Manga : Bleach
Author : Meiroh
Title : The Biggest
Rating : K
Disclaimer : No Kubo Tite character was hurt during the writing ...
Summary : It's hard to be the son of Kuchiki Taichou ...
Note : Don't forget the reviews, please, it really helps ...
He woke up among the stack of sheets and covers, feeling almost drowned in the shining white. He struggled to sit up in this too big bed. Blinking, he kept staring at the room around the huge bed. On the opposite corner, twice as large as the bed, was standing his dresser. There were waiting, he knew it, plenty of magnificent tailor-made kimonos, some he would wear once in his life, and then would be thrown away, because showing himself twice in the same clothes would mean they couldn't afford to buy other expensive ones, and what a pity for such a great family... So there was the big dresser...
Hearing steps in the corridor, he hurried to get up, crawling through the room to the dressing table. He had to climb on the chair to see himself in the mirror. But the piece of furniture was as big as the rest of them, somehow still too little to fit in the endless room.
He was struggling with his hair when the woman entered the bedchamber. "Young master, you should already be at the breakfast table! Hurry up please, or your father will be angry ..." She helped him with the hairstyle, and the complicated clothes, with the ease of fingers that have been practicing it for decades. He turned to look at her, waiting for approval. "Father is always angry, Misato-san." he whispered in a light sigh.
Without a word, the servant led him out of his room through the huge mansion. The dinner room was not that far from his place, in relation to the whole domain, but it always seemed as if he could lose himself in the many rooms, gardens and corridors. Everything was so big, too big. He didn't fit well here, even if he had been living here since his birth.
His parents looked at him briefly as he entered. He saluted them politely, and his mother greeted him back. But his father just frowned. "You're late."
He apologized, knowing he couldn't offer any excuse. Eating fast, but not hungrily, because the heir couldn't seem not fed enough - at ten years old, he knew his lesson perfectly - he looked at his father, expecting the noble not to let him finish his breakfast. And actually, he stood up, looked back down, and left. The young boy followed him quickly, knowing he was expected to.
While crossing the family's domain again, to their personal training area, he stared at his father's back. The noble was exactly as his house, so big and cold, impersonal and away from everything. He never saw nor heard the servants when they saluted them, he never looked at the empty huge rooms they were crossing by, he never cared about trivial matters such as his hairstyle, and though it was perfect, always far better than his own, even when he spent half an hour doing it. This giant before him, he felt as if he could never reach him. He was supposed to, because one day he would be the master, not the young any more. But how could he ever fit this too big mansion, this too great family? His father kept lecturing him about how the way he acted was wrong for his social rank, no matter what he did.
When they achieved the training area, without any introduction, his father asked him to show what he could do at kidou, already scowling, as if he knew his son would disappoint him. Again.
The boy tried to concentrate on the exercise he had been practicing for months now, but the feeling of his father judging him from behind, his father who was probably one of the strongest shinigami in Seireitei, made him lose his concentration a bit and he released too much reiatsu. The fire ball that ran to the target exploded, destroying the whole area instead of piercing precisely the target. His own attack was too big, how ironic.
His father sighed behind him. "I supposed it's still too early for you to master kidou." Then he just left the area. He had more important work to do as a Taichou than teaching his unskilled son, thought the young boy. Even knowing that not many kids could use kidou and fight as well as him, he felt humiliated. His father had mastered that basic attack before he turned nine. He was a genius, as a lot of that family, which waswhat made them the most powerful clan. Then again, they were too big, next to him. Deception was so evident in the words of the great man.
The only thing that great in the boy was his current need to cry. As he looked at his father's back one last time, pearls of tears came out. Suddenly he frowned deeply and scowled. No way he could let himself fall that bad!
The whole huge mansion seemed to wait for his reaction to mock his lack of power. The many servants he could see through the windows were probably also speaking about his inability to become a great master in this family of giants.
He turned to the training area. The targets were defying him, all in this perfect order, as if even they could fit this overawing clan better than him.
Feeling as if he couldn't bear it anymore, as if he was going to destroy everything if he couldn't master them, he raised his hand toward the first target. He would practice. Again and again, the whole day if necessary. When his father came back tonight, he would show him he could do it, no matter what. Show him he was worth being his son.
He would never cross the mansion in the shadow of the walls anymore, afraid of walking straight through the big places.
He would never curl up on the bottom of his bed anymore, afraid of how huge the night was.
He would never care about what the servants could say nor hear anymore, afraid of not being great enough even for them.
He would never let anyone see how he felt anymore, locking his weaknesses deep in his heart and composing a determined and stoic face while shoving his tears.
From now on, he would be the dignified heir of the Kuchiki clan, proud and noble as his father, and one day he would be as great as him.
One day he would be the biggest. Anywhere.
No one would look down on Kuchiki Byakuya anymore.