Story title: Spring Love?

Disclaimer: None of the bleach characters are mine

Note: Possible OOC-ness…

Warning: Yaoi, sorta…

Characters: Rukia, Gin, Byakuya

Summary: As spring returns, 'love' is in the air…?

§§

Springtime had descended upon Soul Society after a long, harsh winter, during which the sun had seemed to play hide and seek with them behind endless grey clouds. But now, finally the snow had melted onto the rivers and the grass, the flowers and the trees had begun to bloom. Although it was indeed rather early in the morning (for a noble woman such as herself… the servants had probably been up and about for hours already) the sun was warm and the breeze only slightly chilly- a nice contrast to the warmth of the sun as she sat just outside one of the many salons of the Kuchiki manor. The woman, a slight creature with dark hair, was dressed in a simple, yet obviously expensive lilac kimono with dark butterfly broidery that flowed across her middle and down her right sleeve. In her lap there rested a book, and she was balancing a cup of newly brewed tea on her knee in an extremely un-noble like manner. Had her brother caught her he'd have reprimanded her with one of his icy stare, she thought.

At this very moment in time she wouldn't have minded. She did hate to disappoint her brother, she really did, but to have him reprimand her rather than doing what she knew he was doing at the moment… it seemed like an acceptable trade.

The very thought of…

It sent shivers down her spine. Not the act itself, no she was quite alright with that, but it was rather the thought of who he was doing it with that caused her nerves to tingle in dread.

She wasn't certain when it had begun, she thought as she continued to stare down at the book page without actually reading it, and she doubted that her brother would ever tell her, but she knew when she had found out. It was little over a week ago, just before the sudden arrival of the spring. The snow had still been lying thick on the ground- a fact that seemed odd to her now. Was sit really just a week ago that the ground had been white, and she'd had fallen into the barely frozen over pond after slipping on a patch of ice that had been capriciously concealed under a thin layer of snow?

Was it really just a week ago that she had run back inside the Kuchiki manor to collect a set of new clothes, and had heard a moan from her brother's room? Had it really been just a week ago that she had been so naïve to think that it had to be someone that was in pain? Someone who had been hurt? Had it really, honestly really, been just a week ago that she had slid the shoji door open had with the hand on the hilt of her zanpakuto, prepared to run inside to protect whoever it was that was hurt?

It could've been a arrancar that had snuck inside after all. Aizen may have someone amongst his goons that could've been strong enough to get past the wards and guards of the Kuchiki manor. Maybe…

In a way she might have preferred that.

There were a lot of things she'd have preferred ahead of the image that was now etched to her retina… not to mention her mind. Hadn't it been for pure exhaustion she wouldn't have gotten any sleep at all since that fateful moment when she opened the door to her brother's rooms- a place that had always been strictly forbidden unless specifically invited- and had frozen on the spot.

Amongst the cushions and the silk sheets in an otherwise sparsely decorated bedroom, she saw her brother. Her lean, pale brother, with his silky black hair loose as it fell over the cushions and contrasted sharply to the paleness of his exposed skin. Her brother sprawled out underneath another figure. All long limbs and pale skin, with hair of a silvery gleam. The two men moved together in the dimly lit room, tangled together as more moans vibrated through the air. They were yet to notice her- apparently they had been too engrossed in each other to notice her presence.

Not until she had finally managed to gather her wits ever so slightly and fumbled for the door, not until then had Gin looked up. They had locked gazes.

Time had stopped, and she had found herself holding a horrified breath.

Then he smirked, and the spell was broken. Blushing and more or less mindless she'd hastily slid the door closed and run.

She sighed, feeling a headache approaching.

She needed an outlet, she thought. Something-anything- to take out her disgust and frustration out on. But with the war with Aizen and his arrancar still raging, and her injured since the last battle in which se had participated, she was currently not allowed anywhere near her zanpakuto. Nor her friends, all of whom Byakuya had banned from the manor. Even Renji wasn't allowed to visit.

'Unohana-taichou, has requested you to rest," she remember her brother saying in that usual monotone he used when talking,' I shall ascertain that you rest.'

So whenever her brother was at work, which was most of the time now a days, she was left alone at the manor, only accompanied by the servants- all of whom avoided her- and of course that sly bastard Ichimaru Gin. The silver haired former captain had been assigned to live at the manor ever since he had betrayed Aizen nearly four months earlier. Apparently Yamamoto-taichou had hoped that the ancient wards around the manor would hide Ichimaru's presence from Aizen.

So in a sense of the word she supposed this was really the general's fault. No… that wasn't fair…

She shook her head, and some of the tea spilled out onto her knee and she grimaced.

"Nah, Rukia-chan, ya should take it easy there… wouln' wan' ya to burn yerself." She heard his voice say from behind her.

A shiver ran down her spine and she put down the cup on the floor, pressing her lips together into a thin line. She hadn't spoken to Ichimaru since before the incident a week ago… in fact she had avoided both him and her brother. She wasn't certain that she was capable of looking upon them without turning beet-red.

"Ya don' wanna do the talkie thing, Rukia-chan?" she heard Ichimaru continue as she heard him approach.

She remained silent, hoping that he'd leave her alone.

"Meh… Rukia-chan, ya don' seem all tha' busy. How 'bout a chat? We're both all locked up and kept from pryin' eyes ne? "

'Leave me alone!' she closed her eyes and willed him to go away. Her hands closed into tight little fists in her lap. She wanted her zanpakuto with her… if only to reassure her of that she wasn't completely alone.

There was silence for a while, and for a second she actually he had taken the hint and left.

"Betcha thought I left!"

Her eyes flew wide open at the sudden voice in front of her, and she gave an undignified yelp as she found Gin's grinning face inches from her own. Instinctively she drew her hand back as if to strike, but he quickly jumped back a few steps and was out of reach. She glared at him vehemently and he tilted his head to the side in an oddly dog like manner.

"Ya don' approve, Rukia-chan."

It wasn't a question, it was a statement. It didn't fit well coming from that sly mouth.

"I do not," she admitted, and tilted her chin to meet his gaze stoically. Not for the first time since he had returned to Soul Society she was struck by how different he looked when he had his eyes open.

The silver haired man smiled, but not that wide grin that used to be his trademark, but rather a… slightly sloped smile, that somehow seemed triumphant.

"Ah," he said, holding one long, thin index finger up in an oddly playful gesture, " I knew that. could see it in yer eyes I could… ya know when…"

"I know!" he snapped, her temper flaring suddenly.

He chuckled, and then quickly flopped down to sit next to her. She moved a bit to the side to make some room between them, and contemplated just standing up and walking away but decided that since she had been the one to have been sitting there to begin with she certainly wasn't going to be the one to move.

She'd just have to put up with his childish patter for a while… she thought and braced herself. When no sly remarks or inane babble came though she glanced over at the tall man. He didn't look the same to her… not like this, when he was quiet and somehow seemingly thoughtful. And dressed in a deep green hakama with horribly mismatched, yellow trousers, he hardly seemed anywhere near as frightening as he had in the past.

In fact he kind of reminded her of a gigantic child.

"Admiring me beauty are ya, Rukia-chan?"

She felt herself blush, and had to fight the urge to yell at him the way she would've done had it been Ichigo or Renji she was talking to.

Snorting she gave him the best Kuchiki-glare she could muster despite her face blushing and said; "Don't flatter yourself."

She had watched her brother do the same many a time in the past, often when some noble woman had decided to move in for the kill. How the icy Kuchiki lord could ever manage to make it look so simple though she'd never understand.

"Yer really goin' in for bein' a Kuchiki, ne? Rukia-chan?"

She felt herself blush deeper yet and had to dig her nails into her palms in order not to bite her lip.

"Why are you here?" she snapped, turning her gaze towards the garden again-glaring at it as if it was somehow its fault that she was stuck conversing with a sly silver snake she trusted about as far as she could throw him without the aid of her zanpakuto. "You don't belong here."

"Neither do ya, Rukia-chan."

There was a pause when neither one of them spoke. The breeze seemed colder now; she thought and wrapped her kimono tighter around her shoulders in an attempt to keep warm.

"Why don't you live with Matsumoto-san?" she asked eventually. Of course she did know that Yamamoto-taichou wouldn't have allowed that, but perhaps if she could convince Ichimaru to leave the old general would let him.

"Ran-chan's not very happy with me right now…"

Was that sadness she heard in his voice? Startled she glanced over at him, but she saw no signs of sadness on his pale face.

They fell silent again, and once again the tension grew to being barely tolerable. Rukia sighed inwardly. There was still a thought that she needed addressed.

It was a thought that she was yet to successfully translate into words. It rather annoyed her that she knew exactly what she wanted to say, but still couldn't seem to figure out way in which to say it. Eventually she just decided to wing it. Get it over with, quickly and painless- like one of those bandages (or whatever they were called)that Ichigo used sometimes…

"Why do you want my brother?" she blurted out, and then frowned because she wasn't certain that that was what she was trying to say at all.

She felt Ichimaru's red gaze turn towards her but she resolutely stared out into the garden, refusing to meet his gaze. He didn't answer right away, and for a moment she was certain that he wouldn't either.

"Don' ya worry, Rukia-chan. He doesn' love me…" the silver haired shinigami said, and stood up and stretched his arms over his head in a lazy movement. He then jumped down from the floor and directly out into the blooming garden. The sunrays made his hair gleam, and his skin seemed even paler than ever before. For a second he looked ethereal.

As he sauntered away from her, she thought she heard him whisper something that sounded suspiciously much like: "He jest loves what I do to him…"

Did he sound hurt? It was hard to tell, what with that drawl that was always laced into his voice. It was… difficult… imagining Ichimaru Gin upset or hurt over… well anything, she thought as she gazed after the retreating 'guest'.

It was probably just another one of his mind games anyway; she decided and felt the usual dislike that she kept for him, return.

Just more mind games.

§§

Author's notes: I honestly don't know why I wrote this… there's not much of a plot… just random rambling… I don't know. I guess I was just bored.

Hm… can't decide whether or not Gin was playing mind games or not… I suppose it's all up to the reader, ne? I guess it'd make a nice contrast to see Gin a bit less Gin and more like he has deeper feeling beneath that big ol' smile of his… or maybe not.

Hope you liked it though! Please do tell me what you thought and review!