A/N: I hope you guys appreciate this. I've been exploring Bleach for a while now (mostly reading, per usual) and trying to work an idea and failing because Bleach is freaking pain in the ass... and then this idea springs on me at one in the morning, and I stayed up till seven finishing it. Ugh. But it turned out well, I think.

Title: Pieces of Candy

Author: liketolaugh

Rating: K+

Pairings: None

Genre: Friendship/Angst

Warnings: None

Summary: Albus Dumbledore was always known as a prodigy; to that end, it only made sense that he learned the nature of death when he was only seventeen years old, from the gentle man who sent his sister on.

Disclaimer: Me, owning Bleach? Yeah, right! Don't own Harry Potter either.

Albus had only ever seen the man once, but he never forgot it.

It was the day Ariana died. Aberforth was unconscious on the ground, Gellert had run off, and Albus was left alone, shell-shocked and staring at the ghost of his sister, who spun in circles, looking utterly confused and increasingly distressed.

"Oh, dear."

The accented voice wasn't quite enough to drag Albus' eyes from Ariana's ghost, but as it developed, it didn't need to; a man with white hair and Japanese features entered his range of vision, sighing.

Albus barely had time to note the sword at his waist before he crouched down in front of Ariana and offered her a weary, but kind smile.

"Hello, little one. Are you lost?"

Ariana, to Albus' surprise, stopped her confused spinning and turned to face the man.

"...Yes," she whispered, barely audible. "Can you help me, mister?"

The man smiled again and reached into his pocket, digging around for something. "Certainly." He found what he was looking for and pulled a small, wrapped candy out and offered it to her. "Would you like a sweet?"

As Ariana hesitantly reached for it, Albus broke from his trance and stepped forward, eyes guarded. "Who are you?"

The man started and looked at him, surprise lighting his eyes. "Ah! You can see me?"

Albus nodded, not taking his eyes off the man.

He smiled again, looking slightly embarrassed. "I see." His eyes cut to Ariana and softened. "Do you know this girl, then?"

"He's my brother," Ariana offered, occupying herself with the sweet between her fingers.

The man turned solemn. "I understand. My most sincere condolences to both of you, then."

Albus' mouth tightened in self-recrimination. He didn't deserve it, not when he might have been the one to…

A hand, warm, with a firm grip, landed on his shoulder and made him start, looking up at the man, who gave him an understanding smile.

"My name is Ukitake Juushiro; you may call me Juushiro. May I ask your name?"

"Albus," Albus heard himself say. "Albus Dumbledore."

Juushiro smiled gently and pressed a candy into his hand. "Well, Albus, I am afraid that it is time for me to send your sister on."

Panic sparked in Albus' chest and he jerked away. "No! You can't!"

"It's okay, Al." Ariana curled her fingers around the brightly colored wrapper and looked at Juushiro. "What do I have to do?"

She was never so calm when she was alive, Albus thought miserably.

"Be brave," Juushiro replied with a small smile, hand drifting to his waist. "What is your name?"

"Ariana Dumbledore," Ariana replied, doing her best not to look nervous.

"Then good luck, Ariana," Juushiro said simply, and then he drew his sword and gently bumped her forehead with the pommel.

Almost instantly, she dissolved into a little black butterfly, and flew into a set of doors that appeared without warning and disappeared just as soon. Juushiro and Albus both watched her go, one with warm eyes and a small, wistful smile, and then other one step from tears.

With a soft sigh, Juushiro replaced his sword and sat down beside Albus, who followed slowly, almost numbly. For a few minutes, they sat in silence, and then…

"She's gone," Albus whispered, pained eyes fixed on the place where the doors had been. His hand fell open, releasing the candy he had unconsciously crushed in it, letting it tumble to the ground.

Juushiro remained silent, and when Albus looked up, it was to see the man watching him, expression solemn. Albus bit his lip, tears pricking at his eyes.

"She's not gone," Juushiro said finally. "She's in Avalon now, where she will live another life, eventually die again, and be reincarnated once more into the human world." He gave another small, light smile. "You don't need to worry. She'll be fine."

Albus pulled out of his grief long enough to give Juushiro a sharp look and ask, "What are you?"

Juushiro smiled at him, and then tipped his head back to regard the clouds above. "I am a shinigami, a soul reaper. It is my job to send wayward souls on to the next life… among other things." A small laugh bubbled from his lips. "The afterlife is much busier than you'd think."

There were a great many things Albus could have said to that, but what came out was, "Are all soul reapers Japanese?"

That startled a laugh out of the shinigami. "Not at all! Actually, I myself normally work in Japan. I assure you, the soul reapers in the area are quite British."

"Then why are you here?" Albus asked curiously, trying not to wonder how long he would have stayed and stared at Ariana if he had not come.

His smile turned wry. "It's a bit of a story." Albus stared at him expectantly. "You see, I have been sick for a very long time, and even Unohana-san, the best healer in Seireitei, cannot cure it. I came to Avalon to see if the healers here could, but…" Juushiro sighed. "I am afraid there was no such luck."

"I'm sorry," Albus said quietly.

Juushiro quirked another smile. "Whatever for?"

Albus glanced at him, blue eyes intent, for a few long moments, and then he nodded. His eyes drifted to the front again, and he asked, subdued,

"Will she be happy?"

Again, Juushiro was silent for a little while, and then replied, "Yes. She will. She will be happy, and she will be sad, and angry, and content, and anything else you can possibly imagine. Death, Albus, is just another part of life, like any other."

Albus bit his lip again, trying to wrap his mind around this. "So you're saying… that death is just the next great adventure?"

Juushiro smiled at him warmly. "Yes, Albus. That is exactly what I'm saying."

"...Okay." He could live with that. "Will I see her again?"

Juushiro's face fell, and he had his answer.

The tears, though slow and few, were still unexpected, but he didn't try to stop them. The returning warm weight of Juushiro's hand was more so, but he didn't try to stop that, either.

Then Juushiro was pressing a new candy into his hands, and he encouraged softly,

"Eat it. I think you'll find that, when times are dark, a sweet will make it a little lighter."

Though doubtful, Albus unwrapped the sweet with slow movements, and popped it in his mouth. For a few minutes, he let the flavor spread across his tongue, and when he trusted his voice again, he asked,

"What is it?"

"A lemon drop," Juushiro told him with a smile. "One of my own favorites."

"I like it."

"I'm glad."

So I like this. Per usual, Albus' younger self turned out slightly iffy, and Ukitake was shockingly difficult to differentiate from old Dumbledore. *eye roll* But I think I pulled it off. Why don't you let me know? Thanks for reading and please review!