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So, this didn't turn out how I originally planned. But that's a good thing? This originally started out similar to the YoruHara and GgioSui fics I wrote, but as I was writing it, it got away from me and turned into something far more serious. There's actual substance to this fic, is what I'm saying.
Shout outs to PolarisAmane for betaing this fic. She just published a Renji/Rukia fic by the name of "Ginseng" that I would recommend you all go read, even if you aren't into the pairing. Sometimes we like to write characters other than Yoruichi and Sui-Feng.
His breaths were heavy and deep and his checks were flushed. His palms were red and sweaty from his tightening grip. With a cry he brought his hands down and with one last thrust he was finished.
Releasing one hand, Byakuya admired the shaft between his fingers. It was his bokken, a wooden practice sword given to him many years ago by his father. It was made from a hard cherry wood that had been sanded and lacquered to a perfect smoothness that gleamed in the sunlight as it curved upwards. It was ornamented with gold inlay and ornate carvings all along the pseudo blade and where the pommel would have been was a mother-of-pearl Kuchiki crest.
Despite the bokken's age and how often it was used, it showed no visible signs of wear, save for the indentions from Byakuya's tight fingers on the hilt. He kept the practice sword in pristine condition. It was his pride, though it was soon to be replaced.
Today was his first day as a member of the Shino Academy. Even though the day had been a short one, only long enough for a few introductory lectures and for the classes to be issued their uniforms, Byakuya still felt as if he had taken an important step in his life. He had crossed a threshold and what lay on the other side was the power and prestige that were rightfully his, but lay out of his grasp due to his age.
While all the other students were being assigned their lodgings and roommates, Byakuya's considerable status exempted him from having to associate himself with the uncouth. He had been allowed to leave the ground and return to the Kuchiki estate, where he promptly changed into his new garments and headed outside to practice kendo. He hadn't even been issued his asauchi yet, but was determined to ensure that his swordsmanship went unrivaled among his classmates. He would not allow the Kuchiki house to be surpassed in any fashion by the unkempt masses. For him to be outdone would be a great embarrassment to his family name, and most importantly to himself.
Despite the soreness in his arms, the satisfaction of a flawlessly executed kata washed over him and left him at ease. The hot sun was making him perspire more than his exertion, so he sought shelter in the shade of a nearby tree. Crossing his legs as he had seen his grandfather do so many times before, he laid the wooden sword across his lap, imagining how different steel would feel from wood.
"Look at you!" Byakuya nearly tripped over his hakama as he scrambled to his feet at the sound of the unexpected voice. Clumsily, he grasped for his bokken and readied it, pointing the wooden sword in the direction he had heard the voice.
"Maybe you should have made sure they were the right size before you put them on." The chuckling voice belong to none other than Yoruichi Shihoin, who was currently sauntering towards him, wearing the ill-fitting standard uniform of the Keigun; loose fitting black shirt and pants connected by a dark sash around the waist, as well as a bandana and mask, though she had pulled the face covering down. Though it was an unflattering ensemble, it did little to hide her developing figure, or the way it reacted to her movements.
"H…how did you get here, bakeneko?" Byakuya stammered indignantly, trying to regain his composure. He wasn't having much success. Yoruichi always had that effect of turning him. Her teasing and provocations always succeeded in turning into a bumbling fool. It was infuriating and what made it worse was how much she clearly enjoyed it. Why else would she appear so often to torment him?
"Please," Yoruichi flicked her head, removing a wayward strand of her cropped hair from her face as easily as she brushed off the insult. "I'm in the Onmitsukido. Sneaking around is what we do."
It was true. Her uniform spoke as much. She was currently an unseated member of the Keigun, though that was only a formality. Despite her unprecedented nature, it was only a matter of time before she assumed command of the Onmitsukido. It was only a matter of waiting for her father to vacate the office. There was no question that she would be ready to fill the position once that time came.
"Still, you should know better than to surprise someone who's armed," He replied, the ever shrinking distance between them making it impossible for his nerves to calm.
"Armed?" Yoruichi scoffed. "I don't see any weapons here." She looked around in an exaggerated manner. "All I see is a fancy stick." She stopped just outside
"It's not a stick!" Byakuya barked, his temper riled yet again by the insult to his father's craftsmanship. "It's a bokken," he paused awkwardly, realizing that it would be impossible for her not to know what it was, "And it's perfectly capable of harming someone just as grievously as a sword when used properly."
"And what makes you think that you can use that thing properly?" Yoruichi smirked, her hands on her hips.
"Do you wish for me to prove it?" He did his best to make his voice sound as threatening as possible.
"I would love for you to." She replied, taking up a defensive stance.
"What makes you think I'm the type of man that would attack an unarmed girl?" He sneered.
"Don't worry," She replied, "I'm can handle myself. Besides, I'm not afraid of a little blood."
"You can't possible except for me to attack you when you don't even have a weapon, can you?" Before the question was fully out, he felt a tug in his hair. It took a few moments of him watching Yoruichi dangle the red strip of cloth in front of him, as well as feeling his hair unravel, for him to realize that, faster than he had been able to see, Yoruichi had snatched away his hair tie.
"Come on," She taunted, wrapping the band around her knuckles. "Is the man going to let this little girl steal his ribbon so easily?" Before his mouth could retort, his arms acted on their own accord. He swung the bokken at with all of his indignant fury.
Effortlessly, Yoruichi dodge the clumsy blow, grinning wide as she did. Byakuya recovered from his missed attack and took another wild swing at her, which she dodged just as easily. Byakuya was about to attack again when he felt a sting in his left year. As he saw Yoruichi appear on the opposite side of him, he realized that she had managed to slip behind him and flicked his ear.
Byakuya retaliated with a barrage of clumsy and undisciplined slashes, which she evaded with infuriating elegance. Shouting in anger, he pulled back and thrust the bokken directly towards Yoruichi smug smile. He elbows almost gave out as Yoruichi caught the bokken between her palms, stopping it instantly.
"Now, now" Yoruichi chided, letting go save for her index finger, which rested at the tip. No matter how hard Byakuya pushed, he could not make the finger budge. "It's unbecoming to get so worked up over trivial things." She took a few steps towards him, her finger trailing down the edge of the bokken as she moved, stopping just a foot from him, her eyes locked with his.
In that instance, all the harassment and embarrassment that she had subjected him too coalesced inside him. All the teasing and ridicule manifested itself in a single action. He launched his face towards her's. They collided roughly with his mouth barely touching the side of her lips.
He withdrew just as quickly. He could feel his face heating up as his eyes darted around, trying desperately to find anything to look at other than the girl he had just attempted, and failed miserably, to kiss.
Reluctantly his eyes made their way back to brown skinned girl before him. To his surprised, her expression was not one of angry or even of shock. Somehow, her grin had somehow managed to widen even further.
"I..uhh…" Byakuya stammered, the redness in his checks deepening even further still. Panic struck him as Yoruichi started towards him. Before he could back away, Yoruichi was on him, giving him a kiss that was much more adept than his.
Yoruichi pulled back and looked on him. He hoped that she didn't see that fear in him in that moment. Craning her neck, she looked around the walled-off garden. Turning back to Byakuya, she grabbed him by the wrist and led him back behind a nearby tree, out of sight of any passer bys that might wander through.
Once behind the tree, Yoruichi pinned him against the tree and began kissing him again. His knees quickly gave out and he slid down the rough bark. Yoruichi followed and sat next to him, not ending her kisses. Byakuya did his best to return them, but his were sloppy and unpracticed.
They stayed like that for some time. Eventually, Byakuya started to feel as if he was getting the hang of kissing. As he became more comfortable in the situation, he summoned some of the courage he had left and reached out to her, touching her shoulder gently. He could feel her smile as she shifted position, moving from sitting next to him to straddling his lap, removing the bandana from her head as she did so. Byakuya when he felt the weight fall on him. He hoped that she could not feel the swelling in his loins through the baggy hakama.
Their hands became more daring as the space between them lessened, as did their tongues. The foreign appendage in his mouth felt incredibly bizarre to Byakuya, but not wholly unpleasant.
Feeling her hands on his chest, Byakuya took that as an invitation that he could move his hands to her's. Cautiously, he moved a hand towards her breast, cupping one intrepidly. Encouraged by the small moan he elicited, he moved his other hand to her unoccupied breast.
He gently fondled them for a time, before he heard an agitated grunt. Yoruichi pulled back and loosened the sash around her waist. Tossing it aside, she grasped the hem of her shirt and pulled it over her head, tossing it with the sash.
Byakuya's heart stopped for a moment as her chest became unbound. He had seen her naked once before, when she revealed her unique ability to transform into a cat to him, but not this close. Not like this.
Seeing her bare flesh this close, Byakuya could see several scars marring her skin. They were fresh, likely made by claws and blades that aimed to take her life, not by wayward steel and accidents.
Yoruichi leaned back in, retuning the favor by loosening his kosode so it fell around his waist, revealing his smooth skin. He cupped a now bare breast in his hand. It was warm to the touch and softer than had ever imagined. He gave it a hard squeeze, only to hear another grunt from Yoruichi. He loosened his grip, hoping that he hadn't hurt her.
He shivered slightly has he felt her hands on his own bare chest, and fear welled up in him again as he felt those hands traveling down ward. Closing his eyes, he braced himself for what was about to come. He let out a small cry as he felt her fingers on him. He was about to explore her nether regions, when he heard it.
Yoruichi giggled.
"What?" Byakuya said breathlessly as he bushed her away.
"What, what?" Yoruichi replied, looking confused.
"You laughed." He responded, his breath returning.
"So?" Yoruichi expression darkened, loosing its sexual flush.
"No one laughs for no reason." His eyes narrowed.
"Are you really doing this?" Yoruichi asked, audibly irritated.
"What's so funny?" He pressed, undeterred.
"If you must know," Yoruichi crossed her arms, making her bust appear even larger. "You were just smaller than I-"Before she could finish the sentence, she was shoved off of his lap roughly. They locked eyes for a moment, issuing their challenges silently. "Fine," She finally spoke. "If that's how you're going to be about this," She gathered up her clothes and walked off, not even bothering to put her shirt back on as she left.
Once Yoruichi was safely out of sight Byakuya let out a frustrated cry, slamming his fist against the tree at his back, the bruise and bleeding caused by the bark only adding to his frustration.
Byakuya hated the unstructured times in the day at the Academy. There were gaps between lessons and training exercises where the students were allowed to mill about freely with little or no supervision. With nowhere to go and nothing to do, it made it difficult for him to avoid all the commoners. He was already forced to associate with them more than he cared for, he didn't need to waste his free time on them.
He was about to go find some secluded area where he could practice his kendo, for he still hadn't adjusted fully to the weight and feel of his asauichi, when he heard a commotion nearby. A group of students were gathering around something. Curious, he did he best to muscle his way to the front, only to instantly wish that he hadn't.
"What are you doing here?" Byakuya asked angrily once confronted with the object of the crowd's attention. It was Yoruichi, standing in the middle of the circle, her dark uniform contrasting sharply with the white of the school clothes. It was the first time they had seen each other since their encounter, which was weeks ago.
"Calm down, Byakuya-bo," Yoruichi replied, dawning out the last syllable. "I'm just here to check out how the new perspective recruits are progressing."
"What did you just call me?" Byakuya bit back, too angry to feel his cheeks reddening. The crowed had readjusted to give the two Nobles room.
"What, you mean Byakuya-bo?" She replied flippantly, "I don't know why you're so worked up. I mean it is rather appropriate, after all."
"I will make you regret those words." He growled, gripping the hilt of his sword.
"You'll have to catch me first." Yoruichi grinned. As soon as the challenged was issued, Byakuya lunged for her. But she was far too fast for his angry movements. The spectators parted and Byakuya took after Yoruichi, pumping his legs as hard and as fast as he could, though it was a woefully inadequate pace. Yoruichi already had a level of mastery of Shunpo that allowed her to speed away from him with the greatest of ease.
After a few minutes of chase, Byakuya relented, falling to his knees to catch his exhausted breath. It was in that moment, with Yoruichi's laughter reverberating in his skull, that he resolved himself to become the fastest, strongest, most powerful Shinigami ever so that he may one day catch that cat. And when he finally did, he would relish the day, for he knew for a fact that there was more than one way to skin them.