WARNING: I do not own Bleach, its universe, or characters. Tsuki, Takeo, and Yaya, however, belong to me!
It was a clear evening in the Soul Society; the perfect time to be out drinking with buddies. Not a cloud dared to float across the sky as the stars started to peek out and watch as the soul reapers began to unwind and turn in for the night down below…
"Man, the work is piling up like you wouldn't believe!" Takeo exclaimed with exhaustion as he leaned back in his chair. "I have to sign papers on the floor now because my desk is so cluttered with paperwork!"
Takeo Kishin – Tsuki's older brother and the third seated officer of squad seven – is six feet tall with ruffled dark red brown hair that's black at the back of his neck and has a few silver strands that hang loosely from his nape. His eyes are the shocking color of emerald green. He was currently wearing his shihakushô, open halfway and was wearing bandages on the lower half of his torso, and also wore black loop earrings with red orbs dangling from each of them.
"Well you can blame all of that on Aizen." Renji commented in reply. "Ever since he decided to rebel and leave for Hueco Mundo, the workload has increased dramatically for all of us."
"Even more so for those of us who don't have a captain…" Hisagi added solemnly.
At that moment, an already wasted Matsumoto spoke up by exclaiming, "Enough with this melancholy cloud hanging over us! If you have enough time to be sad then you should be drinking!"
"I've already drunk two bottles worth, Rangiku." Takeo stated in response. "And that's enough for me tonight. I don't want to go home to my sister drunk as all get out like last time."
"Maybe you should find a different way to unwind then." Renji suggested. "Find a lady friend or something."
"Um…Am I chopped liver?" Matsumoto asked huffily.
"I meant a girlfriend, Rangiku." The red-headed vice-captain replied.
Takeo thought for a moment before making his response. "That isn't a bad idea Renji," he said with wonder. "but with all the paperwork I've got, I'm afraid that I won't be able to spend enough time with her."
"Oh, puhleeze!" Matsumoto exclaimed. "Stop making excuses Takeo-kun! I'm sure that whichever woman you choose, she'll understand and wait for you!"
"Yeah, you've even got a fan base of women to choose from." Kira chimed in.
Takeo sighed and said, "There's no way I'm choosing one of them. They're too…clingy…"
As Hisagi and Kira were commenting that some of those females wouldn't be too bad to hang out with, a raven-haired beauty made her way into Takeo's view.
She stood at five feet nine inches tall with long straight raven locks that ended just under her shoulder blades with her bangs parted on the right and some of it was dyed the colors of the rainbow. Only one of her violet blue colored eyes was visible, as her long bangs were covering the left one. She wore her won take on the shihakushô, wearing it as a dress that ended at her knees with the middle cinched with a light yellow sash. The top half was open – and cut at the shoulders. The rest of her sleeves were held up by a light yellow band and under them she wore long purple fingerless gloves. On her feet she wore purple boots with one inch heels that went up to just under her knees. Her lips were pink with lip gloss, her eye lid was decorated with light teal eye shadow, and the corner of her visible eye was accented with black eye liner.
"Whoa…" Takeo uttered with awe. "Who is that?"
He was in a daze as he watched her walk by, and said he was going to go talk to her, but Renji knew who it was and stopped him from doing so.
"No way! You can date any woman in Soul Society," he explained. "But whatever you do, don't ever date her!"
Takeo was indignant as he asked his friend why he couldn't ask her out.
"Wait, you don't know?" Kira asked curiously.
"They call her the Man-Eater." Hisagi explained seriously. "She attracts the men with her beauty, asks them out, then chews them up and spits them out when she's done with them."
"Yeah, one of our men in squad six is still beaten up about her break up with him." Renji added. "And he's been out for weeks now."
Takeo, now having heard this information, agreed to what his friends told him, but watched solemnly as the beautiful woman walked out of view.
"Hey, isn't Tsuki-chan friends with her?" Matsumoto suddenly asked out of the blue.
"Yeah, actually they are." Renji answered.
Takeo then took one more drink of sake before standing up and saying, "Well, I think that's enough for me tonight. Better get home before I make my sister worry."
The others gave their farewells and good nights before Takeo turned and headed back home.
"I'm back Tsuki-chan." Takeo announced as he approached the only lit room at the Kishin Manor – the living room.
"Oh, and you're still sober." His younger sister stated in response with relief. "I just finished brewing some tea. Would you like some?"
Tsukiko Kishin is Takeo's younger sister and the third seated officer of the sixth division. She is five feet four inches tall with long brown silver streaked hair that was down at the moment and has teal colored eyes. She also had pure silver strands that were normally wrapped, but were hanging loose over her shoulder. Tsuki was currently wearing a very simple light sea green kimono, tied at the waist with a teal obi.
"Sure." He replied while taking a seat at the low round table across from his sister.
She served the tea, and as she watched her brother take a sip, she noticed something. "You seem a little…different Takeo-nii." Tsuki said slowly with thought.
He paused mid-sip and stared at her blankly before pulling the cup away from his lips and asking, "I do…?"
"Yeah…" Tsuki answered as she trailed off in thought. She was silent for a few minutes, letting it seep into her mind before the light bulb went off in her mind. That's when she said, "That's it! You've seen a woman that caught your eye, right?!"
Takeo gazed at his younger sibling with amazement as she asked, "I am right, aren't I? So…who is it?"
Takeo was a little apprehensive at first, but eventually described the raven haired beauty that he'd seen earlier. "Raven hair with rainbow highlights?" Tsuki pondered when he had finished. "That must be Tsuyayaka – Yaya-chan – you saw then."
"So you do know her?" her brother asked curiously.
"Well yes, I do know Yaya-chan." Tsuki replied. "Although we've only recently become friends…"
"Can you tell me more about her?" Takeo questioned further, becoming more interested in the young woman they were talking about.
"Well, there's not much to tell, as I don't know about her background or where she works." His sister stated with concern. "But I do know that she doesn't really settle down and goes from man to man. I've asked her why she does that, but she just closes up and doesn't tell me anything."
"Well I'm going to see if I can change that," Takeo stated with determination. "because the next time I see her, I'll ask her out for sure."
And sure enough, within the week he had come across her again. Ask her out he did, and at first she was surprised, but agree to go out on a date nonetheless.
It went rather well too. He took her to a nice place, and Takeo shared everything with her. But when it came to her turn to share, she only shared the small things – nothing personal. Takeo understood, as she was probably a little apprehensive around him. He was hoping that she would open up the more time they spent together, but she didn't.
In fact, she didn't reveal anything personal throughout the two months that they did dat. And to top it off, Tsuyayaka ended up breaking their relationship off once their third month together had started…
"…What…?" Takeo uttered; the shock apparent on his face by what he had heard.
"I want to break up." Yaya repeated simply.
"Wha…Why?!" Takeo questioned further. "Why do you want to break up when we've been having such a good time together?!" – he paused – "You have been having a good time, haven't you…?"
"Yes I have," Yaya answered truthfully with a smile. "But I think if we continue in this direction, it won't end well."
She then turned away and started walking. Takeo, frozen in place, could only shout after her, "Wait, I can make it work! Yaya-chan! YAYA-CHAN!"
The pleas fell on deaf ears as the woman who broke Takeo's heart rounded the corner and disappeared from his life for what seemed to him like forever.
After the breakup, Takeo fell apart slowly. He still went to work, at least until he wasn't even motivated to leave the bed or even eat. All day he stayed in his room and moped, which worried Tsuki. She couldn't take any more of this, so she decided to take matters into her own hands. And that's exactly what she did the next time she met up with Yaya.
"So…are you dating anyone new?" Tsuki asked to start a new conversation after they had discussed the overbearing workload.
"I haven't found anyone yet." Yaya answered.
"You know, you can always go back to Takeo-nii." Tsuki suggested.
"I'm sorry, but I can't."
"Why not? Takeo-nii's been pretty depressed since you broke up with him, and I can tell that you've been pretty down too."
Yaya's eyes widened with shock before she gazed away from her friend with sadness in her eyes.
"I see the truth now…that you really do miss him." Tsuki continued after a silent pause. "So please tell me why you can't go back to Takeo-nii and start dating him again."
Yaya paused, sighed, and then answered with, "I just can't…I've got to get back to work now…" And with that, she stood and left Tsuki without giving her a truthful answer.
So Yaya remained closed off from the Kishin siblings from then on. Takeo got a little better after a month, with a little urging from Tsuki, but he still had a broken heart and wouldn't date any other woman. He started to leave the manor more though, and even started working again, which is what he was doing now.
Takeo was making rounds in the Rukongai, when he saw Yaya with another man. His blood boiled a little as he glared at the couple. Finally he walked towards them and confronted them.
"Found a new man I see." He said, catching their attention.
"Takeo-kun, what are you doing here?" Yaya asked lightheartedly with a fake smile.
"Working, making my rounds." He answered simply.
"So you're working again?" Yaya continued. "That's good to hear."
"Oh, stop with the act." Takeo suddenly uttered, having had enough of the fake smile and happy tone in her voice. "I know your true feelings, and this man will never fulfill them."
Yaya's date turned to her with shock and asked her, "What is he talking about, Yaya?"
She pursed her lips in silence, so Takeo answered the question for her. "Se dated me before you, along with many other men," he explained. "And if you two continue to date, she will end up breaking up with you in the near future. Then she'll move on to another man, continuing in an endless cycle of dates and break ups."
Yaya's date was utterly shocked, as he turned to her and said, "Is this true?" She closed her eyes and said nothing, so he continued. "You told me we'd be together forever!" he said, as he took her silence as a yes. "If you're not going to be true to your promise, then we're over!"
The man then stalked off, and that's when Yaya lashed out at Takeo. "I can't believe you right now Takeo!" she yelled out angrily. "That's it! You're never going to see me ever again! I'm disappearing from your life forever!"
"I'm not going to let that happen." Takeo stated simply in response.
"Well let's see you try then!" Yaya challenged him before running off.
Takeo followed closely after her, making her angrier with every running bound she took. Finally she stopped in a clearing of trees, turning to face Takeo who was unfazed.
"Why? Why do you do this to me?" she asked him with frustration. "Why won't you leave me alone?"
"It's because…" Takeo replied slowly. "I love you Tsuyayaka."
"You lie! You don't love me!" Yaya protested. "No man loves me!"
In response, Takeo silently took a step towards her. She flinched with surprise, but continued trying to keep him away by telling him truths that would repel him.
"Well, you know what? I'm in the twelfth division!" she told him. "I work with the creepiest Soul Reapers in all the Seireitei! Who knows, I'm probably creepy too."
Takeo took another step towards her.
"I'm-I'm not entirely beautiful! Take a look at this!" she continued before lifting her bangs away from her face. Instead of an eye right where it should've been, there was a huge scar over a deformed closed eye.
Rather than turning away in disgust, Takeo took a few more steps towards her until he was standing right in front of her. Despite her protesting and struggling, he pulled her into a tight embrace and told her, "I never cared about where you work, or your appearance, because I love you for you, Yaya-chan."
This declaration of love finally got through to her, as she broke into sobs while clutching at Takeo's robes. Takeo was patient, as he continued to hold her until her sobs subsided and she pulled away. The two of them then sat at the base of the tree and Yaya told him how it all started.
"The first man was the only other besides you to ask me out on a date. I was young and inexperienced, but I agreed because I actually had a crush on him." She started steadily. "We went out for two months, and at the beginning of our third month together, I shared what I was afraid to share with him." – her expression then changed to sadness – "I…had never seen anyone so disgusted in my life. He left me, and later I saw him with another beautiful woman. It was then that I decided I would keep my repulsive truths from any other man that I would date. That is, until you…"
She paused before asking him, "You're really promising never to leave me?"
"I will never leave your side, Yaya-chan." Takeo assured her with a smile. "Only if you promise to tell me everything about you."
"Very well then, it's a promise," Yaya agreed as she returned the smile. "Although…" – Takeo's face fell while she paused – "I might have to stop with the teasing and flirting."
"Oh, um…You don't have to do that…" Takeo uttered while blushing and rubbing the back of his neck sheepishly.
Yaya gazed at him with raised eyebrows before a smirk played on her lips. "You like the teasing…? She asked.
Takeo only blushed more while he stuttered, trying to find the right words and she took that as a yes.
"Mmm…My man's lost for words. It's kind of cute." She said with a teasing tone in her voice as Takeo got even redder.
"Wh-What do you say we leave this place and go get a drink somewhere?" he finally asked and Yaya nodded. The two of them then stood up and left the clearing together with linked hands.
And so the two of them became closer than ever, as they kept their promises. Yaya shared everything with Takeo, and even Tsuki, as the two of them would soon be sisters. Sure enough, after a few months, Takeo proposed to Yaya, and the two of them are now married and living happily together.