Two Souls, One Story

The Land of the Living

"I still can't believe Gin let you go with me!" Rukia shouted happily as they entered the Senkaimon. "What did you do to convince him?"

"Oh, we have a wager that I can both find him a delicious treat and finish three seats worth of paperwork in a day," Izuru waved a dismissive hand to the Hell Butterfly escorting them. It tried to land on his head. "If I win, Captain Ichimaru has to let me go to the World of the Living at least once a week, so long as paperwork and my other Lieutenant duties are not shirked." 

Rukia beamed up at Izuru as they stepped into the World of the Living. They stood right outside a forested area. "This is where she usually meditates." She said as she turned towards the treeline. "There's a small waterfall just through there. It's really pretty there. Maybe you can get some inspiration for your poetry here, too."

"It will be weird if I don't write some, huh?" Izuru said, looking around with interest. "Following you."

She snickered softly and led the way. "It would be strange. Anyway it's this way!" She pointed through a gently worn path and with the natural grace of a noble, she led her tall friend through the trees. 

It was a quiet walk, birds chirping overhead with a gentle breeze. She followed the sound of running water until they stepped through the treeline.

There Masaki stood with her bow ready. 

"Hiya!" Rukia chirped. Waving. "It's been a while, Masaki-chan!"

"Rukia-nee?" Her bow lowered and she blinked.

"My you've gotten so big! We're probably around the same age now!" Said Rukia, being physically about 13 or 14 years old at this point. A chill ran down her spine, and she looked over her shoulder to see Izuru staring Masaki down, a thin brow raised high into the air.

"So are you a shoot first, ask questions later kind of teenager or is this a new version of 'hello'?" Izuru asked with a hand on his hip, opposite of his Zanpakuto. He walked out from behind Rukia, but never got closer to Masaki. He instead found a nice patch of wild flower, crouched, and started plucking off different petals. His back was completely facing her and, apparently, vulnerable.

Rukia rolled her eyes. 

Masaki watched him with a bewildered expression. "What is with you? You shouldn't expose yourself like that! I could kill you!"

"You couldn't actually." Rukia smiled. "I wanted to introduce you to one of my best friends!"

"I told you, we can't be friends! We're enemies!" She faltered, her bow disappearing as she dropped her hands.

Rukia just smiled and went to crouch with Izuru, curiously watching him pluck the petals.

"These make great tea if you dry them and add clove, according to Kira," Izuru added that last bit in a hushed whisper. He took out a handkerchief and gently wrapped his bounty in the silk, tucking it into his sleeve.

Rukia hummed softly in response, nodding a bit. She could faintly remember reading something like that in one of her books a few years back.

He then stood up and faced Masaki with his head cocked to the side. "Look, who told you that you had to be enemies with Rukia?"

Rukia smiled wider as she looked up at Masaki who seemed to be irked, her brow twitching a bit. "What? I'm a quincy! We're natural-born enemies!" She snapped.

"Ohhhh... See, I just thought you were a weird kid with a bow. My mistake." Izuru smacked his forehead with the full force of his palm, but he kept on grinning. "So, technically speaking. My Captain has ordered me that if I ever found a Quincy, I'm supposed to kill them..."