Chapter 1: A Dark and Stormy Night 1/2

Hello all, just a quick Author's note before we go on ahead to say Hello and wish you well before you start reading.

So this is not my first Bleach Fanfiction, I actually wrote a couple of fanfics years ago but took them down because I lost inspiration for them. However, when I heard the news that the Bleach Anime was being renewed for one last season I could not resist the urge to start up writing for the fandom again and after a lot of revision of old OC's and plot I finally came up with this story. Yes, there will be some romance in this story however it will not be the absolute main focus of the plot.

To clear up any confusion before you dive in, this Fic starts roughly 55-45 years before the beginning of the Bleach storyline, which means it starts off dealing with a lot of your favourite canon characters in their earlier stages (i.e. Renji, Momo, Kira and Hisagi are all fresh out of the Academy, Gin is still Aizen's lieutenant, Kaien is still alive, Ichigo's mad dad Isshin is still a Shinigami and so on and so forth).

Just to add in the usual disclaimer - I own only the plot of this fic and its OC's, any info/story/characters created by Tite Kubo belong to him etc etc!

Anyways I hope you enjoy reading and looking forward to seeing you on the other side ;)

Chapter 1 – A Dark and Stormy Night

It was a dark and stormy night…a cliché by most standards and yet so often it is the kind of night where one is bound to find something unique. Something that will change the world as we know it in ways too strange and to incredible to explain.

It was also the kind of night Kokoro Shiraki loved most of all. Because for her, everything important in her life seemed to happen on a dark, stormy night; starting from fifty-five years ago, the day her after-life began.

The forest swayed with the howling wind. Lightning flashed above the dense canopy, it's light briefly flickering through the gaps between leaves allowing a dark grey sky to be seen. Rain lashed down from the heavens with such force each drop threatened to concuss every being unfortunate enough to stand beneath them. The muddy ground was so sludgy that each droplet from above splashed violently down as they landed.

The worst of all though was the deep rumble of thunder that rolled through the air, a roar so deep, so earth-shaking and bone-numbing that one would think a giant celestial beast prowled the dark skies above.

It was such a sound that made the small group of men in black shihakuso shiver even as they trudged through the dense forest.

"Captain Shiraki! This storm isn't letting up. Maybe we should come back tomorrow-" The smallest man, with a nervous rabbit-like face, called through the tall ghostly white columns.

"No, we have our orders. We find the source of these strange weather cells and make sure they are taken care of!" the Captain, a tall, handsome lean man with long black hair and a small top knot with greying temples called out. On his back, he wore a long white haori with the number three emblazoned in black on the back.

"But sir-"

"No buts Hamada, keep going till we find the source that's an-Damn it!" the Captain winced as a harsh gust of wind suddenly swept past his face.

His men fell back quickly, sheltering themselves from the oncoming spray of rainwater that echoed as it bounced off the tree trunks around them.

Yet Captain Kenji Shiraki of the Third Squad was not deterred, and with a great grunt of effort pressed on through the storm, not heeding the sloshing sound beneath his feet as they got covered in mud. He was near the eye of the storm, he knew it. He could see, just beyond the fierce winds and the spray of water the silhouette of a small hut amidst the trees, unmoving and untouched.

"Secure the perimeter!" he called back to his still frightened men. "I'm going in!"

Ignoring the loud protests of his squad behind him Captain Shiraki, all but charged into the forest ahead, his sword raised high, ready for action.

He could see the hut almost clearly now. It was in a small dark clearing of the trees. Well, it was not really a hut, more of a wooden hovel with a roof…or at least a few slats on top bound with a flimsy rope that looked like it would snap at any moment.

And yet, despite its dilapidation, it still stood strong against the storm. No, hold that thought, there was no storm even striking it, or the clearing it stood in.

This must be it…the eye of the storm.

Captain Shiraki reasoned shaking himself out as he entered the clearing. Unlike the storm behind him, it was eerily silent and still here and yet he could not help but feel something crackling and pulsing in the cold night air.

He shivered as he adjusted his grip on his long katana and noticed that the light speckling of hair on his arms was raised high to the heavens. Quickly he ran a free hand over his head and frowned as he felt the static electricity lift the few stray strands that had escaped his usually immaculate top knot.

The target has got to be in there.

Captain Shiraki's steely grey eyes narrowed warily as, sword still raised, he stalked towards the silent shack.

His heart hammered as he felt he pulses in the air slowly but surely grow with each silent step taken forward. He was not a cowardly man, but even he could not deny the palpable tingle of nerves that swept over him.

Whoever was behind that door was extremely powerful. One wrong move and he would be dead.

He gritted his teeth as he reached the door which was not even a door, just a torn curtain of rough, canvas-like material draped over a gaping hole.

Carefully and slowly, Captain Shiraki pushed aside the curtain…and gasped.

Captain Shunsui Kyoraku of the eighth division sighed as he slouched through the fourth division medical wards. It was the crack of dawn when his colleague Kenji Shiraki had sent him that urgent Hell Butterfly requesting that he come to the fourth division to meet him at once.

It was truly ironic. On the surface, the two men were almost complete opposites in personality.

Kyoraku was laid back, enjoyed partying with a cup of sake and flirting with pretty women; he dressed flamboyantly and enjoyed slacking off instead of adhering to rules and doing his paperwork. Yet despite this rebellious nature, he was possessed of great power and odd brand of wisdom that was widely respected by most if not all.

Kenji Shiraki, on the other hand, was strict and calm. Ever since he took the position of Third Squad Captain nearly thirty years ago he had rarely if ever taken a day off his duty. He worked hard day in day out, only stopping if he was injured or sick and even then, he was always in a rush to get back either to the desk or the training grounds to hone his skills. His skill and technique with a blade were legendary. Yet despite his stoic manner, he was also kind and fair in his own solemn way. He treated his colleagues and subordinates with equal respect and was always willing to lend an ear if someone needed it. It was one of the reasons Kyoraku considered him to be one of his dearest friends alongside Captain Jushiro Ukitake, who was now rushing from behind to catch up with him.

"Hey Jushiro, you shouldn't run so fast. You'll have another attack if you're not careful." Kyoraku tutted worriedly as the sickly white-haired Captain panted for breath as he leaned heavily against the wall.

"I'll be fine Shunsui. Don't worry about me." Ukitake rasped as he sucked in several deep soothing gulps of air "I take it Kenji also summoned you here huh?"

"Yes, I wonder why though. Wasn't he supposed to be investigating those strange storms over in the…hmm, I forgot where it was?" Kyoraku scratched his bearded chin with a slightly glazed smile and Jushiro sighed.

"Yes, District seventy-seven, Ushinawaretamori, western Rukongai"

"Oh…yes of course…"

There was a pause as both Captain's shuddered and bristled uncomfortably.

Even by Soul Society's dangerous standards, that wild district was an absolute hell hole, with nearly all its poverty-stricken inhabitants living on the outskirts of a nightmarish forest.

It had tall, ghostly pale, mist-shrouded trees, a dark depressing atmosphere, and an eerie silence, for barely any animal or person dared enter there save for hollows, not unless they were desperate, or in a shinigami's case, ordered to. Even the Captains of the Gotei Thirteen did not like going there, and they were some of the strongest people protecting the Soul Society. Even after thousands of years, nobody knew why that area was so creepy, nor why it had such a foreboding air, and no one was in a hurry to find out.

"Well, I guess if you're going to send anyone into that accursed place it might as well be Kenji-kun with his balls of steel." Kyoraku shrugged.

"Shunsui!" Ukitake chided shaking his head.

"What, that's the truth and you know it. I swear that man could walk into Hell and walk right out without breaking a sweat" Kyoraku rolled his eyes as they stopped outside a nearby door.

They knocked quietly, both exchanging curious glances with one another as they heard voices on the other side of the door.

"It's alright, I'll get it, Captain Shiraki. You just sit tight there and try to get her to suckle on that bottle." A soft melodious woman's voice gently chuckled as the stern and strained deep voice of a man.

"I'm trying but she won't stop squirming!"

Both Kyoraku and Ukitake blinked as the door opened and a tall pale woman, with long black hair tied in a braid around her front, smiled warmly at the pair of them. Over her back, a long pristine white haori was draped signifying her rank as a fellow captain.

"Just be gentle with her and she'll take to it soon. Ah Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake, do come in please." She held the door open for the two men

"Thank you Captain Unohana," Ukitake smiled warmly at the woman but Kyoraku was stunned as his eyes swept over the room.

There was Captain Kenji Shiraki, damp and wet with a towel over his black Shihakuso and White Captain's haori, his usually pristine long hair and top knot dishevelled as he held a squirming mass swaddled in what appeared to be a deep crimson red shawl in one arm and a baby bottle, full of a white creamy substance in another.

"Unohana she's still not taking it" His steely grey eyes, usually so calm and composed, were wide and worried as he tried his best to gently press the tip of the baby bottle against the bundle in his arms which wailed loudly into the room.

"Just be patient Captain Shiraki, she will take it." Unohana chuckled gently as she walked back over to the rattled man and carefully helped him adjust his hold on his cargo. "Here, hold her up like this and angle the bottle slightly…and there see? She knows what to do, don't you little one?"

The older Shinigami woman smiled warmly down at the bundle in her charge's arms.

Carefully both Ukitake and Kyoraku stepped into the room and towards Shiraki eyes widening with wonder as they got close enough to see into his arms.

It was a little baby, writhing and kicking with life even as it suckled hungrily on the bottle in its mouth. It was pale skinned with a tiny thatch of white-blonde hair atop its head. But it was its eyes that caught their attention quickly. They both were a murky blue-grey typical of such young babes, however, the left eye was scarred heavily with one large stark reddish-brown slash that started from her hairline and swept over her eyelid, before tapering down to a point in the middle of her plump soft cheek.

"Huh? What is this? Ah, the poor thing, such a big scar on such a pretty little face" Kyoraku tutted with sympathy as he looked down at the child who was looking curiously up at them as she suckled hard at her bottle.

"Where on earth did you find her?" Ukitake wondered, looking up worriedly at Shiraki who sighed heavily.

"Where do you think? In that damned forest!"

"What? All by herself?!" Kyoraku cried out in surprise and everyone winced as the baby started to whine and wail loudly once more.

"Sorry, sorry!" he whispered apologetically as both Ukitake and Shiraki spared him exasperated deadpan expressions and Unohana smiled her slightly sinister smile behind them as she reached to take the child from Shiraki's hands to burp her over her shoulder.

"It's okay little one it's okay. Shh. Ah, there you are. That's it get it all out." She patted the baby gently on her back, her smile not leaving her face once even as the infant threw up a little onto the thick pink towel she had draped over her shoulder.

"All right, you've been washed, changed and fed. I think now would be a good time for a nap." Unohana turned to the three men who all shrank back a little as she said:

"I will just go and settle her in the crib in the corner, you can talk in here if you'd like, but you will all have to keep your voices down, do you understand?"

"Y-yes. We-we understand" the three men nodded anxiously as the terrifying healer made her way to the corner of the room where a clear walled incubator had been set up with blankets and cushions for the babe.

As she settled the infant down into the bedding, Ukitake turned to Shiraki with a small frown.

"So did you find the source of the storms?"

"Yes, you just saw her as a matter of fact" Shiraki folded his arms.

"Eh? The kid?" Kyoraku turned his head around to look at the infant as its whimpers slowly but surely quietened as Unohana stroked the pale locks atop her head gently.

Yet even as the three captains watched the child fall asleep, they felt something stirring in the air. Something they knew did not belong to any of the other occupants in the room. It was calm for now but had an almost crackling, sizzling quality, one that made the hair on all their arms and the back of their necks stand on end as if they were caught in a field of static electricity.

"All that energy, from such a small child?" Kyoraku murmured scratching his chin thoughtfully as he, Shiraki and Ukitake walked over towards the incubator. Unohana had taken the crimson shawl and replaced it with a small white blanket that was currently being kicked off as the baby wriggled on its side in its sleep. It was then they noticed just how thin she was.

"Poor thing." Ukitake's face softened with pity. "All that Reiryoku and no sustenance to keep her going. She must have been starving."

"Yes, she is very malnourished" Unohana sighed, her hand still on the baby's head. "Because of her condition, she shall be kept here under twenty-four-hour care and observation until she is back to full health. Then there is this."

With careful hands, she turned the baby over slightly so that they could see its back.

All three men sucked in sharp breaths of shock as they beheld another large red scar on the infant's skin, this time on its back.

It was a strange mark. There was a large single stripe going down the line of her spine from which many branches spread outwards like a tree or a fractal fern branch, thinning out towards the edges and fanning out over the back of her neck, shoulders, arms, ribs and waist.

"Is that…a lightning burn?" Ukitake frowned at Shiraki whose steel-grey eyes were grim.

"She was like that when I found her. It appears to have healed over so I'm guessing she must have had it for quite a while"

"Like a little tiger." Kyoraku snorted softly as he reached out to gently stroke the long-scarred line over the girl's spine, only to jolt slightly as a soft purring filled the room.

"I think kitten is the word you're looking for Shunsui" Ukitake smiled and the four of them chuckled softly, only to stiffen as they felt a couple of other presences on the edge of their sixth sense.

"Ah…looks like Yama-Ji has finally taken notice…as has a few others," Kyoraku smirked sidelong at Shiraki who's eyes hardened even further as he growled.

"Kurotsuchi, that fiend. I was hoping to keep him out of this for a little longer."

"Well, you can't blame him for being curious. This is after all an unusual development." Kyoraku shrugged but Ukitake frowned.

"True, but he isn't exactly known for his compassion and regard for life. This child is already capable of influencing the weather with her reiatsu when she is distressed. Can you imagine what she might do if Kurotsuchi experimented on her, or worse, what harm he might do to her in response? I suppose that was why you called us both here, Kenji?" the white-haired man turned to his fellow captain who nodded solemnly.

"Hmm. I figured if I presented a united front against the Head Captain, he might be more inclined to listen to my solution to the problem before the twelfth squad lay their claim."

"Right and that solution would be…?" Kyoraku quirked a brow and Shiraki rolled his eyes.

"What do you think?"

"Wait-wait. Hold up" Ukitake blinked in surprise "Are you saying that you want to adopt her?"

"Once she has a clean bill of health then yes. I will" Shiraki folded his arms into his black sleeves.

"While I agree that is probably the best course of action, that is still quite a great responsibility you wish to take Captain Shiraki," Unohana said quietly, her eyes wells of concern "You are no doubt a good captain, but child-rearing is not for the faint of heart."

"I couldn't agree more Captain Unohana" a deep gravelly voice rumbled from the open door.

Everyone turned to see an elderly man in a captain's haori with an X shaped scar spread over his face. He stood there slightly hunched over his wooden cane, yet despite his appearance of frailty, he exuded immense power and authority. Behind him were two men and one woman.

The first man was tall and thin, with grey hair and a small moustache and a very bland if prim and proper stance. He had a sleeveless white coat on with a lieutenants armband wrapped around his left arm.

The other was…well strange. He had black and white face paint and equally white hands protruding from a captain's coat that seemed to look more like a scientist's coat than anything else. His eyes were golden like the strange stubbed golden cones that had been stuck over his ears and chin. Over his neck, he wore a purple scarf and wore on top of his head a white and black hat that pointed oddly to the right. Behind him, a pale young woman in a short black kimono with long black hair in a plait stood dutifully and silently at the door.

"So," Head Captain Yamamoto growled softly as he approached the four captains around the incubator. "This is the anomaly you found in Ushinawaretamori?"

"Yes, she is Head Captain." Shiraki nodded dutifully, though his gaze narrowed dangerously upon the black and white painted man who was looking at a small beeping device in his hand.

"Interesting. The reiatsu the subject is emitting is quite strong, perhaps if I could get a little closer-"

"I'm afraid you'll have to turn that device off while you are in this room Captain Kurotsuchi. I have just put this little one to rest and she needs her sleep. Also, if you could please stay where you are, so you do not all overcrowd and distress her with your reiatsu." Unohana clipped her voice quiet and mellow but ringing with authority and sternness.

Captain Mayuri Kurotsuchi scowled, but nonetheless turned the device off and stayed put in the door. Kyoraku and Ukitake both exchanged small smirks and sighs of relief. If there was one person apart from the Head Captain that could keep the mad scientists' antics at bay it was Retsu Unohana. Granted no one in their right mind would ever dare mess with her, not even Yamamoto himself, though he rarely if ever had quarrels with the great healer.

Indeed, he was most respectful as he cautiously stepped forward to look down into the baby's incubator, stroking his beard thoughtfully as he examined the large scars over her face and back.

"Small. Very small, but she has a strong will that much is clear." He murmured under his breath before turning to Shiraki "Was she alone?"

"Yes. She was in this shack wrapped in that shawl over there" Shiraki took the crimson shawl from where Unohana had placed it folded on a nearby side table and held it out for the Head Captain to examine.

It was large and long, made from something silky and soft and warm.

"Hmm, this is an expensive material. Hardly something one would have in the seventy-seventh district"

"There hasn't been a report of any noble families missing a child has there?" Kyoraku snorted folding his arms.

"No, we would have been on high alert if any of them had gone missing." Ukitake shook his head.

"Still I will order my men to check, though I doubt it will amount to much." Head Captain Yamamoto scoffed "If a child of this strength was born into any noble household, we would have been made aware of it at once. No…it seems to me that this child most likely died and came to us from the world of the living."

The old man paused as he once again locked eyes with Shiraki and stared him down long and hard.

"You are aware of how much power this child possesses and the danger she might bring, yet you would still take her in as your own?"

"Yes sir. I would. Besides, it was my mission to lead, my decision to bring her here to safety, therefore it's my responsibility to see this through to the end no matter how long it would take."

"Hmph, why did I bother asking, it's obvious you have already made up your mind before I even arrived." The old man huffed gruffly, his hands flexing on his walking stick. "Very well. You may keep the child Shiraki, but she is to be kept under constant monitoring until she can get her own powers under control. Kurotsuchi, every few months you will be allowed to collect a small selection of samples so you can keep track of her condition, but nothing more than that, and to be safe Captain Unohana will supervise these visits."

"Of course, of course," Kurotsuchi grumbled rolling his eyes, and though he made no movement to object, the fury in his eyes was palpable in the air even as he turned and gestured to the young woman behind him.

"Come on Nemu, it looks like we shall have to wait for a while till we can gather our data."

"Well that was surprisingly easy" Kyoraku whistled under his breath only to wince as the mad scientist glared over his shoulder at him.

"Don't get so cocky. The brat might be under Shiraki's protection, but I could see how frail it is, I wouldn't be surprised if it barely lasted the week. But that is no matter to me, whether it's alive or dead I can get any information I can from the corpse I'm not fussed."

He left the room, ignoring the deadly glares sent by the rest of his fellow captains. Even the lieutenant of the first division narrowed his eyes as he stepped aside courteously to let him and his female companion pass.

Once they were out of sight, Shiraki let out a soft snarl.

"That monster. Honestly, I don't even know why-"

"Captain Shiraki, compose yourself, if not for your sake then at least for this child" Yamamoto rumbled and Shiraki shut his mouth quickly as he worriedly looked down at the sleeping babe below. At the sounds of the angry conversation her face had scrunched, and she had started whimpering under her breath as she squirmed slightly.

"There now little one, no need to get so worked up" The Head Captain's expression softened as he reached out with a wrinkled hand to soothingly pet the baby girl's head. "looks like you and your new father already have a few things in common. You're both stubborn and temperamental."

Ukitake and Unohana both smiled at the rare show of tenderness from the old man. Though he acted tough with his troops, the Head Captain did have a soft spot for children, not that he had let it show often.

Kyoraku meanwhile was smirking at Shiraki for at the mention of the word father, his face had paled considerably as the entire gravity of the situation seemed to finally sink in.

"Congratulations Kenji-kun. It's a girl"

It was a dark and stormy day when Captain Kenji Shiraki was able to take the little baby foundling from her care at the Fourth Division and settle her into his office at the Third.

It had been a long month but finally, the little infant was back at full health much to Captain Kurotsuchi's chagrin.

As per the Head Captain's orders, the mad scientist had been allowed to collect small samples of saliva from the infant's mouth and do a skin swab from the infant's scarred back and face, all under the sharp eagle eye of Captain Unohana and a very irate and protective Shiraki, who had come to check in on the infant nearly every single day.

Following the shock of realising that he was now a father, Shiraki had taken the time she was in Unohana's care to make sure everything was set up at his division. Most captains could take up residence outside of their division, but Shiraki was completely dedicated to his job and it was often joked by his own squad that if he could, he would live at his desk.

He had already baby-proofed his personal captain's apartment and his office, in which he now had a small changing table, crib and penned in play area set up in an unused corner near his workspace. The members of his squad had been most confused to see their usually stern, stoic captain trawling through day by day with toys and pink blankets and other such items into his otherwise immaculate workspace.

That was the other thing that Shiraki had worried about. He had no doubt the men and women under his command would treat his new daughter with respect, but she was a baby, and babies made a lot of noise and had special needs and needed constant care. Of course, he himself would take a major responsibility in her care and rearing but if he needed to go on a mission or god forbid if something were to happen to him…

Of course, he had his Lieutenant Hibiki Hamada, a rather short, youthful, happy go lucky man with a mop of brown hair and warm brown eyes that everyone said made him look like an excitable rabbit. He was thrilled about the prospect of his Captain being a father, though he was a little put out that there was to be no mother in the picture. Hibiki always did love playing matchmaker and was always on the lookout for a woman who would capture his formidable Captain's heart.

Well, I really won't have any more time for his blind dates now that I've got this little one to look after.

Shiraki hummed to himself as he sat at his desk in his office, looking down at the bundle wrapped in the crimson shawl in his arms. The little baby girl was already closing in on her sixth month according to Unohana and Kurotsuchi, but she was still quite small for her age, wearing a little onesie made from a soft pink material.

Her eyes had been murky when he had found her but now had started to settle to what he was told would be their true colour, which seemed to be a noticeably light blue almost like the sky, and were slanted upwards like a cat. The small thatch of hair on her head was still that remarkable shade of white blonde and was now quite thick and soft even. Shiraki stroked his fingers through it with a sigh as she made to grab a fist full of his Kosode and suck on it avidly.

The skies outside were still rumbling with thunder and lightning as rain lashed down from on high, but Shiraki did not pay them much heed as he gazed down at the child in his arms.

His eyes were particularly drawn to the nasty scar over the left side of her sweet little face.

Such a horrible mark. Shiraki could not understand how it had come to be there. The strange lightning burn on her back was one thing, but this mark over her eye was clearly created by a blade of some kind.

What kind of monster would want to kill or maim an innocent child? Maybe it could be a hollow, but if it got close enough to scar her then wouldn't it have eaten her?

His heart sank as he traced a finger over the mark, and he saw her flinch in surprise. After many days of careful examination, the fourth squad had indeed confirmed that though the baby's left eye looked normal and light blue like the other one, it was also completely blind.

"I'm afraid there is nothing more we can do." Captain Unohana had told him sadly when she had first pointed this out to him "This injury clearly happened quite a while ago, possibly shortly after her birth. There is no kido nor any surgery we can perform that will repair the damage, and she might struggle with her depth perception for a while. Luckily since she is so young, she should quickly learn to adapt and live with the handicap without any further issues."

"Looks like we have a long road ahead of us don't we little one?" Shiraki sighed heavily only to jump as something tapped on his office door.

"Excuse me, Captain" a voice quietly whispered and Shiraki smirked.

"It's alright Hamada, you can come in," he called gently, and the shoji doors opened to reveal his lieutenant who was sopping wet from head to foot and cradling a file close to his chest along with something else wrapped in bright pink paper.

"Sorry Captain, I would have been here sooner, but it's almost flooded outside" Lieutenant Hibiki Hamada panted as he wiped his wet bangs away from his face. As soon as he saw the baby in his captain's arms he quickly rushed forward, his brown eyes sparkling brightly.

"Ah! She's here! She's here! Oh, Captain you never said she was so cute. Aww, look at those big blue eyes! You've definitely got your work cut out for you Captain because this little one's gonna break a lot of hearts when she's older, even with the scar. Ah, I can see it now all those boys lining up outside her window with flowers and chocolates-"

"Promises they don't intend to keep." Shiraki deadpanned but was betrayed by the soft glint in his eyes as he saw his new daughter staring in fascination at his lieutenant her mouth opening and shutting as she began to babble nonsensical words at him.

Hibiki was ecstatic at the sounds and quickly began to chatter away to the little infant barely even stopping for one moment.

Honestly, Shiraki was amazed the man was not dying of a lack of oxygen because he barely seemed to draw breath. After what appeared to be five minutes, he surfaced from his one-sided conversation to quirk an eyebrow at his Captain.

"Uh…sir…you have got a name for her right?"

"What?" Shiraki blinked. During the five minutes, he had all but tuned out and had not even heard the last few words spoken.

"Oh yes, of course, a name." he coughed recovering himself smoothly "It's Kokoro, Kokoro Shiraki."

"Kokoro. That's a lovely name for a girl" Hibiki smiled and was rewarded at once with a tiny gurgling giggle that turned into a squawk as the door to the office opened once more.

"Ah Captain Kyoraku, Captain Ukitake to what do I owe this pleasure" Shiraki raised his eyebrows, already knowing what was about to come.

Sure, enough his suspicions were confirmed when both men each asked their lieutenants to say hello and bring forth their gifts, which mainly consisted of a few basic children's books and a couple of cute toys.

Both their lieutenants Nanao Ise and Kaien Shiba had tagged along, more out of interest than anything. Nanao, a slender woman with black hair clipped back and thin glasses, had originally been reserved about skipping out of work for a social visit. However, upon seeing the happy baby in the other captain's arms, her flustered frown was quick to melt into a small smile as she cooed over her.

Kaien Shiba, a tall man with a friendly face and short spiky black hair, was busy congratulating the new father and seemed to enjoy scaring him with all the misadventures and horror stories of his and his many siblings' childhood.

"So how old is she? Four to five months?" Kaien asked grinning as the baby eagerly babbled up at Ukitake. Somewhere amid the introductions and chatting she had ended up in the older captain's arms and seemed to be quite happy speaking all sorts of gobbledygook in him, much to his joy. The man laughed and winced as she reached out to tug painfully on his long white hair.

"Nearly six months" Shiraki folded his arms as he kept a careful watch on his daughter "According to Unohana she is starting to roll around and trying to sit up by herself in her crib."