Unfinished Gems

Changes - 6

A random member of the sixth burst into Byakuya's office, clearly bewildered.

"What is it? I'm busy."

"Byakuya-taicho! There is a rumor that someone who looks exactly like you is wandering the Seireitei in a maid costume!"

Renji withheld his snickers, clearly remembering that little incident. The brush in Byakuya's hand snapped in two from anger.

"Where was this...fake...sighted?" he asked in a strained voice.

If he ever caught Haru, he was going to strangle the boy bare handed!

"The imposter was last seen heading towards the fourth barracks, Sir!"

Byakuya was gone. The papers fell off his desk while Renji burst out laughing now that Byakuya was safely out of hearing. He had little doubt the man would kill him without hesitating if he could get away with it.

He kept on laughing...until he realized the random soul reaper was still there, and he was grinning like an imp. Then he realized that the random soul reaper...was the same kid who had morphed into Byakuya in the world of the living, in a full maid costume.

"Want the pictures Ikkaku and Yumichika took?"

"Ran into them, did you?"

"We came to an...arrangement. Ichigo got to have his fight, and they left with plenty of blackmail material."

Renji agreed to Haru's terms, since it meant he would have evidence on hand that Byakuya looked good in a maid costume.

He couldn't wait to sell it to the man's fan club.

As a result of that little prank, Haru had practically unlimited alibis in the Seireitei. As long as he kept Byakuya on a wild goose chase, the man couldn't blow his cover as the master of Muramasa and as a Ryoka.

He really loved magical doppelgangers. By the time Byakuya figured out that trick, Haru would have caused enough havoc that the soul reapers would have more difficulty stopping them from rescuing Rukia.

~

Haru stared, as he felt Ichigo's power flare around Kenpachi Zaraki. Normally he would use Muramasa to back his brother up, but the fact was that Ichigo needed this lesson. He had noted with some concern that ever since he gained Zangetsu, his brother had treated him like some object.

He rarely if ever talked about his sword spirit, which meant that he wasn't in tune with his sword at all.

Zangetsu clearly noticed that, and he wasn't very happy about it.

Which was why Haru was going to allow Kenpachi to nearly kill his brother. Ichigo needed this lesson if he was to stand a chance at defeating Byakuya, let alone any of the other soul reapers.

He found himself joined by a small girl with pink hair. She was clearly Kenpachi's tiny lieutenant Yachiru. When she saw him, she gave him a look before going back to her captain.

Haru took that as a sign to sit next to her, as he brought out some chocolate covered pretzels. He held them out to her in question, and it didn't take long for the two to start cheering their respective fighter like sports spectators.

Ichigo would have been highly annoyed...if he could hear Haru and Yachiru at the moment.

Once Ichigo finally opened up to his sword partner, the tide of the battle changed. Yachiru wasn't too concerned about Zaraki, because he lived for fights like this.

When Ichigo dealt the last blow, Haru waited until he sensed Yoruichi nearby before helping Yachiru carry her captain off.

As Zaraki lay on that building, he looked at his sword with weary eyes.