“Mayuri, I don’t care,” you told him sternly. “I’d like to ask for a favor instead.”

“What favor?”

You remained silent for a while as you tried to figure out how to say it. But it would be the best if you just said it without the bullshit parts. “I’m dying to see what you look like under this stupid clown makeup,” you blurted out with a wide grin.

“Stupid clow–How dare you!”

“Oh, come on, grow up. It’s ridiculous,” you said as you kicked his leg. He instinctively reached out and grabbed your calf, gripping it so tightly that it hurt. “So what do you say?”

Once he let go of you, he took a look at his painted fingernails. “I don’t let anyone see me without it. Well, only Nemu, but she doesn’t count,” he said.

“Pretty please?”

When it became clear he wouldn't agree, you decided to change your strategy. Instead of pushing him, you raised your leg and carefully put it on his other side so you could sit on his lap with your arm wrapped around his neck. He gave you a shocked look for a split second but then his expression changed to a slightly amused one while he waited for your next move.

“Haven’t you wondered what it would be like?” you asked quietly, your lips barely hovering above his as you slowly ran a finger down from his neck to his chest. “Why don’t you consider it a new experiment?”

“I’ll think about it,” he told you eventually.

“Just don’t make me wait for too long. I’m not known for my patience.”

When you kissed him, he suddenly grabbed your throat and pushed you away. “Enough of this nonsense.”

Laughing, you stood up and walked around the desk. “I’m just joking, relax,” you informed him.

“This wasn’t funny.”

“But you liked it.”

“I didn’t.”

For a brilliant scientist, he could be shockingly dense sometimes. “Your brain might not like it, but your body does,” you said with a shrug.

“Anyway,” he began, changing the topic, “you just gave me an idea for a new experiment with you.”

“Really?” Another experiment. You wondered how many guinea pigs of his were actually excited to hear what he had in mind. “And what would that be this time?”

Mayuri jumped up and folded his hands behind his back as he began to pace back and forth in front of you. “If we had a child together, I wonder what it would turn out to be.”

“But we’ll never have a child,” you pointed out.

“We could. Created in my lab, of course.”

“My kind isn’t the type to have kids.”

He came to a halt and turned to look at you. “But you could have children if you wanted, right?” he asked to clarify.

“Yeah,” you nodded, “but I don’t want any.”

“Aren’t you at least a little curious to see how it would turn out?”

He got you with that. How in the hell wouldn’t you be interested in something like this? One of your kind having an offspring would be unprecedented. Uncharted territory. Would it be a soul reaper? Or would it be like you? What if it inherits some characteristics from the both of you, creating a weird, maybe even dangerous hybrid? Who were you kidding, with your genes that thing would definitely be dangerous.

Letting out a sigh, you put your palms on the desk and leaned forward before you said, “I have one condition.”

“I don’t like conditions but go on,” Mayuri told you with his head tilted to the side.

“I don’t want to be a part of its life. Sure, you’re right, out of morbid curiosity I’d like to see the progress, but that's it.”

“Sounds fair,” he said with a nod. “But if it turns out to inherit your abilities, I might need you to teach it a few things.”

You couldn’t help but laugh at the idea. You? Teaching it? How ridiculous. “If it turns out to be anything like me, it will be better to just destroy it,” you informed him.

“No, I would definitely not destroy the subject. It would be too valuable in that case.”

“Well, good luck keeping it under control then. When do you want to start the project?”

He let out a humming sound as he folded his arms over his chest and walked over to you. “How about tomorrow evening?”

“Nah, I’m invited to a party. The day after tomorrow?”

“But I want to begin tomorrow,” he complained. “You should come here before that party.”

“I don’t know.”

“You want me to bribe you?”

“With what?”

For long seconds he remained unusually silent, as if he was trying to find the words to say what he wanted to tell you. What did he want to bribe you with? What could he offer that would make you change your plans for him? “I can’t believe I’m saying this, but what if you can see me without the makeup?” he asked, massaging the bridge of his nose.

Oh, now he was talking. You had been trying to get him to do that for years and now he gave in just like that, without you even asking him? “Well, well, well. You have my attention.”

“That’s all,” he said with a confused look.

“Hmm.” You really, really wanted to see him. But you had to get ready for that party. Doing your hair and makeup, meeting your friends to get there together... If you came to Soul Society, your whole day would be ruined and–knowing Mayuri and his work methods–it would probably take longer than he promised. “It’s tempting,” you admitted.

“Great, you’re coming then. It won’t take long.”

“I didn’t sa—”

“You’re coming,” he stated with a stern look.

“All right, all right, I’m coming.”

Mayuri nodded. “Good girl.”

“See you tomorrow then.”

“What about dinner?” he quickly asked so he could get the answer before you left.

“I never said I would have dinner with you. Bye.”

There was something, a silly and annoying thought Mayuri couldn’t get out of his mind since your visit the night before. That damn kiss woke up desires he’d been trying to subdue his whole life for the sake of science, and now he didn't know what to do about it. Well, he knew what he wanted to do about it to satisfy his urges, but he didn’t know if he should surrender to them so easily.

You had been right, his mind wasn’t fond of the idea of doing something so stupid, but his body was screaming for more, and he wanted to explore every single inch of your body without the intention to really hurt you. As he was waiting for you to arrive, he made up his mind and now knew what to do about this nonsense. Time passed nerve-wrackingly slowly once he figured it out, and even his other experiments couldn’t get his mind off of you.

Then he heard the sound of high-heels clicking on the floor behind him and immediately turned around to see if it was really you. “You’re late,” he noted once his eyes fell on you.

“Yeah, it’s nice to see you too,” was all you said in response. “So, how will we do this?”

Right, the experiment. His mind was so focused on what he really wanted to do with your body that night that he forgot about why you were visiting him in the first place. He quickly explained the process, then just as quickly got it over with. He didn’t want to waste his precious time, and his body was aching to get what it wanted by now. It was an unusual feeling for him as he had never wanted someone this badly before.

Just as he promised you the night before, he was ready to show you what he looked like under the makeup, although to do that, you had to go to his home with him. You didn’t mind as long as you got what you wanted, he was thrilled to have you exactly where he wanted you to be, so it was a win-win situation. While he went to the bathroom to remove the paint, you stayed in his living room, probably going through his things.

Once he was done, he put on his shihakusho and went to see you. He cleared his throat to get your attention then said, “Here you go, you get what you wanted. Happy?”

You turned around to look at him and a small smile crept on your lips. “Look at that, you’re handsome. Why are you hiding behind all that makeup and stupid accessories?”

“I only said you could see me without it, no questions are allowed,” he informed you with a sharp look.

“As you wish,” you said as you raised your hands. “Well, now that I saw you, I should get going or else I’ll be late.”

No, he couldn’t let you leave just yet, not before he got what he wanted. Before you could go anywhere he walked over to you, put his hand firmly on the back of your neck, then kissed you as if he was planning to devour you on the spot. At first you hesitated but he didn’t care. It was just hesitation. Temporary. You would give in eventually.

But soon you disappeared, leaving a cloud of smoke behind before reappearing behind him. “What are you doing?” you asked as you wiped your lips with the sleeve of your dress.

Mayuri gave you a surprised look. “It was you who kissed me yesterday.”

“As a joke to tease you.”

“But you were right, this could be an experiment. You’re my guinea pig, you have to do as I say,” he explained. “And if I want you to stay here and—”

You took a threatening step towards him before interrupting him. “Don’t you dare finish that sentence.”

“Or what? And as I was saying, if I want to have sex with you, you’ll be a obedient little girl and let me get what I want.” Without saying a word, you summoned a black, smoking sword then teleported over to him and held the weapon against his neck. “You want to start a fight? You know perfectly well I would win.”

“Not if I don't hold back this time,” you informed him with a wicked smile.

So you now say you had been holding back? Interesting. “I don't want to fight,” he said eventually.

You carefully lowered your weapon and took a step back. “I'll just leave now,” you stated coldly.

Before Mayuri could say or do anything, you disappeared. So much for his plans. Well, he could try again another time. Maybe use some drugs to make you more cooperative.

[danddymaro]

Meetings Under The Moonlight | Byakuya Kuchiki x Reader

A/N : Just a little idea that I've had. It wont be long though, and will continue family bullshit because I like nonsensical drama.

- This piece includes two parts

Word Count : 957

Meetings Under The Moonlight

She stared up at the raven-haired noble through half-lidded (e/c) colored eyes. 

Glittering with an undine love, they focused on him and his entire physique, admiring him wholeheartedly as though it was her last and only chance to capture the sight of him. And while he'd always been beautiful in her eyes, he held a more sensuous radiance that night, as though there were something special during this particular meeting.

During then, he stared down at her, the familiar impassive glance that was always shot towards the rest of the world somewhat slacked. And to her, he seemed almost content, and in a sense, at peace, something she liked to believe within the furthest depths of her being was just because of her.

‘ Byakuya,' she thought with a soft smile, one that held the lightest touch of sorrow that was well hidden to hide her internal torment, because she just couldn't let him see even the slightest bit of her true heart. 

Because when he did, she knew it would all be over. 

If he truly grasped as to how much she truly felt for him then perhaps it would all end, whether it was because of guilt, or the burden of her asking him for more, he would make sure to cut her off completely.

All in all, she was certain that she could never hope for more.

Through her dark, wet lashes she couldn't help but admire the beautiful man, relishing in the thought that for just that moment she was above anything else to him.

For just that moment, he let go of the obligations and order that made him so ridged.

Spellbound, she gazed at him with eyes that didn't stray, capturing his very image with a mind that would never forget, even if, somehow, the beautiful moment, one day, turned bitter.

As her back touched the cold floor, she closed her (e/c) colored eyes, her low breaths extended into long huffs that were on the brim of fulfillment.

And as he came closer,  she clung to him, wrapping her arms around his neck, hiding her nose within a silken curtain of sable, breathing in the intoxicating fragrance with ecstasy, inhaling in the sweet smell of his milky neck.

The faint blossom color that bloomed over his cheeks glowed of not embarrassment, but of arousal, that much was clear by the seductive, certain way his fingers grazed over her sensitive womanhood.  

She suddenly cried out as his long, elegant fingers lightly touched her, grazing her in a way that was teasing and ghosting, almost as though to remind her that while he was there, the true touch of his full affection was not.

"Byakuya," She muttered softly, her words barely above a whisper, hardly even constituting as eligible speak with how airy her voice had gone.

Perhaps it was the way that he sweetly touched her that made her melt so much, or maybe it was the fact that during those meetings, she could refer to him as his actual name and not any of his titles.

On that night there were many factors that played that left her bare, vulnerable enough to let slip something she hadn’t, 

"Byakuya..." she said again, repeating his name with bliss, " I love you..." she whispered against his skin, her warm breath fanning over his perspiring skin like the soft summer breeze.

At the admittance, rather than offering her a response formed with words, he claimed her lips again, and as he did he let the moment last longer.

 He then drew back almost hesitantly, all while never tearing his midnight-toned eyes from her glittering ( e/c) ones.

' If this night could be more perfect.' She started absentmindedly, ' I would wake up right next to you the following morning.' She added while weaving her fingers through his silken strands of ink.

By then his hands were on either side of her head while his piercing gaze remained unmoved, focused on her expressive face, particularly her (e/c) colored orbs.

His body then jerked forward, drawing a long pleasured mewl from her, filling the night with lustful sounds that replaced her sweet breaths and honeyed voice.

The dark-haired man then threw his head back, letting a low groan slip past him as his hands found their way to her hips. 

Possessively, they dug their nails into her, quickly drawing small, crescent indents into the (s/c) colored flesh as he delivered one, final push full of force and aggression.

There was then a moment of stillness, one that was filled with only panting breaths that slowly steadied as they gently fell back from their floating cloud of bliss.

It wasn’t long before she felt his hold loosen, and by then she knew their moment together was over. 

Afterward, he was as silent as always, and without a word, or so much as a single utter that could be mistaken as a hum of acknowledgment, he left. 

And she expected nothing more, already knowing the routine. However, in spite of all the anticipated disappointment, there existed a part of her that yearned for change. 

It hoped that one day he'd at the very least, turn back to look at her.

As time progressed she was certain he'd returned to his home, leaving her lonesome, left with nothing but the smell of him stuck on her clothing, melted onto her skin, and burned into her memory.

"If the night could be more perfect..." She started, lowly murmuring the words as she stared out into the outside world,  

"You'd stay..." she breathed, finally able to release the pitiful tears that had been held throughout their moment together and that she only had the courage to release once he was far gone.

Far off to the corner of her eye, she saw a bright luminescence. 

The sharp crescent in the sky glowed, smiling down at her with kindness, and perhaps pity as well because if anyone knew the man better, it was the forlorn moon. 

─────────────────────────────

- Let’s give this a bit more time, shall we?

A/N: This is after a time skip

Word Count : 903

Includes some Kisuke x Reader (But it’s truly platonic and just something sweet.)

Waiting beneath the same night

She touched her swollen belly with a tender hand, and during then nothing but a soft hum sounded from her. 

Looking up at the illuminated moon, she couldn't help but let stray tears fall from her glowing cheeks,

 ‘I would start off and ask how you are... But I know already.’ She started as a bitter smile rose.

‘ Right now you're sitting alone in your office, working relentlessly…

You're working, no doubt not missing any bit of me.

Working, fulfilling your duties, duties much more important than I could ever be.

Duties which make you unattainable...’

She continued before A shallow breath left her. 

 The soft, melodic tune she'd mindlessly conjured was then interrupted, and she gritted her teeth, holding back what would have been a heavy, choked sob that threatened to break through the tranquility of the night. 

Forcibly swallowing it down, she sniffled instead, choosing to incline her head back whilst closing her eyes, hoping to hold back any escaping tears.

‘ I can never stop thinking of you…’ She admitted with lament, ‘And it breaks me,’ She confessed.

‘Because I know you’ve lived your life well off without me...because let’s face it, 

This was no doubt what you wanted.’

She thought with resentment, only imagining the relief that the captain felt after she'd departed and found refuge in the world of the living.

‘The only one ever in love was me,

The only one of us that ever convinced themselves that it could have been anything more...was me.’

“ Byakuya Kuchiki... How I despise you,”  She susurrated, knowing fully well that while her words could, from time to time hold venom, they lacked certainty.

Otherwise, she wouldn't wait for him. 

Because, if it were any different, she wouldn't stare up at the dark sky, speaking to every face the moon had, hoping that during one of those conversations he'd step forward.

Gently, he'd caress her face before falling in. 

Afterward, he’d whisk her away, beneath the same moonlight they’d kissed, beneath the same lonely night they’d always lay together, he'd find her and bring her close.

And it was all she needed because she didn't ask for much but the simple admittance that she meant something more to him.

'Just coming here. Just searching for me.' She started, 'Byakuya, simply missing me would be enough,' She thought pitifully, well aware that she should ask for so much more out of someone she would be willing to give the world to. 

'I just need to know I fit somewhere in your heart,' she thought with sadness.

“ - I see you're out here again,” said a cheery voice, one that was very familiar to her, and had been something of comfort throughout the last few months.

Her (e/c) colored eyes then made way to the silhouette and recognized the former captain who hadn’t changed since his days in the soul society, and who remained the same man afterward.

 “ Kisuke,”  (f/n) said softly, hiding her wet face beneath the curtain of her loosely flowing hair that had been rustled through her sleepless turning.

He sat next to her and grinned down at her with a cheeky smile, seemingly ignoring her expression that was filled with melancholy, instead, offering his same playful and uplifting mood without a falter, 

“ Come now, you're too cute to be making that face again, “ he said while addressing the crestfallen look he knew was adorning her, because he knew why she came out, and especially why she stared up at the night sky so much.

"It's lovely isn't it?" He asked her,  encouraging a smile with his own. 

Looking away, she let an involuntary smile escape her as she nodded her head, 

“It always is,” she answered back, wholeheartedly believing it. 

'And it stings,' She inwardly added.

He took a quick glance towards her face, catching the sight of the glistening tears before watching as she whipped them away. 

A placid smile was then over her lovely lips, and with sympathetic hazel eyes,  he watched her lean her head onto his shoulder.

"That's why I stay out here," she lied, not knowing why she bothered to put up a front because she knew it wasn't convincing, especially not for a man as observant as he was.

"I know," he said back, "I just wish that you'd ask for company. You know I wouldn't mind," he said with sincerity, being true when he said he wouldn't be bothered by it if she asked.

"I know..." she said back, "Next time, I will." (f/n) muttered back to him. 

Quietly, he looked up at the sight she held dear, and while he did so he felt her tired body slump, absentmindedly smiling at how precious she was.

‘I know that tomorrow you'll be out here again,’ He thought to himself, recognizing it was all just routine. 'You'll be out here all alone,' he added with a touch of gloom, wishing she would just share a fraction of her lamenting with him because in her state it wasn't healthy.

 ‘And I guess I have no choice,' he thought with an inaudible sigh, ‘I'll have to do this again, at least until it breaks... until you just let someone in. ' He added while moving slowly.

He moved gingerly, careful not to disturb her as he cradled her. 

He then carried her, being careful as he moved her back into her room, leaving her there once he left her one last look of sympathy.

[recurring-polynya]

Zanpakutou Rebellion Arc Recap, pt 7

Every single Bleach filler arc is at least 20% too long, and this is the part where it starts to get truly limp and saggy, so this recap is going to cover everything that happens up until we get to KOGA FLASHBACKS.

I realized that it’s been a minute since anyone cared about defeating their zanpakutou. I guess when Matsumoto and Hinamori defeated theirs, it didn’t count (maybe because they swapped opponents at the last second?) because Haineko and Tobiume are still on the Bad Guy Side.

To finish up the fights that were happening last time, Suzumebachi flits around Soi Fon and taunts her a bunch about how they are equally fast, but Suzumebachi is smaller and thus harder to hit, blah blah blah. If you’ve watched Bleach for any length of time, of course you know that Soi Fon’s hit-twice-in-the-same-place attack almost never works and that is exactly what happens here. Soi Fon simply goes into shunkou, Suzumebachi’s attack can’t penetrate her defense, and Soi Fon cuts her down, with a snide comment about how she doesn’t need her zanpakutou.

The arc already started going down this path during the Yumichika fight, and honestly, it’s such an odd choice, in an arc about the characters confronting their sword spirits to have multiple characters just take the stance, “I honestly don’t need you” and just... go with it?

But that’s what we’re doing today, I guess, because then Mayuri hits the self-destruct on Ashisogi Jizou. At least that was short. I am pretty sure the main thing we learned here is that depending on your zanpakutou is for chumps, round out your skill set. I am definitely not sure how I feel about any of this.

I think that’s actually going to conclude the charts for this arc, so let’s just finish that up with this depressing conclusion:

At the end of the fight, Yoruichi shows up with exposition, as is her wont. She has located the Captain Commander, he’s down in that stupid cave.

Kyouraku and Ukitake finally come out of hiding to go along with everyone who’s not grievously injured (Ichigo, Yoruichi and Zaraki) to go storm the cave and rescue Yamamoto.

Once they get in the cave, it is very, very obvious that the zanpakutou are just playing with them. I do want to note that at one point, Ukitake, who is utterly defenseless against his adorable zanpakutou, yells “You are bad children!” at them. Can you imagine? Can you imagine if Ukitake yelled “you are a bad child!” at you? I, personally, would die.

In any case, Ichigo arrives at the glowing triangle that Yamamoto is encased in. Yamamoto keeps sending little spurts of flame out of it. Muramasa is like, “please, Ichigo, do not destroy this glowing pyramid that I have definitely encased the Captain Commander in myself, that would be horrible.”

Look, we all knew this was going to happen and it happens. Ichigo destroys the glowing pyramid. Muramasa cackles “all goes according to my plans!” Oh, gee, surprise, Yamamoto put himself in the pyramid because Muramasa’s game from the beginning has been to get Ryuujin Jakka. Ichigo is immediately very sorry. Everyone tells Ichigo this is not his fault in a way that definitely implies it is his fault, but let’s be real: maybe the Captain Commander could have, like, left a note? Had a plan for this contingency? Not depended on a teen from another dimension to discern the subtleties of his plans?

It is no matter. Ryuujin Jakka doesn’t really have an embodiment, it’s just flames and it loves burninatin’. It traps everyone in a wall of flame as Muramasa ollies off to the Living World.

Bleach 247 is such a precious episode to me because it has two of the greatest lines in all of Bleach. First off, because they have nothing better to do, the Captain Commander reveals that Muramasa was the zanpakutou of Koga, some dude who tried to foment rebellion in the Seireitei, but he was eventually defeated and sealed away (in Karakura Town, of all places, apparently?) Kyouraku is like, hold on, why haven’t I heard of this, and Yamamoto replies “It was a secret act that was never recorded.” This is up there with “mistakes were made” in terms of admitting you did something and taking utterly no responsibility for it. My husband and I have used “it was a secret act that was never recorded” to make excuses for things for years. It is peak Yamamoto. It is perfect.

THEN, Hitsugaya and Hyourinmaru show up to save everyone from dying painfully, and after receiving the recap of the recap, Hitsugaya is like “what have you people been doing?” and Kyouraku replies, “Let’s just say, the situation is terrible.” THEY LET THIS MAN BE THE NEXT CAPTAIN COMMANDER BECAUSE OF COURSE THEY DID.

Okay, okay, back to the Living World. Orihime finds Muramasa just as he’s coughing again, and she heals him, because she is a Precious Ray of Sunshine. He’s very salty about it. Chad and Ishida show up to help and the episode ends with it looking like they might have to fight Byakuya and/or Senbonzakura. I cannot tell you enough how much I would like to see Orihime fight and defeat Byakuya, I think she could do it.

Surprisingly enough, next episode, Ishida actually does fight Senbonzakura and it goes... surprisingly well, actually. My favorite part of this is that when he shows up, Chad immediately announces “That’s Kuchiki Byakuya’s Senbonzakura!” Let us all recall that Ichigo, who has actually fought Byakuya before, took about three episodes to figure this out. Chad reads the wiki, I guess, or possibly carries around a little notebook like Midoriya on BHNA. There’s a reason he’s #2 in the class. I think a really amazing ending to this arc would be for the shinigami to show up in the Living World and to have Chad, Orihime, and Ishida to just have defeated Muramasa, that would be have great. Unfortunately that is not what happens. We do get a trip to Chad’s Inner World, tho, which is just Mexico. Muramasa takes to form of his grandfather and gut-punches him and that’s all we get. I mean, I have no objection to a Mexico-based Inner World and I am always up for an Oscar Joaquin de la Rosa cameo, but it would have been cool to be more stylized, possibly inspired by Mexican surrealist art and the magical realism of Gabriel García Márquez, both of which I headcanon that Chad is really into. I honestly would have blown my entire budget for this story arc on Chad’s Inner World, is what I am saying, had I been in charge, which I was not.

Once again, I am off topic. Rukia shows up. Some Hollows show up. Muramasa undoes the binding on Koga and he emerges, looking like Mumm-Ra from Thundercats. Ichigo shows up, late as usual and having no idea what’s going on, as usual. It’s okay, though, because it is absolute time for some VINTAGE KUCHIKI BULLSHIT FLASHBACKS!!! Well, by “it is time” I mean, next episode, so please come back for what I am sure will be some lovingly rendered Kuchiki Ginrei Shitpost Comics.

[hibiscusangel15]

Rumors

Day 22 Prompt: there’s been talk about us

Summary: Rumors chased after Ichigo and Rukia their entire lives. People liked to gossip about their appearances. About their statuses. It was always the trivial matters that rubbed others the wrong way.

And then came the rumors about the nature of their relationship. For Day 22 of @ichirukimonth​ 2021.

Rating: Gen/K

*Also crossposted to AO3 and FFN!

If you like my fic, please consider buying me a coffee!

                                       We fear that which we cannot see.

“Hey, have you heard?”

“That Kurosaki kid—”

“Yes, that Kuchiki girl—”

“No way! A delinquent joining our class?”

“Of course that untalented recruit is a noble. It’s the Kuchiki influence. I thought so, too!”

Rumors chased after Ichigo and Rukia their entire lives. People liked to gossip about their appearances. About their statuses. It was always the trivial matters that rubbed others the wrong way.

And then came the rumors about the nature of their relationship. A bit surprising, to be sure, but not altogether unexpected, given how petty gossip hounds could be. Just another bored rumor passed along the mill that would eventually be forgotten and replaced with something new.

They both denied it as firmly as they could. It never satiated others’ nosy appetites for long.

All those rumors fell away when she was whisked back to Soul Society. They were the last thing on his mind when he and the others fought to rescue her. He’d forgotten about them completely until she and the other Shinigami showed up during the next semester, unannounced, and the rumors started up again.

It didn’t help that she was living with him now, either.

“What’s the deal with you and Rukia-chan anyway?” Isshin asked while helping his son with the dishes. The girls were having fun getting to know each other upstairs, so he figured he’d step in.

Ichigo threw him a peeved side-glance. “What do you mean? She already told you she has no money or relatives here to help her.”

“So you volunteered to take her in without a second thought, huh?”

“You expect me to let her fend for herself?” The defensive edge in his voice made Isshin pause.

He smiled as he took a dish from the rack to dry. “No, of course not. You’ve always been the type to stick your neck out for someone in need. Why do you think your mom and I named you Ichigo?”

Ichigo said nothing, just continued washing dishes. If one good thing could be said about his punk of a son, it was the fact that he never flaunted his inner strength.

“You’ve never really had many friends growing up. For the longest time, the only friend you had was Tatsuki-chan and then Chad. Everyone else was too scared to try and talk to you. So I’m glad you’re putting yourself out there this year and making a bunch of new friends, Ichigo.”

His son’s face softened.

“That being said, you never answered my question, my son.” Isshin’s eyes sparkled with a single-minded pursuit. “Could it be you don’t trust me enough to tell me the truth? Or is it that you're too shy?”

That all-too-familiar scowl returned to Ichigo’s face. “What the hell’re you talking about, Dad?”

“There you go, dodging the question again! I’m talking about Rukia-chan! Is she, y’know, your girlfriend?”

“My...girlfriend?” A dish slipped from Ichigo's grasp and shattered into pieces.

“Aw crap!” he swore, stooping to the floor. “Sorry, Dad!”

Before he could reach for the largest piece, Isshin gently pushed his son's hands away. “Let me handle this, Ichigo. I don’t want you hurting yourself. Go get the trash can.”

“Dad, it’s no trouble. I can get it.”

Isshin paused. “To be honest with you, son, my joints ain’t as spry as they used to be. I probably can’t get up right now even if I wanted to.”

“Oh, what? You’re such an old man,” Ichigo said as he pushed himself up.

At that moment, Isshin slipped a small pill into his mouth. Urahara’s gigai tech might have been impressive when he was first gifted the thing, but damn was it getting more and more unresponsive as he got older.

After Ichigo cleared the shards away, Isshin let his son finish washing the dishes. It was the easiest way to trap him there, at any rate.

“Anyway,” he began again, “what is Rukia-chan to you?”

His son hesitated, brown eyes darting around as if he could pull some bullshit excuse from the murky dishwater.

He covered it up with yet another scowl. “We’re just friends. Sorry to disappoint you and Yuzu.”

“Aw, c’mon, Ichigo! Your sister and I are just curious!”

“You guys are way too keen about my nonexistent love life. Why don’t you two get lives of your own?”

“You kids might not understand this since you’re so young, but when you become a parent, your life revolves around your kids! That means your life is my life, too!” Isshin clenched his fist. “So c’mon, Ichigo! Tell me everything! Don’t be shy!”

“I’m not being shy. Quit bugging me.”

“Oh?” Isshin’s eyes gleamed. “Only a truly shy man would be so cold! Come now, my son! Confess your deepest, darkest secrets to your father!”

As soon as he tried to embrace his son, all turned black as his face rammed right into Ichigo’s elbow.

                                                           * * *

The girls upstairs heard a loud crash and Ichigo’s infuriated cursing.

Karin frowned at the floor. “There they go again. God, it’s so exhausting living with them. Sorry, you’re just going to have to deal with them for the time being.”

Rukia slapped on an innocent smile. “Oh, I don’t mind! I think a lively household is kind of fun!”

Another crash thundered through the house as the two men continued brawling away. Karin sighed. “Fun, huh?”

“I just hope they remember to clean up after themselves! I’d hate to clean the kitchen again when I already did it last weekend!” Yuzu said.

Rukia had heard their muffled fighting before when she hid in Ichigo’s closet. To actually bear witness to the Kurosaki family’s antics was another matter entirely. Compared to the piercing silence of the Kuchiki household, this was a much more comforting change of pace.

“Now don’t take this the wrong way, Rukia-chan.” Yuzu fidgeted on her bed . “But…um….”

Karin tilted her head back with a loud sigh. “She wants to know if you and our stupid brother are dating.”

“Karin!” Yuzu shouted, scandalized.

“It’s what you wanted to ask her since she arrived, right?”

“Dating?” Rukia repeated. “No, we’re just friends!”

“Just friends, huh?” Karin muttered.

“Yes, of course.”

“So you say.”

“Karin!”

“I’m just saying it’d be way more interesting if all this was some elaborate ruse for Ichigo to introduce his girlfriend to the family is all.” She flopped back onto her bed, letting her legs swing freely over the edge.

“That certainly would be more interesting, I suppose,” Rukia conceded. “Unfortunately, that’s not true. No offense to your brother, but he’s too honest to think of doing something like that.”

The three paused when Ichigo’s booming sneeze echoed up to them from downstairs.

Karin smirked. “Friend, girlfriend. It’s all the same to me, I guess.” She pointed a finger at Rukia. “You and I might get along swimmingly once you drop that nice-girl act and be yourself, though.”

Rukia blinked. And here she thought her human girl schtick would work here, too.

The smile that crossed her lips was softer, more natural this time. “You and your brother have the same instincts, I see.”

“I’d say I’m better at reading people than he is. He’s a big dope.” Karin waved dismissively.

Yuzu’s warm smile grew. “Whether you’re just friends with Ichi-nii or something more, I’m still glad to have you in our home, Rukia-chan! It’s nice to have more girls in the house for once!”

Rukia dipped her head. “I’m grateful that you’re letting me stay here without questioning my motives. I hope I won’t be a burden to any of you.”

“If you can keep my brother and my dad in line, you’d be more of a help than a hindrance,” Karin said. “Anyway, Yuzu tends to snore and fuss in her sleep, so I hope you can deal with that, too.”

Yuzu flushed and threw a pillow at her sister’s bed. “Karin! I don’t snore!”

Siblings showed the oddest resemblances to one another from time to time. Karin's teasing grin was so much like her brother's that it made Rukia smile in return. Ichigo then barged into the room and plunked himself on the edge of her bed to hang out with them. They all talked about their day and mocked each other in that special way only siblings could. It was warm and exasperatedly caring.

All those silly rumors that once passed around Karakura High about her and Ichigo dating would definitely escalate if anyone saw her living with him. It didn’t matter to her either way.

For once, she'd found a place where she didn’t have to worry about being judged. Rukia could dare to be happy. She dared to relax and laugh along with them. The Kurosaki family treated her like she belonged, and that was enough.

                                                               * * *

“Wait, they live together? Are you sure?”

“Of course! Kojima-san went to their house the other day to bring Kurosaki all the homework he missed, and he told me that Kuchiki-san was the one who answered the door! And she took it from him on his behalf! Like she was his girlfriend or something!”

“No way someone as pretty as her would be shacking up with a guy like that, right?”

“I don’t know. You remember how she climbed in through the third-story window and kicked him in the face and smacked him around? If anything, I feel sorry for Kurosaki.”

Now those rumors couldn’t be helped either. Rukia needed somewhere to stay, and like a little pest, she wormed her way into Ichigo's home and his everyday life. And with his month-long Vizard training going on, he wasn’t exactly around to put a stop to them.

The rumors really started to get out of hand once Ichigo, his friends, and all those weird kids who joined in the middle of the semester disappeared at the same time. No one knew where they went, or if they were even alive.

Some theorized that they had all dropped out to form a street gang. Others proposed the idea that Kurosaki and Kuchiki-san had eloped and invited all their friends to the wedding. All of which were extremely ridiculous, but who was to prove them wrong? Certainly not the subjects of the rumors themselves.

Oddly enough, both Asano and Kojima were the first to dismiss any rumors they heard. They seemed less enthusiastic about it, like their friend’s love life was no longer a fun puzzle to work out. They hung a lot more around Arisawa, who was equally morose and exhausted with it all.

Of course, this only fueled the wild rumors further. Perhaps they were bummed out that they weren’t included in whatever escapades Kurosaki and his other friends got involved with.

Then Kurosaki returned. Without any of those weird friends of his. Without that odd Kuchiki girl by his side. 

Kurosaki Ichigo became a recluse, even among those he once called friends.

Perhaps they’d broken up. Maybe she had to move away.

The mystique of their relationship died down pretty quickly after that.

It was not until May of their final year of high school did rumors about Kuchiki Rukia returning circulate around the school. Someone claimed to have seen her hanging around Karakura again. With how eagerly Kurosaki cancelled the rest of his sports team contracts to leave school earlier, it seemed more and more plausible.

Inoue Orihime’s own confirmation that the Kuchiki girl was indeed back only fueled the flames. Apparently, Kuchiki Rukia and all the new kids had to move far away all of a sudden. No, they weren’t all a weird family. No, she would not return to Karakura High.

As for the rumor covering Kuchiki Rukia and Kurosaki Ichigo’s relationship status, Inoue, Arisawa, and Kojima were all tight-lipped on the matter. Despite their best efforts, Asano Keigo was not all that great at keeping secrets, and it only took a bit of pressure for him to crack.

“No, they’re not dating! Can you believe that?” he’d screech at anyone who would listen. “I swear, I’ve tried so hard to hook them up, but nothing I do works! Tell me, what’s a guy gotta do to help his dumbass friend score, huh?”

                                                           * * *

Rukia was in the middle of writing up a report when Ichigo decided to show up for an impromptu visit. Admittedly, it was nice catching up with him, but it did wreck her entire work schedule for the day.

Well, perhaps wreck wasn’t the right word for it. She didn’t mind his company. She just normally finished up faster than this.

The odd look her brother threw her when she requested that they be left alone put her off. It did not help that she had flushed when Renji raised a tattooed eyebrow at her before he left, nor the fact that the servants hushed their giggles when Ichigo looked over his shoulder at them.

“Hey, is something going on around here?” he asked after catching the latest servant stifling a smile as she passed. “The servants have been whispering to each other all day.”

That’s because you decided to barge in so blatantly like you live here, you fool, she wanted to say.

Rukia shrugged affectedly. “People like to talk.”

About us, to be precise.

Ichigo scoffed. “People are always talking about me like I’m some kind of freak because of my hair. I’ve never cared all that much about gossip. It’s all bullshit anyway.”

She set her brush down on the inkstone. “I see. You too, huh?”

“Too?” he repeated, finally looking over at her.

“You heard Nii-sama explain why I was adopted into the Kuchiki clan, correct?” She took his silence as a yes. “The Kuchiki name is a prestigious one, but that notoriety does not come without its costs. The moment I was adopted, I was immediately placed in Squad Thirteen despite never having graduated from the Shinigami Academy. I was deemed a product of nepotism, and the other squad members hated me for it.”

Rukia shut her eyes. The memory of Kaien’s warmth flickered in the back of her mind. That would be a story for another day.

“It may seem ridiculous to you, how such a thing could hurt me.” Her smile did not reach her eyes.

He shook his head. “It’s not ridiculous, Rukia. What’s ridiculous is all the stuff people assumed about you. They don’t even know you.”

“No,” she said. “But even worthless rumors can start to take their toll once enough of them build up.”

“Oh yeah? Well, I’m gonna change that.”

Her smile fell. “How so?”

“We’re friends,” Ichigo said without any hesitation whatsoever. “So anyone who talks shit about you gets the business end of my sword.”

“A little extreme, don’t you think?”

Ichigo snorted but said nothing else.

To alleviate the tension brewing around him, she teased, “And what rumors about yourself have you heard lately? I’ve heard quite a lot. I’ve even been asked to confirm a few, on occasion.”

“Yeah? Like what?”

Rukia turned the various rumors over in her mind, struggling to find the best way to spin it. A joke perhaps? Could he laugh off something like this?

No, Ichigo would probably get embarrassed and storm off to find the cretin who started these unsavory rumors in the first place. She would assume such talk was unbefitting of those who served in the Thirteen Court Guard Squads, but apparently she was mistaken.

“Nothing much. Petty gossip.” She continued writing her report as if such matters didn’t concern her at all. “About you and I, mostly. What we are to each other.”

Ichigo scowled. “Not this again.”

“Unfortunately, yes.”

“It’s like people don’t have anything else to do with their lives. Stop trying to live vicariously through us already.”

Rukia paused. “Live vicariously?”

“Yeah, it’s like when people try to experience stuff through—”

“No, I know what it means. But what did you mean by that?”

The moment he met her eyes, she understood. There was a frantic, helpless gleam to them, but even so, he did not dare look away.

It was not a challenge, but more a question. It was a plea. His confession.

“Oh. I see.”

“Look, I wasn’t trying to…. I mean, it’s not…. This wasn’t the way that I wanted to….”

Ichigo put his head in his hands and took a deep breath. When he finally sat up straight again, he looked her right in the eye. “Rukia, do you want to go out with me?”

“Oh?” She leaned her head in a hand, the corner of her mouth tugging up. “Are you sure you want to prove those rumormongers right?”

He scowled. “This isn't about them! I told you, I don’t give a shit about what other people think. It wasn’t the rumors that made me like you.”

“What a bold thing to admit.” She covered her mouth in mock surprise.

“Ugh, shut up! It’s hard enough to say as it is.”

Rukia began to laugh. “You’re so strange, Ichigo. I like that about you, though.”

He tried and failed to hide how red his face had become. “Don’t make fun of me.”

“I’m not.” Her smile became more genuine then as she reached her hand out to his. “I am happy you asked. Although, I hope you know that it is uncouth of you to drop in on a woman unannounced. According to what I read about courting in the World of the Living, it is also customary to have a chaperone along with us on our dates.”

“Yeah, that’s been outdated for centuries now. What the hell kind of books are you even reading?” he scoffed.

“How rude! And here I was, excited to ask Nii-sama to accompany us for our first date!”

“What? Don’t bring Byakuya into this!”

Their silly bickering echoed all throughout the courtyard. Even still, they did not let go of the other's hand.

                                                             * * *

"Hey, have you heard?"

"That Substitute Shinigami and Lieutenant Kuchiki are dating?"

"Why is this news? Weren't they already a couple?"

"Ah, I see! So I was right all along."

Years and years of speculation, only to have the confession be far more mundane than they hoped.

The funny thing about rumors was, once they were confirmed, they lost their appeal extremely quickly.

Another rumor soon came to take its place.

"Kurosaki Ichigo is a noble? No way!"

"Sure, he looks a lot like Lieutenant Shiba, but isn't he just a human?"

"You sure he didn't just marry into the Kuchiki family?"

And so it goes. And so the rumors circled back once again.

                            If you can say that your heart doesn't change

                                               Then that is strength.

                                                                -

                                       No, nothing can change my world.

The only time a petty rumor is actually one hundred percent true lol. But I mean, it's not hard to disprove with the way they're always looking at each other.

I suppose this fic can kind of fit in the same AU as Home and Clearing Away the Rain. Maybe consider it a prequel of sorts, if you like!

Thanks for reading! Until next time!

[rayshippouuchiha]

Kaien takes one look at Ichigo, hears her last name is Kurosaki, and goes “bullshit”

TYPICALLY CHILDREN HAVE 2 PARENTS GENETICALLY.

Like I know it says Kaien wants to know which ancestor/relative/whatever he needs to hunt down and murder for depriving the Shiba’s of the delight of getting to raise Ichigo.

But like for all he knows it was someone on the maternal side of her family that was a Shiba.

Like, I get what you're saying but I feel like maybe you're misunderstanding the situation/circumstances?

Soul Society has a deeply rooted Clan system and at this time the Shiba Clan would have still been in power. They, apparently, had power and prestige along the lines of the Kuchiki and Shihoin Clans and only fell from power after Kaien died.

The point of history that Ichigo gets thrown back to? Kaien is alive and well and so the Shiba Clan is too. Any marriages and children born to or from Shiba Clan members would have been recorded and kept track of. Noble Clans do not let Noble Blood just wander around and breed without keeping track of them.

It could even be argued that, given their prestige, people would be more likely to marry into the Shiba Clan instead of out of it. And any who did marry out of Clan would still carry some portion of Shiba Clan Honor with them.

So Kaien is, basically, staring at the closest thing any of them have ever seen to a female demi-god wearing the feminine version of his face and going ... where the hell did you come from and why didn't we know? Because a new soul (and it would have to be a new soul given their shared looks) being born with the obviously blinding spiritual strength Ichigo has and growing into features that practically scream of a more than passing relation to the Shiba should have been known.

[hezuart]

Okay so 3 things

1) I deadass am so bad at reading things that when I saw you say "73 page chapter" I read 73 chapters and immediately went "OH NO", but I'm right there with you on that feeling of dread honestly

2) if Kubo is trying so damn hard to push Ichika/Kazui why didn't he just....yknow....make IchiRuki the endgame— (I'll always be salty about it to, I'm a filthy OC x Canon shipper with a certain glasses clad boy who was done dirty, but I still think he should've been the one to end up with Hime)

3) I'm right there with you on Chad and Hime being basically useless, which, as a latina who loved anime so much growing up, I was so happy to see hispanic representation in a time where people weren't actively pushing for it, like, wow!! He's just there just because!!! But then he was somehow more useless than Ichigo's siblings which hurt me deeply! Chad deserved better and the fullbring arc should've actually MEANT SOMETHING

1.) i MEAN.... LOOK MAN ITS APPARENTLY A NEW ARC SO AS FAR AS WE KNOW THIS VERY WELL COULD BE ANOTHER 73 CHAPTERS

Kubo has a very hard time getting to the point, he tends to drag things along and add more characters that clutter up the plot.

2.) Yeah Ichika / Kazui don't really have chemistry to me, though we really have only seen them interact like once? like I said before, it's like a Renji x Orihime, and I do not see it working out at all, (those two don't even know each other, nor are they friends. )

Of course, Kazui and Ichika have slightly differing personalities from their parents, but they're kids, and Kazui is a demon while Ichika is somewhat normal (ironically) So I think this ship is a really bad idea.

I can definitely see Kubo doing this Ichika x Kazui thing as some weird form of damage control, which is really only going to upset people more.

what is most infuriating is that Ichika and Kazui seem to sneak off to both SS and the living world however much they want to see each other (or other people from the other sides), meanwhile Rukia didn't visit Ichigo for like... YEARS when he was struggling and failing to adjust to his human life after he lost his powers and i'm like??? Excuse me what is that about?

Rukia had a death wish, everyone in SS (Ukitake and Kaien are exceptions) wanted to kill her / ignored her/ didn't care about her, (Including Renji and Byakuya)

Ichigo had the same welcoming personality of the man she was in love with, Rukia never actually knew what it meant to be human... I mean Rukia Kuchiki's entire arc was supposed to be about Death learning how to live and love. She learned what family is. She learned what friends are. She learned what faith is. She learned about new tech and kindness and juice and...... She was given the world, and yet she chose death. That will never make sense to me. That's when BLEACH officially lost sight of what it was meant to be.

and yeah having Orihime get with Ichigo instead of Uryu hurt already, but Kubo made it worse by taking Uryu off the team. That whole speech about how he's doing this "for his friends" and yet in the end they're not even friends? He's not even in the final cover page. Uryu should have just joined Yhwach and killed 'em all for a single world. Would have shockingly made more sense than all this.

~~~

3. Yeah the FULLBRING arc was completely useless. I've seen people attempt to defend it, but literally, nothing happens. Ichigo just gets his powers back. None of the fullbringers really matter, we never learn who Ginjo and Tsukishima are and their pasts and how Xcution came to really be... it's legit a repeat of the Vizard recruitment mixed with Kokuto's Hell betrayal plot lines. Riruka was the only character I cared about. Everyone else was just "meh". Orihime and Chad are fullbringers yet we didn't explore their powers nor gain independence realizing their powers are their own and not gained from Ichigo like they originally thought in the first arc, etc.. (also wtf Orihime's brother was sent to soul society and she never seeks him out / finds him????? What's that about? And how is Keigo more powerful than Tatsuki? How has Tatsuki not become a fullbringer? That's bullshit)

But yeah Chad and Orihime became the most useless characters in BLEACH. Orihime is hated more because she hogs (and wastes) the most screen time by not developing or helping, while Chad is just off-screen. I could make a 40 min / hour long video about how Orihime and Chad are failed characters. Arc 1 they're golden. After that, they're just goners.

~~