Chapter 2- One Became Two

It was the night of the ball and Itazura had her kimono, given to her by Rukia, and was now fretting over her hair.

"It's too curly!"

"Then just put it in a bun?" Ukitake offered. "No! That's too...unoriginal!" Rukia chuckled. "How about this..." she said grabbing a glittering hair clip. "Since your hair is so long...this'll make you look...majestic and mysterious...like a..." Rukia lifted her hair into a high ponytail, and made it stay that way with the clip.

"Perfect! Undid hair with a kimono! I'll be the oddball for sure!" Rukia and Ukitake sweatdropped. Itazura stood up, showing off the gown. She wore a black kimono with sky blue flower imprints, with a red sash specked with sky blue flower imprints. Her sleeves were unbelieveable long, fully covering her hands.

"Yes!" she squeeled. She pulled Rukia to her feet and hugged her tightly. "Thank you! When did you become such a fashion expert?!" She rubbed her head. "I'm not. It's just that..." her eyes saddened. "that kimono belonged to Byakuya's late wife." Itazura looked at the girl.

"You stole a dress from your brother's dead wife?"

"No!" Rukia shouted back. She grabbed Itazura's front locks and pulled them over her shoulder. "Byakuya gave it to me, I just can't fit it."

"Did she wear it?"

"Um, no."

"That's good." Rukia furrowed her brows, as Itazura was being inconsiderate and rude of Byakuya's late wife. "You know, you're being ungrateful."

"And how is that?"

"I give a beautiful kimono and all you're worried about is whether Byakuya's wife wore it or not. You better be lucky that he doesn't snatch the thing off of you when you arrive." Itazura's frown deepened. "If he does, that wouldn't be nice." Stressmarks appeared all over Rukia's forehead. "Just wear the kimono and give it back when you're finished with it!" she yelled.

Itazura humped her shoulders, "Sorry?" she offered.

"Get out..."

"It's my room."

"Get out anyway!" Ukitake took his time to intervene, by gently pushing Itazura outside. "Please keep the place together." Rukia bowed. "Yes, Captain Ukitake." He nodded and smiled. "You're in charge." He closed the door in Rukia's shocked face.

The walk was long, but not quiet. "So who'll be there?" Itazura asked for billionth time. "All the captains and their lieutenants." Ukitake asked. He didn't grow bored or irritated of the girl, for she was only trying to make conversation. He was just as bored as she was. "Is Shunsui going to be there?"

"Is he a captain?" Ukitake asked. "Oh...yeah." Itazura replied sullenly.

They were an hour late to the party, but Ukitake had stopped Itazura as she stepped to knock on the door. "Here..." he said, clamp on a beautiful diamond necklace. "What is this..."

"It belonged to a close friend of mine." Itazura smiled widely as she hugged her captain tightly.

Then Yachiru opened the door. "Ooooh, kissy kissy." she yelled aloud. Itazura snapped her face at the girl. "Eh?" All the captains and lieutenants eyed them suspiciously. "All I have to say is..." Gin said aloud.

"Is that I knew it." Gin sat back down.

Itazura unhugged her captain and stepped forward. "The Soul Society's 13th Division's Captain Ukitake Juushiro and Lieutenant Itazura Megane has now arrived. I know you've been waiting for the party to start, but we're here now so it's okay. You can eat your food. You can drink you drinks. But The Party Monster is here to entertain your needs!" Ukitake covered his face, totally forgetting that this was Itazura's first formal party, with no music. Everybody just talked and got to know each other.

Aizen chuckled. "That's a relief."

"I know it is." Itazura smirked. Momo whispered quietly to Aizen. "Captain...she is just as you described her." a bit of disgust dripping from her voice. Aizen ignored her. "Of course she is. I trained her for nearly half a century." The lieutenant turned her envious eyes on the woman.

Itazura laughed loudly with Rangiku, cracking jokes about all the male captains. "Gin told me that Aizen looks like Arnold from the Magic School Bus. Whatever that is?!" The two women held their stomachs for dear life, as if their guts were about to fall out.

"Alright, alright". Itazura wiped a tear from an unseen eye. "I'm going to get me something to drink." Rangiku slapped her on the back. "Make sure you come back!" she then turned to Nanao. "I like that gutsy broad."

Itazura scanned over the drinks and found that there were only alcoholic beverages available. "This is isn't good." she heard her captain call her name. She wondered over to him. He stood before a stuck up looking douche and punk-rocker. "This is Byakuya Kuchiki, Captain of the 6th Company." The douche nodded once. "And this," he waved his hand over by the ginger. "is Renji Abarai, lieutenant of the 6th Company."

He whispered quickly, "be polite..".

Itazura waved. "Hello." Renji widened his eyes, as Byakuya looked slightly offended. She ignored her captain's request to bow. "I am Itazura Megane, lieutenant of the 13th company. I am pleased to meet you." Byakuya nodded. "I just wanted to compliment on your kimono. It is quite...unique."

"Yeah, my friend gave it to me." Byakuya widened his eyes. "Friend...? May I ask her name?"

"Rukia-chan!" Byakuya then stared at the kimono again, and narrowed his eyes. He turned around and walked away. Renji looked at his captain, then back at Itazura. He scurried off after the man. Itazura stood there with a facepalming Ukitake.

"...douchebag."

"Megane!"

"He is!"

"He has every right to be! You're wearing his late wife's most valued kimono! You should of gave him every ounce of respect you had!" Itazura looked at Ukitake. He seemed superbly pissed. "But..."

"Just...just go sit down somewhere. Don't talk to anymore captains." Ukitake walked away from her.

She knew it. She knew she shouldn't have come to this stupid party. Her captain was mad at her because she refused to bow to some stuck-up noble. Dumb ass nobles. Stupid shinigami. Idiot Seireitei! She sat outside on the porch. She had lifted the long kimono up so that her bare legs show.

"I hate them all..." the cursed words slipped from her lips. "Oh, don't be like that." she jumped as Aizen sat next to her, seiza stance. "Oh, captain..." she looked away from him. "Ukitake told me not talk to anymore captains...I might offend them."

"And you're going to listen?" Aizen smirked, "Really? You are?" Itazura hid her hideous smile with a sleeve. "Nope." she cackled. They laughed for a bit, then it quieted down.

"Soooo...how did you get away?"

"I told her to get me a drink and slipped out the door."

"HA!" Itazura shouted. "You sir, are a riot!"

"Who do you think put the meaning in your first name?"

"Oooooh, that was a good one." Itazura sighed heavily, standing up. "Aizen, where did the servants put our zapaku-tou's?" Aizen humped his shoulders. "You're hopeless!" she chuckled. "Are you leaving?" Aizen was completely serious.

"Yeah..."

"But Rangiku has taken a liking to you."

"I'll see her around, I'm sure." Itazura hurried and got inside before Aizen could whip out the "He's not really mad at you" speech.

Aizen looked around to see Renji just stepping out the other exit as Itazura stepped in. He was quite surprised when he saw Captain Aizen.

"Ah, Hello Renji. What brings you here?" Renji stuttered for words.

"She went to collect her zanpaku-tou. She's quite upset, so she's going home." Renji hurried and ran inside.

Itazura cradled her two zanpaku-tou leaving the party quickly. When she heard the stampede of feet, she quickly put away the darker looking one. To what she thought was a group of people, there was only one. "Pinneaple head!" Itazura yelled at the man making him stop completely. That was her specialty. Her weirdness and outspoken expression surprised the everyone. From hollows to old and wise men who thought they'd seen everything.

"Um...that's rude."

"-says the person running up to me without introducing his self." She waved her kitana around. "You coulda got shanked, boy." she released her heavy slang accent. "So whatchu wont?" Renji looked startled then scratched the back of his head. "Um, Captain Aizen said you were leaving."

"So you decided...ta stalk me?"

"NO! No, it's just dangerous around these parts."

"Bro...we're still in the Kuchiki Estate."

Renji growled. "I just wanted to know where you were going."

"I'm goin' to get sum sodas and juices fo' the non-drinkers." she lied quickly. She kind of liked his hair and tattoos so she at least wanted to give him a proper reason leave with her. "May I accompany you?"

"I can handle myself!"

"You can never be to careful. So can I still come?"

"Sure..." They both started to walk off. It was silent for a moment. "So is it true?" he murmured. Itazura snapped her neck at him. "What's true?"

"That you have two zanpaku-tou." He made no eye contact. "Well, I don't think it was eva a secret...Ukitake just told me not to tell anyone. " Itazura smiled evily. "But you wanted to know the truth. Ukitake told me to never lie, so I didn't lie." she giggled, then stopped. Maybe that was unattractive.

"Can I see it? The other one?" Itazura opened her top, partially exposing her breast. "Uh!" Renji said, looking away quickly. She slid her hand into the inside of her obi and took out the other zanpaku-tou. It was a cyan color, but looked old and worn out.

"What are their names?" Renji said. When his eyes looked over the other zanpaku-tou, he looked kind of disappointed. Silly boy, you should know more than anyone to not judge a zanpaku-tou's power based on looks and size. Itazura thought.

"I'll tell you their names, if you tell me your zapaku-tou's name." Itazura suggested. Renji held his zapaku-tou out. "His name is Zabimaru."

"Alright..." she held the elgant golden kitana up. "This beauty, is Amaterasu." she stated. Renji nodded, admiring such a beautiful. "And this stupid bastard," she held up the worn out one. "is Tsukiyomi."

They continued to walk down the path. "Zabimaru, isn't one of those fancy zanpaku-tou's that have some some type of mystical power. He just stretchs out and attacks with brute force."

"Awesome power. I wish my zanpaku-tou were that simple." Itazura sighed. "Amaterasu is a fire-type zanpaku-tou. She controls the sun's heat. I heard in that in human world, she is worshipped as the most parts of the eastern half. Tsukiyomi is her brother. He's an ice-type zanpaku-tou. All he does is turn into a giant black dog and turns everything to permafrost."

She sniffed distastefully. "I personally think Toshiro's is better!" Itazura looked at the zanpaku-tou. "His is better. He can control the weather. All I can do is freeze things." Renji stayed silent.

"That's interesting."

Itazura smiled. Instead of taking the saying offensively, she just took it as, she's so awesome he was lost for words. "I know." She put Tsukiyomi away (again he blushed).

They began to talk about silly things. Renji usually ended the conversation, whereas Itazura would strike up a different topic.

"I see this isn't the store."

Itazura smiled stepping up the porch step. "Oh, you knew. You just pretended to be so caught up in the conversation, so you'd have an excuse not to say anything."

Renji narrowed his eyes. "Stop talking down to me!"

"It's true...!?"

"Yeah, but that's the reason no one likes you! You're too outspoken and some people find it disrespectful." Itazura frowned. "How can no body like me, when people barely know me? Everybody at that party, except my captain, Unohana, Isane, Gin, Momo, Tousen, and Aizen, met me for the first time."

"Maybe you should try a-"

"Are you suggesting I lie to people? Not be me? But fabricate some personality everyone wants to see?"

"I'm not saying that!" Renji barked.

"Yes you are. What you see is what you get! You don't like it, FUCK OFF!" Renji stood silent. He wasn't shocked by the outburst. But by the rather steady flow of tears, seeping from invisible eyes. The hearing of ragged breath. The gripping of tight fist.

Renji softened his eyes. It wasn't her fault. She tried to be nice by being funny. Byakuya just didn't give in to her antics. She wanted to make him smile, by making a fool of herself so he wouldn't feel so harsh about Itazura wearing his wife's kimono.

"I'm...sor-"

"Don't bother." Itazura turned and walked briskly into her house.

"Let me treat you to dinner!"