Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or the characters.
The library was still very quiet when a young man, apparently a teenager, with neck-length white hair entered. Behind him, another young man with his curly brown hair followed. The latter scratched his hair, clearly he preferred to be on the other place than here.
"Tell me again why are we here on this beautiful afternoon when I can spend my time with my lovely Yuki-chan at the garden?" he asked his white haired friend.
"I'm sorry, Kyouraku. But you have promised to teach me Soul City History last week, since you've passed your exam while I haven't." Ukitake answered.
"And was that my fault you didn't pass it?" Kyouraku pouted.
Ukitake smiled, while his finger scanned the books. "Half is yours. I couldn't study at the night before the exam, since you made me busy to keep Hanae-san away while you were dating Minamoto-san."
Kyouraku, still pouted, murmuring something that sounds like, "I didn't study either."
Ukitake exhaled. Sometimes he himself wondered how he could stick around with this girl-chaser. Other friends told him one day that it was his misfortune, but he always considered Kyouraku as one of his best friend. He knew that Kyouraku would be there when he needed him, years together had proved it. "History is a piece of cake for you. I still have some problems in memorizing dates and places."
He took some books from the shelves, and then he led their way to the table. Kyouraku took a seat in front of him, eyes looked bored. Ukitake made a slight smile; sometimes it was pretty entertaining to see his friend tortured like this. He knew very well that Kyouraku was not a silly boy. He was one of the brightest students on the academy, actually. He could memorize all the subjects easily, and never needed any extra work to get an A on his paper. Well yes, he was a bit lazy, except for chasing girl, his favorite activity. So it was quite good if he could make himself more useful for his friend.
"Sooner we start this, Kyouraku, sooner you meet Yuki-san." Ukitake opened the book, "Who was the first person that gave the suggestion to split Soul city into two?"
Kyouraku grumbled. "Trust me, it wasn't me."
Ukitake smiled patiently. "So who was it?"
"Try to find it on this book; I'm sure it's explained in two whole chapters." Kyouraku took one book in maroon cover and gave it to him.
"You're supposed to help me."
"I am helping you. You wouldn't get anything if all you do is asking me for the answer." Kyouraku smirked.
He lost the battle, clearly. Now Kyouraku could lie around while waiting for him.
For a minute or two, or probably longer because he barely remembered about time when studying, the only sound coming was from Kyouraku who hummed some random melody. Ukitake had already used to hear him making sounds while studying, so it did not really matter to him.
Kyouraku whistled, pretty loud, as if trying to catch some attention. Ukitake had heard it many times too; it was a whistle when his friend found another interesting girl to grab. But it was only them both there, so he found it weird.
"What is it, Kyouraku?"
"I think teaching you some history is not a bad idea at all." He grinned, twinkling to someone who sat two tables away from them.
Ukitake followed his sight. Then he saw her, a girl with her braided long black hair on her front. She wore an academy uniform, covered her silky skin from any eyes. Her face was calm, well usually calm, and gentle, and caring. But this time, he believed that they caught her in her bad mood, since she looked quiet scary in her silence.
Yes, he knew her. She was Unohana Retsu. The only girl who got his attention from the beginning of his time on the academy. She was the best student in Kido healing class. Very popular among the girls, moreover among boys. But he never saw her around boys, probably they were pretty scared to face her changing mood, and he heard she could be intimidating too. He himself rarely talked to her. Only some greetings and some subject discussion, but never more than that. Not that he was scared of her, but he was a little shy to talk to her for more than five minutes. He wondered how come he did not notice that she was there. Was she there since the beginning?
"That is my beautiful Retsu-chan, isn't it?" Kyouraku made another whistle.
Ukitake sighed. "Quit it, Kyouraku." He was not sure whether the way Kyouraku addressed her with chan suffix, or how he called her as his, that made him more furious. It was apparently both.
"Why not? As far as I know, she's single. And as you know, me too." Kyouraku put his grimace on his face. "Or is there any special reason so I may not flirt with her?"
"Just leave her alone." Ukitake whispered, afraid that she maybe listened to their conversation. He could see her focused on her book from his eye corner. Half of him hoped that she would turn her face and smile to him—them, but the other hoped that she would not notice them at all, which was impossible, since Kyouraku kept talking on his loud baritone voice.
"That isn't counted as a reason." He read Ukitake's expression, and then turned his gaze back to the girl. "Yare yare Juu-chan, why don't you just tell me the truth?"
"Tell you what, Kyouraku?" Ukitake brought his eyes back to his book, ignoring the suffix after his name.
Kyouraku chuckled, "Should I declare it out loud?" Ukitake gave him a tired look. His friend was definitely a mind reader; he was certain now that Kyouraku had already realized it.
"I must continue reading this book, Kyouraku."
"Yare yare—"
"Excuse me, Kyouraku-san, Ukitake-san." Both of them turned around quickly as they heard the voice. She was standing next to their table now, smile on her face. They wondered how could they do not sense her reiatsu coming near. "I need to read books in a quiet place, so would you please be more considerate?"
Trying to be a gentleman, Kyouraku smiled her back, and then he stood and pulled a chair beside him. His gesture asked her to have a seat next to him. "Why don't you sit in here for a moment, Retsu-chan? You see, Ukitake is studying too, so maybe you can—"
"Would you please be more considerate, Kyouraku-san?" She was smiling, and her voice is still soft and gentle, but there was a hint of livid and intimidating in it. And just with that one sentence, she did not only wave Kyouraku's offer and pride away, but also made him still in shock.
Tortured in his attempt for trying to not laughing after Kyouraku's silly face with his jaw open, Ukitake gave her an apologizing smile. "We are sorry for disturbing you, Unohana-san. We'll be more quiet."
"Thank you, Ukitake-san, Kyouraku-san." She nodded to both of them politely, and then sat back to her own chair.
Kyouraku now managed himself, closing his jaw and spoke in a lower voice, "For Heaven's sake, she's scary!"
His friend chuckled. That was not the first time Kyouraku got a rejection from a girl, but that was definitely the first time a girl scared him and made him lost his ability in forming words.
"You know what Juu? I give up. You can have that girl, I won't touch her anymore. I promise you." Kyouraku gave Ukitake a big grin.
Thanks for reading this first chapter.
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