note: updated to iron out some kinks.
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o5
He thinks he is in love with Kanae. Ever since Masaki became smitten with Isshin, he'd been taking a closer look at her. Ever so slightly, his heart begins to skip a beat or his breath hitches whenever he sees her.
He knows that his mother will not care, she's grown despondent from the loss of pure Quincy blood Masaki, and yet-
This is not like him, he thinks.
This is not how an Ishida acts, he reminds himself.
But he can't help falling in love with this impure Quincy.
o4
He's sitting on the porch on a rainy day. Kanae comes with a tray with tea and sugar from the kitchen. "Young master, your tea." she quietly says, her voice soft as clouds. "Thanks." he replies, taking a sip. It is sweetened with honey and milk, and she's about to walk back inside, when he tries to say something, but his throat gets stuck, and he makes a sound, and-
"Young master?" she asks, taking a step back.
"Do you want to, um, sit down?" he nervously asks, trying to cover up his emotions with another sip of tea. She smiles, and wow, how did he never take notice before? She is a sweet thing, and suddenly life feels like it is worth living for.
Kanae sits quietly next to him.
o3
They do this every afternoon now. He will sit on the porch, no matter the weather, and she will come out with a tray with tea and cubes of sugar. She will be invited by him to sit down, and every day he does this, she sits a centimeter closer.
One day, she leans her head on his shoulder, by accident. She jerks her head back up, and apologizes, "My deepest apologies, young master." Kanae is blushing like crazy (and it's kind of cute?) and he wraps his arm around her waist and pulls her back in.
She hesitantly leans her head on his shoulder, and he leans his head on hers.
It only takes another few days for them to start holding hands.
After that, kissing seems natural.
o2
"I have some good news!" she smiles, hugging him suddenly.
He smiles back at her. Ever since their marriage, ever since she began sleeping in his bed, she has become happier and happier.
"I'm pregnant!" she says. He's not shocked, because that's the end result when you fuck someone every night, and his grin only grows larger, and he hugs her and lifts her off the ground, because there was nothing that could ever ruin this moment, nothing that could ever take it away.
He can hear her breathing and heartbeat as he holds her close to his body.
o1
This is wrong, this is fucked up, this is not how it was supposed to be.
She was not supposed to die, it was just a temporary sickness. He's dealt with patients with comas before, and her strong reiatsu should've pulled her back into the world of the living. But in an instant, he'd felt her life force drain, every ounce of it.
It was him. The "king of all quincies". What fucking king would do this, what king rip his descendants apart, he couldn't take her, he couldn't, he couldn't, he couldn't take her, he could take him, anyone else, just not her and Uyru, and he realizes-
Uyru doesn't know yet. He realizes this in the midst of his tears, and this breaks him. He's probably in his room, thinking about quincy arrows and mother's warm hugs, and Ryuuken takes a big breath and leans back into his chair.
A coppery taste settles in his mouth. And for the first time in years, Ryuken cries.
He cries, and there is no maid, no lover, no wife, to comfort him.
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end.