Chapter 1
An introduction of the dashing hero
"Look, Look! There he is!" A gaggle of excited voices whispered. The entrance of the Shinigami Academy was crowded with both faculty members and students alike grouped together to catch a glimpse of the godly Kuchiki Byakuya and Kaien Shiba.
Walking down the stony path, leading to the academy entrance, was none other than Kuchiki Byakuya. He was the vice captain of the sixth division and also the undefeated champion of the unofficial hottest Shinigami contest. Of course, without a doubt, Kuchiki Byakuya was a handsome young man with perfect bishounen features; plus, he was the Kuchiki heir and it meant that he was filthy rich. Handsome, rich and a soon-to-be-captain, it was no wonder that Kuchiki Byakuya was deemed as the most eligible bachelor in soul society.
Ignoring the adoring stares he received, Byakuya continued down the stony path towards the faculty room. Personally, he always found a visit to the Shinigami academy more frightful than facing a Menos Grand one on one. From the corner of his eye, he spied a group of girls dreamily eyeing him; with drool dribbling down the corner of their mouth (He had an exceptionally keen eye) and wondered whether they thought he found drooling idiots attractive. Or maybe they just needed a handkerchief to wipe it off. In his opinion, it seemed that what they needed wasn't a handkerchief but a bucket.
"Looks like everyone loves you here Byakuya," Kaien Shiba observed with an impish smile; emphasizing the word love as he spied the group of drooling students. "I don't know if I should be jealous or not" He added.
In reply, Byakuya gave the man walking beside him the coldest glare that he could muster. However, Kaien remained undaunted. Like Yoruichi, he was one of the few immune to Byakuya's glare. Usually he countered it with a witty comeback that would grate on Kuchiki's nerves.
"You know, I can never glare like that and it's supposed to be a skill all nobles genetically inherit. I think that's the reason why my father was never really proud of me" Kaien commented with a dramatic sigh.
Like Byakuya, Kaien Shiba was also a young man of high status. He was the heir of the Shiba family, was one of the five noble families in Seritei. He was a couple of years younger than Byakuya but he was equally appealing to the eye. His physique rivaled that of Michael Angelo's David; due to endless hours of training under the merciless sun, his skin was perfectly tanned. His well formed arms rippled with muscles and even underneath the dark shinigami robes; one could tell that he possessed a well toned physique. He had a pointed chin which complemented his manly square jaws. The combination of both assets gave his face a symmetrical shape, a highly desirable trait that was envied by many. He had a roguish look, his indigo hair messily pointed here and there, like a porcupine's quills, and his eyebrows were eternally scrunched up into a frown. Since he was a recent graduate from the academy, his face was unmarred with battle scars, slightly dimming his 'bad-boy' appearance that many Shinigami women cherished. However, he was still handsome but when compared to Byakuya, all the beauty he held would be usurped by Byakuya's splendor. In common terms, he would look like a weed while Byakuya would always be the exotic flower that everyone adored. Still, it did not stop him from forming a strong bond of friendship with the Kuchiki heir.
Upon reaching the faculty room Shiba pushed open the heavy wooden door, revealing the roomy yet plain faculty room. It had two large sofas which could seat a minimum number of four and in the middle of the room was a large wooden round table. Plain white cotton drapes were hung on the windows which partially revealed the vast grounds of the campus. Apparently, it seemed that the room was empty apart from a single faculty member who was meticulously poring over the large tome in front of her, her eyes quickly scanning the pages whilst her left hand jotted down notes on the piece of paper beside her. Her name was Nanao Ise and she was Byakuya's classmate during his academy days, which was approximately fifty years ago. Along with Mayuri Kurotsuchi, they were once teammates.
"Nanao-san, where can I find Genryusai-sama?" Byakuya asked her.
Rudely pulled out of her research, Nanao gave Byakuya a slightly irritated glare before walking to one of the bookshelves and pulling out a file. She always hated it when someone interrupted her when she was reading. She found it down right rude! Normally, she would send the poor hapless person away but with Byakuya it was different. Ever since her first day in the academy she had developed a slight crush on him. She hated to admit it but during their graduation, she fervently hoped that they would both be in the same division. Unfortunately, she ended up in the eighth division with a lazy old man as her captain. Thankfully, over the years, her crush on Byakuya gradually faded away.
"Most probably, you'll find him in the training hall"
"I thought you were the third seat officer in the eighth division. How come you're teaching?" Byakuya asked his old teammate. Upon hearing this question, Nanao released and irritated sigh.
"Apparently, Captain Shunsui felt that I needed more social interaction to sweeten my disposition. He said that a lieutenant of the eighth division must be friendly and caring like him. My ass, I bet he's just too lazy to fill up the forms" Nanao added with annoyance. Once again, she sat on the rickety wooden chair and continued her research, marking the end of their discussion. Taking it a sign to leave, they both bowed to Nanao before leaving the room.
Watching her former teammate's retreating form, Nanao sighed. Before their graduation, they were known as the strongest team out of the whole graduation batch. They were also known as the most lifeless team, with their classmates considering them as a bunch of prats with sticks stuck up to their bums. It was because of the serious personality that was prevalent amongst the three members. But once their graduation was over, whatever bonds they shared dissolved as each went their own separate ways. Though she would never admit it, she missed the times when the three of them used to practice and share lunch together. Now the three of them were sent to separate divisions, with Mayuri happily dissecting unfortunate Quincys and Byakuya burdened with the workload of the sixth division as well the Kuchiki clan. Whatever chances of the three of them having a reunion was close to zero.
However she couldn't help but admit that even after fifty years, Byakuya was still- well in simple terms- damn hot! His skin was still the perfect shade of milky white that seemed to emit a radiating glow under the sun's rays and even after all those years of fighting hollows, it remained spotless. She wondered if he was using some special type of anti scar cream. His almond shaped eyes were the colour of molten amber, still contained the raw intensity, powerful enough to make her go weak in the knees and immediately send her to cloud nine. Along with his eyes, his other attractive feature was his mouth; luscious yet firm, it was the birth of many erotic fantasies. The harsh square shape of his jaw spoke of raw masculine power. However, its harshness was subdued by his high delicately carved cheekbones and long flowing black hair which rippled with every step he took. His delicately arched eyebrows and his long straight nose completed the handsome 'bishounen' features that many of the Shinigamis adored.
Nanao removed her glasses and with a wry smile, aimlessly stared at the blurred text in front of her. It was beyond comprehension; even after fifty years, the damned Kuchiki still had the power to make her heart beat a few paces faster. Who would have thought that a single man held so much control over her heart?