((Disclaimer: We don’t own Bleach. I own Ellie.))

This is a collaborative story written by both carrietheninja and zapenbits

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Ellie let out deep breath, leaning against a sturdy wall just outside the area designated for the sixth division of the thirteen court guard squads or the Gotei Thirteen. Blowing the bangs out of her face, she looked toward the sky with weary eyes the color of the sea at dawn; a sort of murky blue with splashes of varying hues. She had been waiting on this day for a long time, the day that she would actually be considered a shinigami.

Reaching back, she absentmindedly tightened her messy bun of blonde hair. Her heart was working overtime as she tried to appear calm and collected. ‘I don’t even know where to go. What if I--ugh! I worked too hard to obsess over my first day!’ Biting her lip, she let her fingers trace lightly over the hilt of her zanpakuto as her mind drifted to the past.

Ellie was always small for her age.

Growing up in Rukongai was difficult as it was, let alone constantly being picked on. She had learned at an early age not to trust. Trust begets vulnerability. To be vulnerable is to feel pain. Showing pain is for the weak.

She could not afford to be weak.

Eventually she stumbled upon an old building that was being used as a place to stay for a lot of the kids in that district. Sure, it was cramped and noisy, but it was somewhere that she could return to everyday. The occupants ranged in age from small children to varying stages of adolescence.

Living in such a dangerous part of soul society was tough. There was no other way to put it. Yet, a comradery formed among those that had spent a better portion of their childhood together. It was nice to walk in and hear a chorus of greetings. What you did, you did for the group. That’s just the way it was. Not every day was miserable.

Life is what you make of it.

Although there were many well into their teens, one boy seemed to be the leader of the group of misfits. Maybe it was because he was so easy to distinguish with bright red hair pulled back into a spiky ponytail. Either way… that guy, Abarai Renji, he always had a scowl on his face and everyone seemed to listen to him.

In a world where nobody was supposed to be hungry, it was hard to rationalize the pangs of hunger that plagued some of them. Often times he went out of his way to provide for everyone, sharing the rewards of his less-than-legal ventures. Then again, what did laws mean to a bunch of outcasts?

She admired him.

He was five years her senior. That made him twelve when she made her home with him and the others at the tender age of seven. Even though the majority of the responsibility was placed on his shoulders, she never once saw him falter. He was always so determined.

Renji didn’t look strong. He was scrawny and in a perpetual bad mood. In fact, the only time she saw him smile was around that girl, Rukia… the one with the raven hair and wide violet eyes. They were inseparable, even if they were mostly bickering. Those two, along with a few other boys, basically led the pack.

Ellie kept to herself mostly. Even in a group of the recluse, she didn’t felt like she could really belong. She kept a cool exterior, hesitant to vocalize her concerns to anyone. She must have seemed like quite the loner, always a student of observation. Maybe that’s why he didn’t pay attention to her.

She grew infatuated with him. The way he spoke so deliberately… the way he moved and commanded attention… the way his brows knit when he became frustrated. With each day that passed, he trained and conditioned himself for a better life. He was always competing with that girl… the one that made his eyes soften.

Still, the respect she felt for him didn’t waver as the years went by.

Times were tough. Death was a presence that seemed to linger around their hideout. It claimed the lives of the three boys that were fortunate enough to be in Renji and Rukia’s tight circle. After that, the unlikely duo didn’t come around much.

Their visits were less and less frequent until they eventually stopped coming all together. Someone said that they had left for the academy. That meant they would finally be the ones to get out. They would become shinigami and live in the Seireitei. They were destined for greater things.

…Things went downhill after they left.

In wake of their guidance, she had stepped forward to assume the role of the alpha female. There’s nothing quite like the burden of responsibility being thrust upon someone to break a shy exterior. Over the next several years, she became stronger on the inside and out. The few others that remained, respected her in that position.

Even though he was long gone, she couldn’t keep her mind off of him. She wanted to see how he was doing. Had he graduated? Did he get assigned to one of the divisions? Was Rukia still with him? What was she to him anyway?

Regardless of how hard she tried to maintain balance in the otherwise chaotic lives of the younger kids, she never seemed to measure up. She couldn’t be that strong and it wasn’t for lack of trying. During the day she would scavenge for supplies and during the night she would train until passing out from exhaustion. She wanted to show him, someday, that she wasn’t just someone to look past.

Hell, the more she pushed herself, the more her driving desire to become like him turned to bitterness. That bitterness was left to fester into loathing. The loathing boiled into hate.

He would always be just out of her reach.

No matter what she did, she could not compete with someone three steps ahead of her. Or that’s what logic told her. She didn’t believe in logic.

The day that she left Rukongai for the academy, she swore to surpass him. If it meant chasing after him the rest of her life, she would beat him. He would have to see her then.

“Are you going to stand there all day?” A large man with dark cropped hair snapped, crossing his arms. “Everyone is to assemble in the courtyard. Kuchiki-taichō is going to address all the new unseated squad members before the ceremony to induct the new fukutaichō.”

“New fukutaichō?” The blonde wondered aloud, blinking from her stupor. “What do you m--?”

He was already trotting toward a steady throng of people, moving toward where she presumed to be the courtyard.

“Hey! Wait!” She glared, stalking after him.

The sound of murmuring seemed to echo around the open area, surrounded by a few buildings. She hadn’t seen the inside of them yet, but she could assume they housed the offices, barracks, and other such necessities. There was a stage somewhere in the front, presumably for the ceremony.

The man disappeared into a large group that had assembled in front of the stage.

Standing on her tiptoes, she tried to catch a glimpse of what was going on. If there was anything she hated, it was being out of the loop. Not knowing what was going on made her feel uncomfortable. “Excuse me, what’s going on?” She tapped someone on the shoulder.

All sound ceased as the calm regal voice that unmistakably belonged to Kuchiki Byakuya pierced the silence. In the back, they could not discern his words to make out coherent sentences.

A girl that looked no older than Ellie turned around, looking slightly put off. “We have a new fukutaichō.” She whispered, waving off the question while she strained to hear.

“Oh.” The blonde responded only to be shushed as she pushed through the crowd, trying to catch a glimpse of what was happening.

Something else was said and there was a rousing round of applause. Blinking, she clapped her hands in unison with the group before the excitement died down.

Someone else was speaking now. His voice rumbled lowly from the front and then there was applause again.

Pursing her lips, Ellie pushed through the sea of people again. Every few steps she would jump up, trying to see what was happening. It was to no avail. ‘Don’t these people know how to project their voices any louder or do they think the lowly recruits don’t deserve to hear? These nobles are all the same.’

Blushing, she recalled the events that had unfolded a few hours prior.

“Right this way, Elethea.” A gangly shinigami lead the way through an impossible corridor. He was tall with greasy black hair. His face, which was turned away from her as he scanned the halls, was acne-ridden in the worst sense of the word. His eyes were covered with thick rimmed glasses that fell down the bridge of his nose continuously. The poor man looked like he didn’t have any friends, though she really had no right to judge. It wasn’t like she had anyone waiting for her.

She brought her hands together and stared at the wrinkles in the dark material covering his back. Her own shinigami uniform clung to her body perfectly, yet had maintained a sense of modesty due to the nature of the robes.

His conversation skills were awkward, at best. She didn’t wish to speak. Her mouth formed a thin line as she nodded or shook her head to answer his inquiries.

Her bangs were falling in front of her eyes again.

Hastily averting her gaze, Ellie turned her head to look at the dull wooden walls. Bare wooden paneling stretched from floor to ceiling, contrasting with the stark nature of the hallway. It was dimly lit, making it hard to see the doors that seemed to randomly appear out of nowhere.

“Here it is.” He motioned toward the door at his right.

The room housed pristinely white walls and a tile floor. There was a table in the middle of the room with two cushions on either side of it. On the table, two teacups framed a ceramic teapot that sat proudly in the middle.

Ellie slipped past the man as he cleared his throat “Kuchiki-taichō wishes for you to make yourself at home. He should be here within the next few minutes.”

She nodded again and the man slid the door shut. She sighed, crossing the room to kneel on one of the cushions. Not bothering to touch the tea, she put her hands on top of the table and stared at them.

Somehow, she couldn’t believe she was here. It had been so hard to leave her former life behind, though she didn’t know why. It wasn’t like she had anything to leave behind. Things had gotten pretty dire…

Ellie was a very good listener. She knew what someone was talking about twenty feet away from her. Like now, for instance, she could surmise that she had become the topic of conversation for two men outside the thin doors. They were probably the type to go and get drunk after their shift. That’s how most of them were. If a hollow didn’t kill them, that damn liquor would.

“That girl in there… pretty hot, huh?” A man droned on. His voice sounded somewhat familiar. Her face was tinted pink, though she didn’t know why.

A second voice grunted in agreement. “Yeah, but forget it. She’s as cold as hell.”

“…Isn’t that a bit ironic?”

Then there was no more. She could hear the padding of shoes walking away and Ellie knew that the two shinigami were returning to their duties, leaving her there all alone. That was the way she wanted it anyway.

She didn’t like being around people. Even while she was in her ‘home’ so many years ago, she didn’t have any friends. Sure, she had been in a few fights, but she had never really had friends before. Not that any of them gave her the time of day…

Deciding she was a bit thirsty, Ellie poured herself a cup of tea. She sipped it rhythmically while she waited. The captain was taking so long. She had heard back at the academy how unyielding he was when it came to the rules. Wouldn’t he also be the type to be here on time…?

What if something happened?

Deciding it was better not to overreact, the blonde busied herself with straightening her robes and fussing with her hair a bit. She brushed her bangs out of her face somewhat impatiently.

She was about ready to pour herself another cup of tea, when she heard footsteps and then the door slid open. She felt a burst of spiritual pressure that was almost suffocating and then the door closed.

Ellie looked up; ready to stand when she caught the sight of one of the strongest men in the Seireitei: Kuchiki Byakuya. He was tall and handsome with long black hair and an immaculate uniform. He was strict too; she could tell by his facial expression that he was the no nonsense type.

First impressions were predetermined by fate to be horrible. Nothing ever went right. This was not the exception.

She momentarily forgot the tea that she loosely clutched in one hand as she scrambled to get to her feet in a futile attempt to bow. In that moment of stupidity, she lost her grip on the ceramic teacup.

It fell from her hand in slow motion.

Everywhere.

It splattered everywhere… on the floor, on his shoes, and even on the hem of his captain’s attire.

Her face was on fire.

Her only intention had been to make a good impression on the man that she would have to face just about every day for the rest of spirit-life until the day she died.

…Which could have easily been at that moment.

Nervously, she looked up to meet her captain’s disapproving gaze. He was looking down at her, his eyes cold and terrifying. Ellie immediately backed up with a flourishing bow, dropping her head so she wouldn’t have to see those eyes again.

“I apologize, Kuchiki-taichō! I-I didn’t mean to! It’s just that…”

“It’s just that?” He repeated in a slow smoldering tone, sending her heart into palpitations.

“I was just so nervous that I tripped and--!”

“Being nervous about an event or a situation is not an excuse. You need to take full responsibility for yourself and your actions… or you will die.”

Swallowing a lump forming in her throat, she nodded vigorously. “I’m sorry, sir. It won’t happen again.”

“The division will be assembling in the courtyard shortly. See to it that you make your way there.” He pressed the matter by raising his eyebrows, as if to suggest that she might screw that up as well. “A mid-afternoon meal is served in the mess hall around noon. You are dismissed.”

And then he was gone.

“--two weeks, you will have the opportunity to fight for seat rankings. That said, to those of you who are new, I suggest that you make the most of the training that starts now. Align yourselves in a block formation and await further orders. The rest of you are dismissed.” Byakuya’s even voice met her ears.

Scurrying to make a better impression, she darted through the remaining people and tagged herself onto the end of a line being formed. Straightening to a rigid posture, she tucked her arms in at her sides and looked forward.

The minutes seemed to creep by slowly while the other members made their exit to return to their previously determined activities and functions. She didn’t want to risk looking around to see what was going on around her. Someone was making their way down the line from the end farthest to her.

Doing it that way, she would be last. ‘Great. That just means I am the last one they draw conclusions from.’ Hardening her gaze, she swallowed hastily.

The courtyard was empty now, aside from the recruits and the man whom she assumed to be the new fukutaichō. She could hear his deep voice address someone a few people away. Her heartbeat quickened despite herself.

Before she knew it, her gaze was met with the stiff black material of a kimono. She froze, subconsciously holding her breath as she stared at the abdomen of her new superior.

“Name?”

“Elethea, sir. Please refer to me as Ellie.” Her words were crisp and succinct.

“Ellie, huh?” The man bent forward, meeting her eyes. “I see.”

In the briefest manner possible, she let her gaze drift over his broad shoulders, the strangest tribal markings that appeared as dark tattoos on his neck, and a strong angular jaw. She squirmed under his scrutiny, looking into his eyes. Something about him made her feel really uncomfortable.

He straightened to his full height again, patting her on the shoulder as he made his way back up to the front. That’s when she saw him completely for the first time. Familiar crimson hair, sticking every which direction from a high pony tail that could belong to only one man, intruded upon her vision.

Her eyes must have been as big as saucers and her throat felt dry. ‘There’s no way…’ Her heart was pounding now. ‘Renji?’

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Half an hour later, everyone was spread out. There were eleven recruits that year that had entered into the sixth division, an unprecedented number due to high enrollment at the academy. Combined with the previous unseated members, there had to be at least fifty people around the courtyard. Under the supervision of their new superior officer, they were sparring with assigned partners.

Ironically enough, Ellie had been given the girl that had shushed her during the ceremony. Granted, the girl was quick on her feet, but she still seemed a little too practiced. It was like she was going through a script of moves rather than feeling out her opponent

The blonde dodged a fairly obvious attack, slightly distracted. ‘That can’t be him. I’m sure there are plenty of guys that have red hair. I’m being obsessive again.’ She caught the other girl’s wrist, inches from her face, and twisted her arm back to throw off her center of balance. ‘Besides, this guy is huge and has tattoos.’ Her mind conjured up an image of the boy she had spent the majority of her adolescence chasing after, figuratively speaking. ‘It wasn’t him.’

The other girl yelped in surprise, landing roughly on her bottom. The fight had barely occupied a single minute. Not that it wasn’t expected, Ellie was quite skillful in hand to hand combat. Her instincts had always been keen, but the academy had polished a great deal of technique within her. Despite her small stature, she was exceedingly agile and resourceful in battle.

With a blank expression, she offered her hand. The girl sneered and swatted her gesture away, gathering her wits and storming to the other side of the clustered group in their assigned quarter. The first hour was devoted solely to testing their hakuda or physical ability in unarmed fighting.

The next sparring match was even shorter than the first, as Ellie continued to scan the crowds for the man in charge. Even though she had convinced herself it wasn’t him, she wanted to make sure that the superiors were catching her at her best. Patting her clothes off, she looked up as a shadow cast over her.

An imposing man with shoulder length brown hair stood there with his arms crossed. “What’s a little girl doin’ over here causin’ such a fuss?” He nodded to someone behind her and before she knew what was happening, her feet left the ground as someone locked their arms under hers.

A small crowd had gathered around, but no one saw it fit to intervene.

Ellie’s eyes darkened. Being in the Seireitei didn’t change a damn thing from growing up in Rukongai. People were still inherently bad.

She abruptly brought her legs up and kicked the first man in the solar plexus. He stumbled backwards, catching his breath. Jerking her head back suddenly, there was a sickening crack as her captor’s nose dislocated. He grunted and recoiled as if burned. Landing swiftly on her feet, she felt the back of her head. A line of crimson blood trickled down her fingers. Sighing, she dodged an attack from a third man.

So, this was the way it was going to be.

The next several minutes were a blur as the sparring quickly escalated into an all out brawl. She could only guess that these were unseated shinigami that had seniority and years of bitterness to fuel their ignorance. They came at her two at a time, rushing in from all angles. The commotion that their corner of the courtyard was creating didn’t seem to faze anyone.

There was no time to think as they came at her. Blindly, she rushed forward, leaping up and pushing off of one to kick the other in the jaw. Her heart was racing and her breaths came ragged and uneven. So far she was keeping up with about seven of them. Others were strewn about the ground, groaning and shaking to get back up.

Someone clamped a hand down on her shoulder, surging her adrenaline again. Gripping the material of his uniform and pulling it toward her, she pressed her hip against the side of his leg. In one swift motion, she threw him forward to land on his back with a thud that seemed to echo in slow motion.

People backed away, their eyes impossibly wide.

Blinking, she didn’t have time to process their reactions before her own legs were swept out from under her. It was a force like being hit by a truck. Her back stung as it made contact with the ground. Seconds later, the man was back on his feet and towering over her.

“Fu…fukutaichō…” She stammered, her mind racing.

He grunted, planting a foot firmly on her chest to prevent her from moving. “Who started this?” His harsh words were clipped and authoritative.

She stared up at him with a mask of bewilderment. From this vantage point, he was quite the intimidating man. Her body was frozen, unsure of what to do.

A silence fell over those that had gathered around or lay incapacitated on the ground.

“That’s quite enough.”

Her eyes slid over to catch a glimpse of white material. Following the material, she felt her heart nearly burst from her chest. Kuchiki Byakuya stood there, daunting as ever, radiating a cool sense of danger. “You.” He didn’t point. He didn’t need to.

The men that had attacked her bowed hastily, averting his gaze.

“The barracks are to be cleaned within the hour. Go.” His calm façade never broke once as he spoke.

There was a collective acknowledgment as the men nodded and gave one more bow out of respect to their superior officers before sprinting for one of the buildings.

He addressed the remaining onlookers as if they were gnats that flew about, bothering him. “…As you were.”

Everyone broke back up into pairs. Counting from the ground, Ellie could make out twelve of them left in their corner. That meant that she would be the odd one out.

“You handled yourself well.” The captain’s voice snapped her out of her stupor.

She tilted her head back to look at him, her eyes wide again. “T-thank you, Kuchiki-taichō! I did my best, sir!”

“Renji, I trust that you will handle the remainder of the training.”

“Yes, sir!” The redhead gave a curt nod, stepping back.

With that, Byakuya was gone.

The background seemed to fade as she stared up at the vice-captain. Her eyes glazed over a little. ‘Did he… just say Renji? Wait, did the captain just compliment me?!’

“Are you going to stare at me or are you going to get up?” He growled, furrowing his brows.

It WAS him. Obviously being made to look the fool in front of the captain had gotten under his skin.

“I…uh…” She rolled over and pushed herself to her feet. “I’m sorry.” Shifting her weight, she wasn’t sure what to do. Everyone was already paired up. She didn’t want to look stupid by just walking--

“I will be your opponent.” He dropped into a defensive stance. “And don’t think that you’re any good because you threw me earlier. It’s not like I was going to hit one of the recruits when she was getting ganged up on.” He sneered.

This was it. After all these years, she would finally test her skills against the man she had been comparing herself to. She never thought it would come so soon. “Understood.” Smirking, she dropped into her own stance.

And so it began.

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PREVIEW for next chapter

“You hold your zanpakuto like you’re holding a sword in front of you.” He took a few steps, stopping a few feet behind her.

“…I can see how that would be a problem.” Her tone practically dripped with sarcasm as she rolled her eyes.

Furrowing his brows, he chose to ignore her. “Your zanpakuto has to be an extension of you… your soul.”

End PREVIEW

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((A/N:

Carrietheninja - Introductory chapters are always the most difficult to write! It’s a lot of backstory, introducing characters, and generally weaving things into a complicated mess. Ridiculous amounts of gratitude to those of you that are reading this, are about to review, and plan to check out the next chapter. It will get more interesting! I promise! :grins:

Zapenbits – Me too! I promise as well! Goodness! Originally, this was just a BLOB of writing and was like, thirty pages, and now, we’ve condensed it down to your first chapter! So yay, ! I hope you enjoyed it! Please review and tell us what you think!

Carrietheninja – Yes, so please stick with it. If you aren’t particularly fond of it, give the next chapter a read too. Ellie (OC) is not as one-dimensional as you may surmise from this chapter. There’s going to be all sorts of evolution in this story! Oh, I have to say this… :coughs: As always, questions, comments, reviews, greetings, concerns, etc. are all welcome! Have a great weekend!))