Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach

She sat in the office trying to stay absolutely silent. He preferred a quiet environment to a noisy one, and she knew this. Even the slightest sound seemed to disturb him and she usually received one of his cold glares if some unexpected reverberation occurred. Coming from a rather large and noisy family herself, she couldn't understand how someone preferred silence to the warm sounds of chatter and laughter. He wouldn't even attempt to humor her in the idle chit-chat she used to attempt to engage him in.

All that could be heard in the office at the moment was the scratching of their quills as they completed the mindless paperwork in front of them. She took a deep breath and shut her eyes. Stealing a quick glance at her taicho when she reopened them she noticed that her captain's head was still turned downward, with his eyes focused on the parchment in front of him. But she couldn't return her own eyes to the half finished paper in front of her.

She turned instead to look out of the window and wondered if the Kuchiki manor had to stay quiet all of the time; if his servants were afraid to speak in his presence? She wondered how one became so reserved, or if was simply his nature; he was a noble after all. They were known for their manners and reticent disposition. She thought she knew her captain very well. He always followed the rules, polite yet distant, and predictable.

Well, that wasn't true. She remembered hearing that he had married a peasant woman from Rukongai. The first time someone had told her that, she thought it was a joke. Kuchiki-taicho prided himself on being an example to all nobles as well as those beneath him in society; so marrying a commoner was a ridiculous thought. Then he had taken Rukia into his home as his sister; that was rather unexpected as well. So she couldn't say that her captain always followed the rules or was always predictable.

The girl turned to look at her captain once again. He was still working diligently. She watched as his hand moved gracefully over the parchment. His calligraphy was magnificent. They always say that good calligraphy equals good swordsmanship. Captain Kuchiki proved the rule. She thought back to all the times she had seen her captain on the battlefield. Not many equaled him with a sword.

She allowed her gaze to flow back up to his face. He wore no expression, unless one considered impassive an expression. Usually she found men who smiled most attractive, but she couldn't argue that Kuchiki-taicho was one of the best looking men she had ever seen; even if he never allowed the edges of his lips to curl up. His lips… his lips looked so soft despite the firm way he held them closed. His skin looked like it would be soft to touch, like the skin on a newborn infant. His midnight colored hair fell like silk around his face, held perfectly in place by his kenseiken. But her gaze kept returning to his lips, they looked so perfect. The kind of lips you want to…

"Aiko-san." His baritone voice rang out. She thought it so melodic.

"Aiko-san." She started thinking that if he weren't a noble, he could make a decent living as a classical singer.

"Aiko-san." It was the third time that he said her name that she actually realized he was speaking to her and it wasn't part of her thought process.

She startled and in ended up knocking an ink bottle to the ground. It shattered into a dozen pieces as it hit the floor.

"Hai, taicho?" She said as a blush quickly covered her face.

"If you are done staring at me, please return to your work." He said in his inexpressive manner.

"Hai." The young girl swiftly cleaned up her ink bottle remnants and mopped up the black liquid from the floor.

Finally ready to return to her work, the young girl picked up her quill and began to scribble caricatures once again. She thought about how she had be caught staring at her handsome captain and the embarrassment she still felt. Then she wondered how long she had been staring… and how long had it taken him to notice her admiration of him? Finally, she questioned how long he had continued to let her stare before calling her out.


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