It was late in the soul society, many hours had passed since the rest of the squad six members had left with a brief wave as was customary at the close of a day. Byakuya had inclined his head slightly at the farewell, eyes never leaving the papers before him as he signed his name to a few more. He was almost done with his work now, which was in and of itself a gloomy prospect. His eyes lingered around the room for a moment, the dim light causing shadows to blur and meld into various shapes, the whole office looked like it was a dream not a solid reality. There was a brief knock on the door, and the noble glared at the noise not fond of being disturbed at such a late hour. "What is it," he said, more of a demand than a question, his voice unused for hours was a touch more raspy than normal adding a roughness to the otherwise smooth baritone. No verbal response, yet the door slid open and a figure slipped into the shadows. Striking white hair stood out in the darkened area of the room, a captain's haori following the figure like a loose shadow.
"What is it Ichimaru?" Byakuya inquired, returning his eyes to his work. Though this man was in rank his equal, he did not feel like giving him any more attention than was necessary. Gin Ichimaru, an odd little paradox in Byakuya's mind, crept closer to the desk. He had an odd way of gliding when he walked, as though his movements were not separate but instead simply a continuation of the first. It reminded most people of a snake, yet Byakuya likened it to a slinking wolf, or fox. Closing in on it's prey, shoulders hunched slightly and feet seeming to barely lift from the ground. The ever present smile which never ceased to grace the white haired captains features, did not falter in the face of Byakuya's cold questioning. Gin leaned on the noble's desk, his elbows coming to rest on random paperwork while his wrists crossed each other lightly allowing his chin to rest on the palm of his left upturned hand. In this position he was at the same height as the seated captain, and his face entirely too close for Byakuya's liking. The raven haired noble straightened slightly, as if to appear taller, his platinum eyes coming up to rest on the other man's face. He did not enjoy people being so close to him, he fought the urge to move away and instead let out a brief yet perceivable sigh.
"I asked a question, Gin-kun," his tone entirely disrespectful as he implied a gap between their rank. If anything, the smile upon the other's face widened further at the implied slur and he chuckled softly.
"Just came ta say hi, Bya-kun," he replied with a name equally disrespectful, "Saw tha light on an figured I'd drop by. Aintcha bored of sitting in your office so late?" He let the last word drawl as he moved a bit closer to the captain in front of him, his lean deepening.
"I was finishing my work, as is proper of a captain," was the stone cold reply. "Though now that you have interrupted me, I feel like taking a walk to get some air," the noble retorted, eyes drifting away from Gin's face in a gesture of disregard as he stood from his desk and moved to walk past the other man. Somehow Gin had a fabulous ability to get under his usually impenetrable skin and aggravate him to no end, and he could do it in a matter of seconds. The white haired captain straightened, and stretched languidly -even though Byakuya couldn't truly see his eyes he still felt as though they never left his face. Repressing a shiver of ill ease, the noble moved past Gin and as he did he felt a brush of inhumanly cool fingers upon his wrist. He yanked his arm away from the offending touch and turned toward Gin once again, eyes cold. The white haired captain grinned, teeth flashing in the dim light, he looked like a maniac Byakuya thought idly. The noble never even saw him move, and then suddenly Gin was right next to him, one long finger upon the noble's porcelain cheek.
His mouth right next to dark hair, he spoke softly, "Until next time then, KuKu," and with that he was gone, the force of his flash step blowing papers off Byakuya's desk and causing his clothing to flutter momentarily. The noble was glad no one was around to see the expression of shock on his normally neutral face. He raised one hand up to rub his cheek where the finger had been, murmuring to himself about how odd the captain of the third was. He allowed himself the pleasure of shaking his head once, regardless of how undignified it was, it helped to settle his nerves and clear his mind. He pondered the disconcerting new nickname for a moment, Kuku, and allowed himself one more shudder. It was completely degrading he thought, as he re straightened his desk and calmed his erratic pulse. Deciding that was enough work for one night, and definitely more than enough strangeness he blew out the candles lighting his office and took the walk he had wanted.
"Nii-sama!" A voice rang across the courtyard as Byakuya was heading toward the sixth division office to begin his morning's work. "Yes Rukia?" He inquired, voice elevated just enough to carry the distance to her ears, yet he did not turn around or stop his purposeful stride. The younger Kuchiki finally caught up to him and paused, panting with her hands on her knees. She offered him a smile between breaths before continuing, "I just wanted to catch you and wish you a good day, brother." She hadn't seen him much since she had joined squad thirteen, she had been trying to keep up with her other squad members and Byakuya had been busy as older noble slowed for a moment and turned his head over one shoulder to glance at her face before continuing toward his office. His only response was a brief nod and a small wave of dismissal with his left hand. Rukia stared after him, upset yet unsurprised- after all her adoptive brother never had been a very loving figure in her life. As she was mulling over this she felt the ominous spiritual pressure of Gin Ichimaru appear nearby. Her body shivered at the lurking uneasiness his presence bestowed upon her as she studied his interaction with Byakuya. They always seemed to have these odd brief conversations, her brother always looking slightly put off and moving away first. The white haired captain forever smiling, and always sneaking a touch into their conversation. Whether he gripped Byakuya's arm, or simply brushed against him as the noble turned to leave the physical contact and ever irritating smile always added a depth of discomfort to the entire situation. She was far enough away that the conversation sounded like nothing more than random murmurings, yet Gin's spiritual pressure still seemed to surround and crush her where she stood. Crossing her arms in a manner of self-comfort she turned and walked back towards her quarters to also begin her day. By lunchtime, she would have forgotten the encounter entirely.
After several weeks more of random conversation, and small amounts of intermittent heckling Byakuya finally let his temper seep through. During one particularly annoying and uneventful conversation with Gin he snapped, grey eyes becoming more alive than the captain of the third had ever seen.
"Why, Gin, must you continue to hassle me despite my very apparent lack of regard for you?" Byakuya demanded standing from his desk to move in front of the other captain. He had grown entirely fed up with what was obviously a pathetic attempt at some sort of game, where Gin was made the rules. Touching the hilt of Senbonzakura in a wordless threat he stared into the other man's slitted eyes wishing to see some sort of expression or answer. For the first time the noble could remember Gin's face did not hold it's characteristic smile, yet instead a slightly twisted grimace which looked hideously out of place. Squinted eyes opened a hair, just the barest glimmer of icy blue showing between frosty lashes. Finally, he snaps was Gin's silent thought as he laid cool fingers around Byakuya's fist holding his zanpaktou firmly in it's sheath. He leaned closer, noting the anger and barely hidden discomfort mixed with surprise reflecting in the noble's eyes. Byakuya was always so good at hiding from everyone, everyone but Gin. Gin had seen though him long ago and had decided to pick at the cracks. Slowly over years whittling away at Byakuya's self control, a fraction at a time, icy hands prying at the shields the noble kept in place. Picking and prodding until finally they gave way, and here was the softer inside of the shell he had been attempting to demolish for so long. He leaned even closer until his breath was a cold ghost falling evenly upon the noble's cheek, and his grin returned with vigor. He was unable to contain his joy, the way he felt truly alive as he was nearing a kill- especially after such a long hunt. Keeping one hand upon Byakuya's, just to ensure no swords were drawn just yet, he brought the other up to trace a line from the middle of the captain's forehead, down his nose and onto his lips. Byakuya shivered at the touch, he had never understood how in the world a living person could run at such a low body temperature. He didn't realize his grip was loosening on his sword, that he was standing there in shocked silence completely unable to truly comprehend what was occurring. He felt the other captain press a slow yet decided kiss against the corner of his mouth, just slightly off target, pale blue eyes still open and never leaving his. For a millisecond the noble's eyes fluttered shut, then in an instant Byakuya gathered himself again and flash stepped a few feet to the right, with such force he splintered the wood flooring.
"Get out of my office. Now." He demanded, voice nothing but steel. The white haired captain grinned at him widely and cocked his head to the side, hands still up as though they were touching the noble. Then he allowed his arms drop and let out a low, brief chuckle before walking calmly out of the office.