Summary: Some feelings should never be locked away, even if revealing them doesn't always have the consequences you expect...
Genre(s): Romance/Angst
Character(s): Isane K., Kiyone K.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach
Warning: This story contains incest, if that offends you please don't read.
* Just This Once *
The silvery moon hung high in the sky, yearning to cast its brilliant light down against the world, yet it was prevented by a patch of dark gray clouds. The clouds threw a dense shadow down across the highly industrialized and commercialized city below it, tall spires, speckled with inner lights, stood tall and proud against the skyline. Four figures decked in black milled about atop the highest of these towering buildings, while two others were on the edge of the building. All six were even more stealthily hidden due to the shadow cast across the top of the building from the cloudy night. A chilling gale blew across the skyscraper, causing the blonde Shinigami's teeth to begin chattering uncontrollably as a spasm of cold shot through her body.
Kiyone Kotetsu crouched down low on the edge of the building, watching the lights of the passing cars below with passive interest. She then looked up to her silver haired companion.
"We haven't seen a single hollow all night, why were we even assigned to this place?" Kiyone whined as she bit back a shudder from the cold. Isane Kotetsu stood at the edge alongside Kiyone, resolutely staring out into the distance.
"As I recall, you requested to be included in this assignment," Isane rebuffed sternly as she glanced down at her younger sister. Kiyone gave a pitiful look which caused Isane's harsh expression to soften.
"It could've at least been somewhere warmer..." Kiyone mumbled as another gust of wind blew by, whipping the two girls' shihakushous around. "...Could really go for some sake right now."
Isane smiled down at her sister. "It won't be long before we can go back to Soul Society."
'Of course I'd never tell her the real reason I asked to come on this assignment,' Kiyone thought with a sly grin. Just then the clouds covering the moon passed, allowing the area to be bathed in its silvery glow. Kiyone glanced back up at Isane and admired the way her hair shone in the moonlight.
'She really is pretty...' Kiyone thought as a pleasant warmth spread over her cheeks. 'Being here with her is worth the discomfort,' she thought as she suppressed another cold-induced shudder. Suddenly Isane stiffened as her eyes scanned the adjacent buildings.
"Hollows sighted!" she called out, which caused the other four Shinigami milling about to sloppily jump to attention. Kiyone quickly followed Isane's gaze and spied eight hollows on the roof of an adjacent skyscraper, chasing after a little girl with a broken chain protruding from her chest. Isane and Kiyone unsheathed their zanpakutous and leapt into the air before gliding onto the roof of the building, followed slowly and less gracefully by their four Shinigami companions.
The screaming and crying of the girl could be heard even above the howling of the hollows as she desperately tried to keep away from them. Suppressed fury was evident on Isane's features as she leapt into battle, deftly slaying a hollow in a single vertical slash.
'She wields such great power, yet so gracefully...' Kiyone marveled as the hollow dissipated, causing its hollow brethren to howl in rage. Kiyone quickly joined Isane in battle, fending off a hollow attack then cutting clean through its mask. A battle ensued that did not last very long before all the hollows were defeated; but it was not without injury. One of the Shinigami regulars that had been brought along on the operation was injured due to his carelessness.
"I'm sorry, Lieutenant Kotetsu," the male Shinigami said, shame evident in his voice. Kiyone simply smiled at him as she patched up his leg wound. Despite not being in the 4th Division, she knew her fair share of healing kido. As Kiyone healed the Shinigami's leg, she observed Isane, who was walking around as if searching for something.
The sound of muffled sobs and the clinking of a chain reached Kiyone's ears as the girl that had been chased by the hollows slowly appeared from her hiding place and walked up to Isane.
"It's alright now, little one," Isane comforted the lost soul as she patted the top of her head. The girl repressed more sobs as she wiped the tears from her eyes.
"Do you know where my mommy is..?" the girl asked quietly then sniffled. Isane smiled warmly at the girl.
"I'm sure your mother is waiting for you, on the other side," Isane said as she raised her zanpakutou.
"I'll send you to her," she continued then stamped the hilt of her sword on the girl's forehead. The imprint glowed blue for a moment before the girl disappeared in a bright flash of light. A tiny beautiful butterfly floated in her place. Gently it flew up, circled around Isane's head then disappeared into the sky.
As Isane watched the butterfly disappear into the sky, all of the Shinigami marveled at her, including Kiyone.
"The Lieutenant really is something else, isn't she?" the young male Shinigami said, admiration clear in his voice.
"Yeah, she really is..." Kiyone said softly as a blush slowly covered her cheeks.
* Bleach *
Kiyone flopped down at her desk in the office she shared with Sentaro, who was absent from his own desk. She let out a sigh and slumped in her chair, almost as if something unseen were weighing down on her.
'Even though the assignment was a success...my own wasn't...' Kiyone thought somberly as she glanced out of the office window at the bright day outside. Though it was night in the human world, it was daytime in Soul Society. Kiyone sighed again and looked back to her desk. She was unable to keep her eyes from wandering over to a framed picture of herself and Isane.
'It feels like it's been so long...since I fell in-love with her,' Kiyone thought as her eyes lingered on the silver haired girl before she managed to tear them away from the picture and set her eyes on the center of her desk.
'It still seems that I can't be around her without becoming enraptured by her...' she thought as she laid her hands out on the desk. 'I know it's wrong...' She clenched her hands in frustration. '...I know it's wrong to...love her the way I do...' A tear slowly rolled down her cheek and plopped onto her clenched fist.
'But...' she thought as she slowly unclenched her hands, brought them up, and rested her forehead against them.
'...I can't help it,' she thought as she let out a frustrated sigh. 'Everything about her is perfect!' she mentally cried as she began to feel herself become filled with a mixture of anxiety and excitement. 'Her body, her combat ability, her personality, it's all perfect!' She jumped to her feet and slammed her hands down on her desk.
'So it's just natural for me to love her!' she reasoned but soon gripped her hair in frustration as her logic fell apart. '...But I'm still her sister!'
Suddenly the door to the office slid open and Sentaro walked through, a bundle of forms under his arm. Kiyone's frustration and anger flared at the sight of Sentaro. She rushed out of the door, shoving by Sentaro and causing him to drop the documents.
"What's her problem..?" Sentaro mumbled angrily as he bent down and gathered the forms up.
* Bleach *
Kiyone's angry walk gradually declined into a casual stroll as she made her way from the 13th Division and through the many nameless streets of the Seireitei. Kiyone realized that she was blowing off her officer duties but she did not care.
'What am I gonna do..?' Kiyone asked herself as she kicked at the ground. 'I can't possibly tell her...she'd hate me...' She halted in her aimless wandering and stared at the plain wall to the side of her.
'I just need to get my mind off of her...yeah...' Kiyone resolved as a tiny smile spread across her face. She took a solid stance and concentrated her reiatsu, then in a flash she was gone. A large smile spread across her face as the wind blew through her hair and across her face; she felt relieved and alive. She did not know where she was going nor did she care, she had never poured so much energy into shunpo before. It was almost as if the wind was blowing her thoughts and worries away.
After what felt like an eternity in her own world, Kiyone felt her reiatsu begin to wane and so she decided to rest.
"Where am I..?" Kiyone wondered aloud as she came out of her shunpo into unfamiliar surroundings. Decrepit buildings surrounded her, a plain dirt road stretched on before her, and the few people around her were in dirty rags and staring at her in complete fascination.
'I must be in a higher district of Rukongai,' Kiyone assumed as she began to walk down the road. 'No reason not to enjoy the day, despite the surroundings,' she thought with a smile.
Kiyone continued on down the road, taking a break from shunpo, and enjoying the warmth of the day along with the light breeze that blew through the town. She could feel the eyes of the district's residents all over her, but she did not let that bother her. Kiyone looked to the sky and watched as a peculiar cloud passed by, it was oddly deformed and spiky, and even had an odd gray hue among the white.
'Almost looks like...Isane's hair,' Kiyone thought then shook her head to dislodge the mental image of Isane that popped in. 'Damnit...why can't I stop thinking of her?' she asked herself but her mental berating was interrupted by a distant cry.
"Help! Someone help me!"
Kiyone whirled around in the direction of the cry, it seemed to be coming from a nearby alleyway. Kiyone rushed down the alleyway, following the source of the noise until she stumbled upon a young teenage boy, splayed out on the ground.
"Are you alright?" Kiyone asked as she kneeled down next to the boy. An arrogant laugh echoed throughout the wide alleyway as Kiyone felt several weak reiatsu enter the area behind her. Kiyone closed her eyes, shook her head and smirked as she realized she had been set up. She slowly stood and turned to see a group of gruff men in ragged clothing wielding an assortment of clubs and blunt weapons.
"Well, well, well, hey there pretty thing, just hand over all you got and this won't have to get ugly," the biggest of the men said in a rough voice, clearly he was the leader. Kiyone smiled in amusement and rested her hand on the hilt of her zanpakutou, hoping the men would get the message.
"You Shinigami are always loaded," the man continued, clearly ignoring or not noticing Kiyone's gesture.
"Now, guys, do you really want to do this?" Kiyone asked, amusement clear in her voice as she over-exaggeratedly rolled her shoulders, hoping it would draw attention to her lieutenant's patch. The men began to advance on Kiyone, clearly not taking heed of her warnings.
'Maybe this will help me clear my thoughts,' Kiyone thought as she took a simple hand-to-hand combat stance and smirked. The men all rushed at her with their clubs held high; yet they were nothing compared to Kiyone's lieutenant-level prowess. The first man to reach her quickly found himself flying backwards and slumped upside down against the alleyway wall. The next man found himself face down in the dirt, his club clattering down next to him. The leader was the only one smart enough to back away from Kiyone as his henchmen all began to recover from their beating.
"Can't we be reasonable here?" Kiyone asked as she dusted her hands off. The leader smirked which piqued Kiyone's interest.
"What's so funny-?" But Kiyone was cut off as she felt a sharp dull pain shoot through the back of her head. Stars sparkled in her vision as she stumbled and turned. The boy who had been laying on the ground earlier was now on his feet, wielding one of the clubs she had disarmed from one of the many men.
'Damn...' Kiyone thought hazily as she fell backwards, her back slamming onto the ground. The men crowded around her, their bodies merely black outlines against the oddly bright sky above her. Kiyone was on the verge of blacking out when she felt a powerful burst of reiatsu that caused the men surrounding her to disperse and run off down the alleyway in fright.
"Who...who's there?" Kiyone called out, her mind was too foggy to identify the Shinigami by reiatsu alone. The figure appeared above her, though she could not make out who it was by the blurry shape. Kiyone strained to stay conscience, but she was unable to as her eyes slowly closed and everything went black.
* Bleach *
Kiyone's eyes shot open and she was met by a pale gray ceiling. She sat up and realized that she was in a 4th Division hospital room; she was still fully clothed but had the sheets covering her. A sharp pain shot through Kiyone's skull and she rubbed the back of her head, feeling a bandage covering the part that hurt most. The door to her room opened and Isane came in carrying a tray with a bowl on it.
"Isane..?" Kiyone asked as the silver-haired Shinigami set the tray down on the bedside table. "What happened?" Kiyone asked as Isane stood over her, seemingly examining her, though worry was clear on her features.
"You were attacked and sustained a minor concussion, but you'll be fine," Isane explained as her voice took on a clean, medical tone, clearly ingrained in her from seeing many patients a day.
"Someone saved me," Kiyone said.
"I did..." Isane replied as her previous tone broke into a worried one, matching the expression on her face.
"You saved me..?" Kiyone asked in disbelief, to which Isane nodded in response.
"I came looking for you at the 13th Division, but Sentaro told me how you stormed out," Isane explained as she leaned in closer to Kiyone to examine her further, causing the blonde to gulp and blush slightly from her sister's proximity.
"I followed the traces of your reiatsu, you were never good at hiding it when you shunpo," Isane continued as she placed her hand against Kiyone's forehead and used kido to check her temperature; the simple contact causing Kiyone's breathe to hitch and her blush to deepen.
"You don't have a fever, I wonder why you're flushed..." Isane mumbled, more to herself than Kiyone. Kiyone began to visibly shake from the contact and proximity of Isane then dramatically threw the sheets off of herself, causing Isane to back up in surprise. Kiyone hopped off of the bed and quickly made for the door.
"W-w-well it seems I'm ok, I'll just be going now!" Kiyone said rapidly as she opened the door.
"Kiyone, wait!" Isane called out but it was too late, the spunky blonde was gone.
Kiyone slowly made her way into her tiny house; she had a room at the 13th Division barracks, but she still liked to have her own house. Kiyone dropped down onto her bed and rested her head in her hands then let out a sigh.
'I can't handle this anymore...' Even in her own mind, Kiyone sounded emotionally exhausted. Kiyone lifted her feet onto her bed and laid down against the mattress, wincing as her head touched her pillow.
'I have to tell her...' Kiyone resolved as she looked out of her bedroom window at the setting sun. '...But how can I? I know she'll hate me for it...' Kiyone's mind drifted off in a desperate attempt to come up with a way to get around that issue. Then the perfect idea struck her and she smiled as giddy excitement welled up inside her.
'It's perfect...' she thought as she turned on her side to get more comfortable. 'I'll just wait a few days...' she thought as a smile spread across her face.
* Bleach *
A few days passed by after Kiyone's incident.
Kiyone stood outside of Isane's office, trying to bring her breathing under control.
'I can do this...I can do this...' she assured herself as she tried to gulp down her anxiety. She took one last deep breath before sliding the door open and walking in.
"Hey, sis!" she greeted happily, interrupting Isane from her paperwork.
"Oh, hey, Kiyone," Isane returned the greeting with a delighted smile. "I'm glad to see you're doing ok, I haven't seen you for days," Isane commented as Kiyone came closer.
"Yeah, uh, sorry about that," Kiyone said as she forced a goofy grin.
'C'mon, Kiyone, do this and you'll finally be able to go on normally and have a normal life and keep your un-sisterly love in-check,' Kiyone steeled herself to initiate her plans.
"Well, I was just thinking...how about we go out drinking?" Kiyone asked with repressed excitement in her voice.
"I'd love to, Kiyone, but...I really need to get this paperwork done," Isane said with a touch of sadness in her voice. "And besides, you really shouldn't be drinking after an injury like that," she continued.
"Aww, c'mon, Isane, I'm fine!" Kiyone said as she took on a hurt look. "And didn't you just say how we haven't spent any time together?" she continued. Isane opened her mouth to protest but soon closed it as a look of amused defeat spread across her features.
"Fine, fine, let me at least get my paperwork done and I'll meet you there," Isane said reluctantly, though her smile betrayed her tone. Kiyone smiled happily and walked back to the door.
"You know where my favorite bar is," Kiyone said simply with a smile before leaving, sliding the door shut behind her. Once she was outside of the 4th Division hospital she let out a sigh of relief.
'Well, it's too late to turn back now,' Kiyone thought as she decided to take a walk before heading off to the bar.
Soon night had fallen across the Seireitei and Kiyone made her way to her favorite bar. She entered and found the perfect place for her plan to take place: a secluded corner booth. Kiyone took a seat and started herself off with a jug of sake as she awaited Isane's arrival. However, she did not have to wait long, for just as soon as she was brought her first jug, Isane came through the bar entrance and spotted her younger sister.
"Lots of paperwork, huh?" Kiyone joked as she downed a cup of sake to calm her rattling nerves.
"Sorry," Isane replied with an apologetic smile as she took the other sake cup Kiyone had pre-filled for her and gingerly sipped from it. Kiyone slowly smiled behind her sake cup as Isane visibly began to relax.
'Sis never could hold her alcohol,' Kiyone mentally thought in slight amusement. Three cups later and Isane was beginning to become more vocal, a light flush present on her cheeks from her drinking.
"I've really been worried about you, Kiyone," Isane said, her tone muddled with concern and the effects of the alcohol. "You just rushed out so suddenly the other day..." she continued as she drank a little more from her sake cup.
"Is...something wrong, Kiyone?" Isane asked, her obvious concern starting to bite into Kiyone.
'I'm really making her worry this much?' Kiyone thought as her face fell for a moment.
"Well…yes, there is something I've been wanting to tell you..." Kiyone replied as she set her cup down. Isane gave Kiyone her full attention which caused the blonde to start visibly shaking from the perceived pressure.
'I hope she's had enough,' Kiyone hoped as she tried to calculate how many cups Isane had had versus her alcohol tolerance.
"Isane...I-I...l-love you," Kiyone mumbled after a long moment of silence, but Isane heard her clearly enough.
"Is that all? I love you too, Kiyone," Isane replied casually, clearly not understanding.
"N-no, Isane, I mean...I...love you," Kiyone repeated slowly as she stared intently into Isane's eyes. Isane blinked for a moment, then gazed back into Kiyone's eyes and saw the emotion in them.
"You...love me?" Isane said in surprise as she dropped her sake cup onto the table with a clatter.
"B-but..." Isane was too shocked to form words and Kiyone watched helplessly from across the table as her plan crumbled before her.
"Isane..?" Kiyone asked tentatively as her sister seemed to have spaced out. The sound of Kiyone's voice brought Isane back to reality with a crash that her brain could not handle.
"Isane!" Kiyone cried as Isane paled and fell over in the booth, passed out cold.
'What did I do!' Kiyone mentally berated herself as she picked Isane up and cradled her in her arms, bridal style. She quickly left the bar, hoping she had not attracted any unwanted attention, and shunpoed back to her house.
Kiyone mentally panicked as she put a futon out on the floor and laid Isane on it, covering her up with a thick quilt. She knelt down next to Isane as the silver-haired woman remained unconscious.
'Now I've hurt you, Isane...' Kiyone thought in despair as tears welled up in her eyes.
'Please be ok,' she pleaded as she brushed a stray lock of Isane's hair out of her face then traced her hand down the unconscious girl's cheek. Kiyone diligently remained by Isane's side the entire night, she did not stop worrying except when sleep finally claimed her exhausted, worry-ridden mind.
* Bleach *
Kiyone slowly opened her eyes and found herself slumped over on top of something. She groggily looked up and saw the gentle smiling face of Isane above her.
"I-Isane!" Kiyone stuttered as she bolted upright, having fallen asleep and slumped across Isane's legs.
"Good morning, Kiyone," Isane greeted warmly.
'She's acting normally...maybe she doesn't remember...' Kiyone thought as hope swelled inside her.
"Kiyone."
Kiyone was brought out of her thoughts by Isane, who now had a serious look on her face.
"We should talk about last night," Isane continued. Kiyone's heart and face both fell as dread washed over her.
"Y-you...remember?" Kiyone asked as a combination of shame and dread laced her voice. Isane simply nodded. Tears filled Kiyone's eyes and began to stream down her cheeks as she fell forward and clung onto Isane, sobbing into her shihakushou. Isane was startled by Kiyone's sudden break down but soon began stroking the crying girl's hair.
Kiyone's sobbing eventually died down into a few coughs and sniffles, then she sat up and wiped her eyes on her sleeve.
"Do you...hate me now?" Kiyone asked after a moment of silence. Kiyone was surprised when Isane reached out and pulled her into a tight embrace. Kiyone buried her face in Isane's shoulder and hugged back. When the two girls parted, Isane had a wide smile on her face.
"I could never hate you, Kiyone," she said which took Kiyone completely off guard.
"E-even after what I did..? Even though I..." Kiyone was hushed as Isane gently pressed her finger against her lips.
"I may not...feel the same way you do," Isane began as a blush entered her cheeks. "But you're my sister, and I'll always love you as a sister," she continued as she took her finger off Kiyone's lips. A large happy smile spread across Kiyone's face.
"You mean it?" Kiyone asked in disbelief as Isane's caring smile never faltered.
"You can love me however you want, Kiyone, but you'll always be my sister," Isane reassured.
"Isane!" Kiyone cried happily as she hugged her sister again. Isane laughed at Kiyone's enthusiasm and gently hugged her back.
"Isane..." Kiyone said softly once the two parted again. Isane's eyebrow perked up questioningly.
"I have a...request," she continued.
"Yes?" Isane asked. Kiyone looked down at her lap for a moment then quickly looked back up and stared intensely into Isane's eyes.
"Can I kiss you?" Kiyone blurted out which startled Isane, causing a crimson blush to blossom across her cheeks.
"W-what?" she asked in surprise as she was physically taken aback. Kiyone looked away from Isane as a shamed blush spread across her own cheeks.
"I-it would mean a lot to me," Kiyone whispered softly as her blush intensified. Isane's blush deepened as a conflicted look washed over her face, though she remained silent. Kiyone's slowly turned her gaze back to Isane.
"Just one…please?" Kiyone asked sweetly, though she understood the gravity of her request.
"A-alright," Isane said softly which caused a disbelieving smile to spread across Kiyone's face.
"R-really?" Kiyone asked, so amazed that she was not sure what to believe anymore.
"I can tell it means a lot to you so…alright" Isane explained, though her deepening blush told another story entirely. A look of pure delight spread across Kiyone's face as she scooted in closer to Isane.
"B-but just this once!" Isane clarified quickly. "I'm just doing this because you're my sister and I care about you," she continued. Kiyone nodded in understanding then slowly began to lean in towards her sister. Her heart hammered in her ears as her lips neared Isane's.
Kiyone stopped in her advance and looked into Isane's eyes, searching for any sign that she did not want her to continue. All she saw was love, though not the love she desired, but love nonetheless, and gave a small smile as she closed the distance and pressed her lips firmly against Isane's. Isane stiffened at the contact, but soon relaxed and allowed her younger sister to have what she desired. Kiyone's blush increased as she tentatively savored the first and last kiss she would have with her sister; she was glad that it did not feel awkward or tense. She brought her hands up and wrapped them around Isane's waist and pulled the older girl into a loose hug, which Isane limply allowed.
Isane did not encourage or discourage Kiyone through the kiss, she simply sat and let the younger girl have her way. Finally Kiyone pulled back and turned the loose hug into a full hug, which the older girl returned. She gently nuzzled the crook of Isane's neck.
"Thank you, Isane..."
END
Author's Commentary: A nice happy end for the two sisters, aye? I hope you all enjoyed reading, and all feedback is happily welcomed!