Noble Love - Bleach (Kuchiki Byakuya x Oc x A bit of Various)

一

It was another busy morning in Karakura Town. Working people were leaving their homes after greeting their loved ones farewell and rushing to their workplace. Children soon followed, wearing their school uniforms and carrying their schoolbags as they began walking or cycling to their schools. Some of their parents, who weren't keen on letting their children walking on the streets, dropped them off at the school gate before going off to continue their day. Stray animals were leaving their homes and began looking for food to feed their younglings. It was another day for a new beginning for everyone.

Somewhere hidden in one of the dark alleys, a portal suddenly opened. Despite the agonising screams coming out from it, they were inaudible to everyone who were walking pass the alley. At that moment, a pair of fair-skinned feet stepped out from the portal, and the person exited in time for it to close behind them. There stood a curvaceous woman with silky, long black hair, and the light reflected in her brown eyes made them seem to sparkle, as she looked around with wonder and curiosity.

'So this it - the Human World grandfather told me about.' she thought before confusion set in. 'But where am I in this world? I can't go back to Soul Society right now. My reiatsu is almost drained from that mission. I have to find a place to stay to rest. But where?'

"Well, well." came a familiar voice, along with a pair of clogs clanking on the ground with each step the person took. "Who do we have here?"

She turned to the source and her eyes widened with surprise, followed by a smile flickering across her face. "Urahara-san!" she greeted. "It has been a while!"

Urahara was a tall, lean-built man with light skin and grey eyes. His light blond hair was messy and had some strands framing the sides of the face, hanging between his eyes. He also had some chin stubble. Instead of his Shihakusho and white captain's haori, he wore a dark coat, which sport a white diamond pattern along its bottom half, a dark green shirt and pants underneath. His outfit was completed with a pair of traditional Japanese wooden sandals and a striped dark green and white bucket hat that shadowed his eyes.

The said man grinned at her. "My, my!" he said while eying the woman. "You've grown a lot, Asa-chan! A fine one, I might say!" She blushed at the comment, making his grin grow wider before he let out a cough. "Anyway, what brings you here? I thought you'd go back to Soul Society after twenty years in Hell?"

"I'd just completed the mission right before opening the portal." she began with a small smile. "But the last lost soul was giving me quite a battle. My reiatsu right now is drained, and I need a place to rest before I go back."

"I see." he hummed before a thought went through his mind. "If that's the case, you can rest at my shop!"

Asa looked at him, blinking owlishly. "Your shop?" she repeated with confusion. "I didn't know you have one."

"But now you do." he responded. Urahara went up to her and slung an arm around her shoulders. "Come! While we walk, let's talk about what happened while you were gone." Although he seemed chirpy and jovial, Asa took note of the tone in his voice at the end of the sentence, which she gave her the impression that things had indeed changed since she was gone. As soon as she nodded, she used Flash Step to get to his shop as he led her towards there.

"So what happened?" she asked as they jumped from roof to roof of homes and shops. "We can save the older events for later, if there's an urgent matter at hand right now."

"Well, you see, Kuchiki Rukia had given a human her Shinigami powers." he began briefly. "But this is against the rules, so she was brought back to Soul Society. This human, Kurosaki Ichigo decided to go and rescue her."