Name: Ensnared

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach

Rating: G

Author's note: This was first dedicated to Cassoult but it also goes out to the other members of our beloved FC at DB...lolz...thanks for the prompt.

~Ensnared~

The first time he saw her, he hated her, hated everything about her. From her very pale skin to the unruly lock of hair that fell between her eyes; from her tiny small frame to the guarded mask she bore upon her face. He hated it all. It was a wonder, he mused, that she had been adopted by such a prestigious family into such a powerful and wealthy clan. What was its clan head thinking?

The gathering was for the most influential families in Soul Society - those with wealth and power, whose word could bring about a great change in the way things were run. Captains were present by default, and rubbed shoulders with the civilians whose wonderful garments could probably have been sold and the money used to feed a whole district in Rukongai. To the side he stood, not exactly concealed because of his bulky frame and unusually quiet as he studied the object of his distaste.

There she was, standing beside the head of one of the most powerful clans; her head bowed, hands folded before her as she paid no heed to the whispers and gossips about her. There was nothing remarkable about her, he thought, grabbing a platter of meat from one of the passing servants. Nothing at all. Too small, too pale, hair too weird - in short, she was ugly and not meant to belong to this world.

Omaeda Marechiyo really hated Kuchiki Rukia.

The next time he saw her was one he would never forget. His captain, a woman he would willingly lay down his life for(although with some screams and anguish), had seen fit to punish him with a kick for one of his mistakes(a common occurrence on bad days) and unfortunately, Kuchiki Rukia walked in, on an errand from her captain, only to catch the last part of Soi Fon's foot connecting with his face.

With a mumbled excuse she had quickly taken her leave but not before giving him another excuse to despise her. Who was she to give him a look of sympathy? He did not deserve that from someone like her, simply elevated to such a high status for an unknown reason and now looking down on him? Sympathy? Pfft. He did not need it from her.

But it galled him that not only had there been sympathy in her eyes but concern - genuine concern with no hint of the mockery he sometimes glimpsed from others when he embarrassed himself. And her eyes - they were an odd color, a beautiful violet that stood out against the paleness of her face.

Ugly, his mind screamed and he nodded in agreement, till another kick from his captain sent him crashing into a desk as she yelled at him for his absentmindedness.

A few weeks later, he was walking along with some other vice-captains, listening to them prattle about whatever had occurred in the vice-captain's meeting while fighting the urge to whip out a packet of his favorite rice crackers and ignore the whole lot.

Then he spotted her.

Alone, by herself, moving towards them with eyes on the ground. He could not stop himself from inwardly grumbling at her small form, pale face, and annoying hair - till she looked up.

He was certain her eyes had met his but the moment was fleeting for she looked to his side and then lowered her head once more, passing the group with little more than a mumbled greeting. His thoughts turned dark at her rudeness till he heard the weary sigh of the vice-captain beside him.

Abarai Renji

Nor could he miss the sympathetic look another vice-captain, Kira, was sending the red-haired man. The longing glance Renji sent her way had him puzzled. What did he see in her? She was plain, small, with annoying hair, and it infuriated him that even though she belonged to such a rich house, she had not adorned herself with the jewels and gems that they were sure to have. Perhaps it would have helped her appearance.

He hated that plain as she was, she seemed to have captured someone's heart.

It was many months before he saw again. On the fated day of her execution, raised high above the ground, dressed in a garment so white that it seemed to blend in with her skin. The peaceful expression she wore baffled him. The fact that his own captain had threatened him if he disobeyed the rules annoyed him and most of all, it was clenching in his chest at the sight of her pathetic form awaiting its end that made him hate her more than before. The chaos that followed took his mind off the hate but it returned full swing when he spotted her bidding farewell to the orange-haired oaf who had rescued her.

He hated that she seemed to have ensnared another with her plain looks.

For the next several months, it appeared that their paths kept crossing several times, either as she ran errands for her captain or became more active in the duties of her clan that required her mixing with the other families. The expressionless mask was gone, replaced by something warmer that lit up her whole face. She smiled more, laughed even more(unless under the scrutiny of her clan elders) and he hated that he found both the laughter and the smile pleasant and even sought her out to boast of his jewelry, which earned him another laugh. He hated her each time they met, blaming her for this odd behavior in him, as he sought out the thirteenth division more than before, getting a raised brow from his captain.

And when she was welcomed into the gathering of the vice-captains, with the badge proudly displayed on her arm, he turned away in irritation, hating the way her eyes lit up at the hug from Renji, nor did he acknowledge her greeting as she passed by him with a smile. Rubbing his ring angrily, he continued to watch her through a narrowed gaze, an unopened packet of his favorite crackers abandoned on the table before him.

The short hair suited her, the violet eyes filled with warmth and laughter added something better to the room. Her laugh filled the air, reaching out to and drawing him in as he sulked in the corner.

She was still plain, no jewelry adorning her form. She still had that annoying lock of hair between her eyes, and her skin was as pale as before. Her body had not changed and he considered it ugly.

But he hated her for having captured him.

PS: please be kind...lol