I had intended to surprise him, since I finally had saved enough to buy the ring. I'd asked Nanao to escort me to Kyoraku's office, since I still felt self conscious coming into the Eighth division barracks alone. She'd had no problem leading me to my boyfriend's office, only noting that she'd been concerned in that he hadn't left that room all day long. But it was made clear why when we got to the door, since the sounds coming out of the cracked door gave a clear indication of what he'd been doing all morning and afternoon. Nanao had a hand to her mouth in horror as I'd gone dead still, the evident sounds of movement following the sighs and murmurs from the woman he was currently pleasuring. The gift of sake I bought went crashing to the floor, making the noises inside halt as a very feminine voice asked, "What was that?" Nanao looked at me with eyes full of a mix of sorrow and anger, but I just pushed the door open after a moment. There on the desk sat the most beautiful woman I'd ever seen, her hair in fierce curling waves around a body that any girl would kill for. She was giving me a miffed expression, as if I was the one in the wrong for interrupting them. But Kyoraku was another story entirely, his eyes wide and locked on me with his clothes half off and his entire frame shaking with each intake of air. I walk into the room to give him some form of response, but the words don't want to come as he shakes his head as if to clear it of fog. So I toss the other gift I brought to the floor, the box coming open partly from the ribbon for me to say, "Maybe she'll have more use for this than I will..." I turn around and walk out, Nanao calling after me, "Wait! Aya-chan! AYA-CHAN!" But I shake my head as I walk away. "Don't bother Nanao-senpai. It's what I get for trying to compete with a woman like that, or any woman for that matter. I was a fool to ever fall in love." The door bangs open as Kyoraku calls after me, "Aya! Wait! I-" I then hear a very loud impact when Nanao hits him with her book, making him stop mid sentence as I stop and say over my shoulder, "Let me guess, you can explain? Explain what exactly?! Explain how you've chosen another to satisfy your needs?! Explain how she's much more desirable than myself?! Explain how you are completely sober besides?! I'm not a halfwit, and I'm certainly not a complete bastard and heartless wretch like your actions would deem you as! But the only reason you have a heart right now, is because you ripped mine out!" I choke and sprint out of the barracks, my hands to my chest as I head for my own squad. My feet pound down the road as my lungs burn, running into the barracks and past a few of my division's seat officers to bolt for the office. But when I get to the door, it opens before I can knock. Lieutenant Rangiku is there to go wided eyed at the sight of me, and I throw my arms around her. She hugs me as I start sobbing and tell her, "You were right! I should have listened! He's a lecherous bastard!" She goes dead still for a moment, then she hustles me into the office to say to me, "Oh Aya! What did he do?! Izuru, get Aya the tissue box!" I note the box come into my field of vision as Izuru holds it out to me, and I grab a handful and choke into them to then blow my nose profusely. Captain Hitsugaiya gives a loud sigh from his desk, a few papers in front of him as he turns to say, "What is it now, another spat of him drinking too much for your tastes?" Then he notes the look on my face, and his eyes widen. "Aya? What happened?"
Rangiku sits me down as I sob, "I went to see Shunsui, and he'd been in his office all day doing some gorgeous woman instead of his paperwork!" Everyone goes dead still as I continue, "Nanao had taken me to his office so I could... But the door was cracked and we both... I dropped the sake I got him and they... She was on the desk in full view... Gave me a look like I was the tramp and not... He was COMPLETELY SOBER! There wasn't a trace of sake on him or the whole office! How could I have gone to propose to such heartless filth?!" Rangiku claps a hand to her mouth as Izuru goes wide eyed in shock. "You were going to what now?!" I blow my nose again and say, "I asked for the raise for this month so I could finally get the ring... I've been saving for six months to... But now he's-" I choke on my words and wail, Captain Hitsugaiya sighing to hold up a piece of paper. "Hence your request to transfer to his squad that I got this afternoon." I nod as he folds the paper and tucks it into his kimono, my eyes streaming as Rangiku hugs me from the side. "Oh Aya! I'm so sorry, hon! I'm gonna kill him! I'll light him on fire after dousing sake over him once I finish filleting him with Heineco!" I choke and shiver as my world crumbles around me, Izuru placing his hand on my head to say, "Calm down Rangiku. No one's killing anyone. I'm sorry Aya, I really am. What could he be- I mean to- I know he's a flirt- But to go this far?!" But then Captain Hitsugaiya asks me a surprising question. "What did she look like?" I flinch to tell him automatically, "Like a well sculpted model of perfection. Almost as tall as Shunsui. Long green hair in fierce curling waves that went down her back and hung to her waist. Piercing orange eyes that cut through you with a glance. Tanned skin like copper. A full front that could compete with Ran-onee-san. The perfect woman for his tastes, and she clearly isn't me! Why the-" He cuts me off by giving a loud sigh to note absently, "I get it now. I think I know what happened." I give him a miffed look as I retort, "Besides them romping like rabbits all over his desk?! What difference does knowing make, Toshiro-kun?! What could possibly explain this enough to be a valid excuse, if there even is such a thing?!" Rangiku and Izuru jerk at this, but Hitsugaiya gets up to head for the closet. He opens it and we all go wide eyed as he says, "Apparently, all the Captains got one of these this morning." Inside the closet is what looks like a young woman, fair skinned with straight red hair and a petite figure. Her kimono is of fine silk and she even has a bow around her neck. I blink a few times as Rangiku explodes, "Just who on earth is THAT?!" Hitsugaiya sighs and says, "Not who. What. It's some kind of experimental doll from Research and Development."
We all go bug eyed as he continues, "I got into work this morning, and she was sitting on my desk with a card. Apparently, she's some kind of experiment on hormone and pheremone levels Thankfully, I had her toss me the card before I came into the office all the way, and the effects only work to their fullest with skin on skin contact. Captain Kurotsuchi sent one to all the Captains, even Captain Ukitake and Captain Unohana got one when I checked in with them. I had this one walk in here and turned her off so I could get my work done without any distractions." Hitsugaiya shuts the closet door to look over at me. "If I'm right, Captain Kyoraku would have been affected the moment he touched her to get her off the desk. These things are highly volatile from what I can tell. Just having her next to me when I shut the closet door made me feel weird." Rangiku gets a look on her face to ask him, "Weird how exactly?" He flushes slightly as he grumbles something about having a heart attack, and we all give a snort of amusement. But I'm not really able to do anything more before a knock sounds at the office door. Izuru gets up to answer it, and he goes wide eyed to jump away from the handle as if it were on fire. We give him a look as he starts panting hard, his nose leaking red the next second for him to exclaim, "AUGH! What the- Just what is going on?!" We get an answer in the form of Nanao shouting, "Back up Izuru! Rangiku had better answer the door! I can't since I have to hold this things leash!" Izuru runs back behind the desk with his hands to his dripping nose, and I get up to put some of the tissues from the tissue box against the red leaking from his fingers. I note how flush he is, and he goes even more red as I help him, "No Aya! Don't come any closer! I can't-" He gives a sneeze that makes more red flow, and I look to where Rangiku answered the door. Nanao walks in with the gorgeous woman in tow, fully clothed and with a rope tied around her arms to give Nanao a glared expression. Hitsugaiya goes bug eyed to then have his nose start leaking also, ripping a few tissues from the box to shout out, "What the Hell?! What did you bring her along for?! TURN IT OFF NANAO!" Nanao gives the men a look as the doll gives a loud snicker, her glasses hiding her eyes as she notes, "So you know what this is, Captain Hitsugaiya?" He opens the closet to then run across the room, pointing at the closet and telling her, "Just throw her in with the other one!" Nanao drags the doll behind her to comply, the doll grumbling out, "It was only an experiment. Mayuri-dono said it wasn't a big deal. Don't know what you're all getting so excited about, at least for you chicks anyways." She gives Izuru a suggestive purr, and he chokes to put a hand to his heart and grip tight like she ran him through. I help him into the chair and swivel it around to get his eyes off her, putting my fingers to his neck and exclaiming, "Shee! Get that tramp into the closet before his heart explodes!" I toss Nanao the card with the instructions, and she hustles the doll into the closet to then read off, "Unit finished with data collection. Revert to shut off mode." The doll goes limp and falls backwards into the closet, landing with a hard thump next to the other one that topples over so they sit propping each other up. I open the window to let the breeze circulate through the room and dispell the apparent stuffy air, wheeling Izuru in front of it as he chokes out, "Good grief! That was ridiculous! Thank you Aya. But you shouldn't get-" I put my hand on him, and he jerks like I electrocuted him and I say, "What the- Are you okay, Izuru?! The doll isn't-" But he chokes and puts both hands to his front, and I realize, "It's still- All women away from the men right now!" I scramble away from Izuru to get myself over to where Nanao is still looking into the closet. Nanao raises an eyebrow to note the look of the other doll and say, "This one looks almost exactly like Momo-chan." I whip my head around to look at the doll. "Now that you mention it, she does. Are you suggesting these were tailored to suit each Captain?"
We are interrupted by a tender voice saying, "It would appear so. Now hustle along everyone." We all go wide eyed when Captain Unohana comes in with Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyoraku in tow, two of them being followed by another doll. The one behind Unohaha is much like the white haired Captain next to her, only his eyes are a bright blue and his long green hair is in an intricate braid. The one following Ukitake is in turn much like Unohana, only thinner and with her hair in a bun with locks of stark purple. The two Captains are hand in hand with the dolls doing the same, the dolls completely wrapped up in each other as they should have been with the original versions. This dispells the question I had about the two Captains being involved like the rumor mill suggested a while back. But I duck down the moment Kyoraku steps through the door, crawling under the desk as Izuru gives a strangled noise when I bump into his legs. Izuru rolls away from the desk when I kick the chair away from me, sending him in the opposite direction of the closet as I then bring my legs up to my chin and tremble. Rangiku gives Izuru a questioning look as he stops the chair by stomping his feet to the floor, "Izuru?" He shakes his head vehemently. "Not now! That thing is potent!" Rangiku gives him a snicker, then she comes around to kneel in front of me under the desk. I choke and shake my arm out of her touch when she puts a hand on my arm, sighing as she tells them all, "I'm thinking Aya's going to camp under the desk for a bit longer." Unohana gives a sigh to say to them all, "Understandable. Considering Shunsui showed me this when Jushiro and I went to his office at Nanao's summons." She holds out the box to show everyone the simple gold band inside, and the room goes dead still as I give a hard sob. Unohana continues by saying, "It would seem these dolls are specifically tailored to each individual they have been gifted to. Many of the Captain's brought them straight to the relief station for me to look over. Byakuya's is much like his late wife, only the doll has blonde hair and grey eyes. Komamura also had a doll tailored to his preferences, she's quite gorgeous and even has dog ears. Captain Kenpachi's was very broken when we had it fetched, apparently they'd been sparring ever since she touched him. These two are the only ones to show interest in anyone other than the intended reciever. But considering the circumstances, I'm not too surprised or upset about this." Ukitake laughs to look over his shoulder at the dolls in question. "Indeed. Though it does remind me of our younger years, Retsu." She gives him a wide smile, their fingers lacing together as Hitsugaiya notes, "I take it you two are still just as fond of each other as back then?" They both nod, Unohana blushing right along with Ukitake as I give a loud, "Terrific! Just absolutely outstanding! I don't know what's more distgusting! The fact that trollop looks nothing like me, or that she worked in the first place! I've half a mind to tie my legs together and slit my neck open!"
Everyone winces at this idea of my committing ritual suicide, Shunsui giving a very loud choking noise as Unohana walks over to kneel in front of the desk. She frowns at me to tell me, "Not in my presence you aren't, Aya. Now come out from under the desk. I'm thinking that you hiding down here won't help solve anything." I look her in the eyes as she reaches a hand out towards me, giving her a curt, "I'd rather be down here than in front of everyone at the moment, please and thank you." But she takes my hand in a firm grip to lightly scold me. "Now, Aya. It's not like you to sulk. Would it help if you knew that Shunsui's doll is defective?" I go wide eyed as Unohana tugs me out from under the desk. "Wait a minute, say what now?! Defective?! How could that trollop have any flaws?! Are you serious?!" Unohana nods to tell me, "Apparently, the doll Shunsui recieved is not able to control or regulate the pheremones it is designed to instill in only the intended receiver. Hence why it affected Toshiro and Izuru along with the other men Nanao passed by on the way here to the office. It also explains why Shunsui was affected so fiercely, the doll has the pheremones turned all the way up to the maximum output. He wouldn't have been able to control himself by any means, Aya. We'd have needed to use Rikujōkōrō or some other restraints on him just to keep them apart." Nanao nods at this to tell me, "I practically had to tie both of them up to keep her from getting her hooks into him again. That trollop is an evident tramp. There's no way she'd ever be better than you, Aya." Though the notion is a bit of a relief, I lower my gaze and tremble regardless. "And yet... She was gifted to model exactly what he would desire..." Unohana gives me a light hug, patting my head sympathetically as I sniffle out, "Face it... She looks nothing like... But I should know by now... She's so gorgeous, and I'm just... Just..." I look to the window at my reflection, and I see nothing that could ever compare to the beauty of the doll Kyoraku was gifted. Where she was tall enough to be his height, I fall several inches shorter. Her fierce curling waves seem gorgeous compared to my shoulder length blue that naturally sweeps to one side. Eyes of piercing orange compared to my faded and speckled green. Tanned perfection when my skin is a stark white with a few scars on my body and one over my nose. A very full front, whereas I barely have one of note. I reach a hand out to the window, my fingers shaking as I cohoke out, "There's just no comparison... She's a sculpted model of excellence, and I'm just... just-"
Before I can even finish, Kyoraku's reflection comes up behind mine as Unohana steps away. His hands come up to my front to press them to my heart, and his words are full of love as he tells me, "Don't say another word, Aya. You are perfect just as you are. Every piece of you makes you unique and beautiful without equal to me. You're just tall enough to have me hold you close to my heart. Your hair is the most vibrant sapphire blue to make me feel like a peasant amongst nobility. Eyes of softest tea green speckled with eloquent golden flecks that hold all my attention when I gaze into them. One whose skin has been kissed by the stars and whose countenance has not shied away from the neccesities of defending others. A perfect frame of simplicity, just enough to capture my senses so I might drown in the rest of you. Don't ever think I don't love all that you are, that construct cannot compare to you in my eyes for any reason." Kyoraku hugs me to his frame, his hands trembling over the beat of my heart. It's pace drums in my chest against his palms as he tells me, "I love you, Aya! I love you with all of my heart and soul! I am so sorry for the harm that I have caused to you in this! I should have gotten Nanao-chan to open the office door the moment I felt something was off! But I barely turned the knob before the doll opened it and grabbed me by my haori to drag me inside the office! The next thing I knew, you were at the door with a look that made me want to hang myself out the window!" I go wide eyed and say, "It was really that powerful?!" Kyoraku nods as Unohana notes, "The dolls are laced with a specific amount of pheremones and chemicals to completely ensnare the senses, Aya. And since the one he was gifted has them all turned up at full capacity, I'm astounded his system didn't give out to be honest." Izuru coughs at this to note, "So am I! Good grief! Nothing's ever hit me that hard before!" Rangiku snickers at him to then note Hitsugaiya flush, her eyes going wide to say, "Not you too, Captain?!" Hitsugaiya growls so fiercely everyone goes wide eyed. "Not helping, Rangiku! I want you to get those things out of that closet and back down to either the relief station or to Research and Development as soon as possible! Or get some of the WOMEN shinigami of said divisions to pick them up!" But Unohana tells him, "I think we can have these two dolls do that for us. Would you please?" The male doll gifted to Unohana nods at this, the other one doing the same as both of them say, "As you wish, Unohana-dono." The lady picks the defective doll up to fling it over a shoulder, while the man kneels down and picks up the petite doll to carry her in his arms. They head out in front of Unohana as she tells the others, "Even though this is Toshiro's office, I'd think it best to leave Shunsui and Aya alone for a moment. Let's bring these dolls back to the relief station to then get a hold of Captain Kurotsuchi. I have a suspicion about why the defective doll is rigged in such a fashion." I give her a look, and she tells me, "The broken doll that we retrieved from Captain Kenpachi looks exactly like you, Aya." I go wide eyed as Kyoraku raises and eyebrow to note, "Hold up a minute! So the one Kenpachi got was-"
Unohana nods, "It would explain a lot Shunsui, though for Captain Kurotsuchi to send such a thing to that squad suggests he wanted all those in that division affected." The both of us jerk at the thought as she closes the door, my entire body trembling as I say, "That would have been the end of the entire Soul Society! What was that nut bar thinking?!" Kyoraku shakes his head at this to say, "I don't think we ever want to know what goes on in that head." I nod in agreement, placing my hands over the one's Kyoraku has over my heart. His fingers twitch as he starts to say, "Aya, I-" I cut him off. "Don't... Just leave it be... Or else I'm headed down to squad twelve to light the place on fire!" Kyoraku looks at my reflection in the window to meet my gaze, his eyes going wide to ask me, "Then you aren't angry with me anymore?" I give a long sigh at this, "I'm just upset in general. But not with you, not after seeing Izuru-kun's reaction to that trollop and after what Unohana-senpai had to say." I press his hands to the beat in my chest, and I say with all the emotion that reels inside the evident rhythmn against his fingertips, "I don't want to lose you, Shunsui. Not for any reason. If it came down to it, I'd rather you really did rip this heart away should you ever leave me." His hiss of air is hard as he exclaims, "Aya!" I lace my fingers into his to keep his touch over my heart, my words aching with every beat as I tell him, "I am nothing without you, Shunsui. All that I ask, is for you to be mine. I want nothing else, it's all I've ever wanted. So do not think for one second that will ever change." My eyes water as I start shaking, my grip over his fingers going tight as I choke. His sigh laces into my hair for him to say, "Oh Aya..." His hands grip tight to my front, the thunder in my ribs so hard it makes his hands visibly vibrate against my chest. He notes the evident pounding to lift me up and into his frame. "And here you went out of your way to surprise me. Will it help at all if I tell you I accept?"I go stock still, my eyes going wide for him to note, "Should I take the fact that your heart skipped a beat as a good thing?" I nod without thinking, his laugh whispering against my neck as he places his lips to my ear. "Aya. As of now, I am forever yours." One of his hands let's go of my front to reach out for the box, slipping the ring onto the other hand to then reach into his sleeve. "Then you should wear this." Out of his sleeve comes a small box, my hands clapping over my mouth in shock as I squeak, "You- You- SHUNSUI!" His smile is in his laugh, "Great minds do think alike, Aya. Here." He opens the box to slip out a band of simple yet elegant design, taking one of my hands to lace the ring onto my finger. I turn myself around as he arms envelope me, my eyes streaming as he places a kiss to my lips. His hands place us together so our hearts touch, my own pumping hard against the rhythmn that drums in his chest. I shiver as he hugs me tight, his hat falling off to roll across the floor as his lips break away from mine to then drift downwards. I tilt my head up and to the side as his kiss sears over my neck in loving heat. I tremble as his breath washes over my throat, his chuckle full of love and desire as he says to me, "Now that we've settled that matter, I think moving your things to my room is a good idea." I nod to then gaze into his eyes and say, "I'm all for that. Let's go."
