Hi everyone… I don't know how to say this. My PC has broken and unable to be repaired. All my documents are missing…, destroyed. I've been frustrated since then. I have to write since the beginning. However, every time I begin to write 'Close to Your Heart', my depressed state haunted me. I need to recover from this syndrome immediately. Therefore, I wrote this fanfic in my recovering state. Thank you very much for your consideration. Please enjoy reading.
NOTES:
Onee-san : older sister
-dono : a suffix after someone's name to reflect respect to someone higher rank, usually for someone noble.
Ojii-sama : grandfather (in a polite Japanese language)
Arigatou gozaimasu : Thank you very much
Anata: "dear", to call someone beloved, generally used by a wife to call her husband.
Onii-san : olderbrother
Geta : a form of traditional Japanese footwear that resembles both clogs and flip-flops. They are a kind of sandal with an elevated wooden base held onto the foot with a fabric thong to keep the foot well above the ground.
Disclaimer: Bleach is not mine. It's Kubo-san's. I'm merely Byaruki's fan.
I apologize for the lack of spelling and grammar. Please review or send me an email so I can improve myself. Thank you very much.
DANCE UNDER THE MOONLIGHT
1
New Moon
Shiba clan's land, March 12, Night
Under the starlit sky, three shadows walked carefully to a shed that hidden by the woods. The woman with knot in her hair led the way, woman with glasses walked rearmost, and in the middle was woman covered by a veil. They had known that route very well. Normally, people will tripped by roots or bumped trees if they walked without artificial illumination in this new moon night. Nevertheless, those women were just fine. Once in a while they stopped and looked back to check if there was someone trailed after them.
"All clear! We must hurry, Onee-san." the glasses woman whispered to the leader.
"We are almost there. Watch your step, Nanao!" The leader whispered back.
In a few minutes, they reached the shed. The leader whistled in particular tone, almost like a robin. The door opened and they entered the shed silently. Five minutes later, the group came out of the shed and returned to somewhere they came from.
"You must not fail. If you do, all of us will be killed." Nanao whispered.
"Our life...no, Shiba clan's viability depends on you..., Rukia." the leader added.
"I understand, Miyako-dono. I will not fail" the woman covered by veil answered in a whisper.
Kuchiki clan's mansion, March 13, Morning
The former leader of Kuchiki clan, Kuchiki Ginrei, walked firmly to the leader's office room. His long white hair swayed by the rhythm of his steps. Despite his late age, he still looks healthy and charismatic. He stopped in front of the door and knocked it slightly.
"You may enter." said the man inside the room.
Kuchiki Ginrei opened the wood-sliding door slowly and closed it right after he entered the room. A young man was sitting in cushion and pouring some green tea.
"Good morning, Ojii-sama. Would you have some tea?" he offered the tea to his grandfather.
Ginrei nodded silently and watched his grandson's figure while sipped his tea. Kuchiki Byakuya was the present leader of Kuchiki clan. He has well known by the other noble family as a noble bachelor who has composed demeanor, expressionless gesture and handsome features. The girls were willing to kill each other to catch his attention. It's not that they lack of beauty, wealth or intelligence. It's just...well, let's say that Byakuya's type was not very common.
"Is there something you need to discuss with me, Ojii-sama?"
"Yes, I do. It's about your marriage. I want you decided it immediately, Byakuya." his grandfather told him.
"Yes, Ojii-sama. I have decided that I will follow the elder's advice. However, I have requirement."
"You make this difficult, aren't you? The elders won't like it."
"I'm the one who's going to be married, not them, Ojii-sama. Therefore, I have to meet my bride before the wedding. I don't think my request is something excessive."
"You had met her in tea ceremony last year."
"That's not what I meant, Ojii-sama. I need to know her at least for a week, privately."
"You are not planning to ruin this family, aren't you, Byakuya?" Kuchiki Ginrei asked suspiciously.
"Of course not, Ojii-sama. What make you think something like that?"
"This marriage is determinant of relationship between Kuchiki clan and Shiba clan. If this marriage ruined again, the war won't be able to avoided this time. It depends on your decision, Byakuya."
"I understand, Ojii-sama. I'm only thinking about this clan's benefit. That's my obligation as the leader of Kuchiki clan." he answered firmly after drank his tea.
Byakuya's grey eyes looked straight to his grandfather's eyes. There's no hesitation or a lied reflected in his eyes. Ginrei-sama sighed before took his tea cup again.
"It's good to know that you still have that look in your eyes. I believe you will fulfill your duty as the leader of the clan. Do not let our hope down, Byakuya."
"I won't make this clan and you disappointed, Ojii-sama." he said calmly.
"Good. Then, do as you like." Ginrei had given Byakuya his permission.
"Arigatou gozaimasu, Ojii-sama." Byakuya bowed slightly.
Shiba clan's mansion, March 13, Afternoon
Ise Nanao ran hastily along the west-side corridor of Shiba mansion. She practically smashed into Rukia's room. Rukia and Miyako who had been having a serious conversation squealed simultaneously, surprised by her sudden intrusion.
"This is bad! I brought a bad news!"
"Nanao! Don't you know how to knock? You almost give me a heart-attack."
"Nanao-dono, please don't scare me like that" Rukia said while tried to calm her heartbeat.
Nanao turned around, closed the door and knocked it. Both of the woman sighed.
"Come in. What's the point knocking the door if you had battered down? You're being ridiculous, Nanao!" Miyako complained with her usual calm manner.
"Onee-san, it's not the right time to criticize me. There's something more-more-more important that we need to discuss."
"Alright, so... what the 'more-more-more important' thing is?"
"Our plan is to be ruined even before it started. Kuchiki Byakuya demands to see and know the bride one week before the wedding day!"
"WHAT?" Miyako and Rukia shouted in unison.
Miyako, the most composed person in Shiba clan, was scarcely panic no matter how bad the situation. This time was exceptional. Even for Nanao, her sister, this was the first time she witnessed her sister's panic state.
"When is it?" asked Miyako, bitting her lower lips.
"Tomorrow morning, but they will fetch her tonight. How we have to deal with this?"
Rukia's face became pale as white as snow soon after heard the news.
They will notice that I'm not Hisana-sama.
That I'm just a humble maid that have the same looks as my mistress.
That I'm disguise as my mistress to marry the leader of Kuchiki clan.
They will kill me for sure!
"Miyako-dono, what should we do?" Rukia asked in worried tone.
"Calm down. No matter how dangerous our position is, don't let panic lead us. We will assist you to the Kuchiki mansion, Rukia."
A wave of relief washed Rukia's mind. At least, she was not alone through this problem.
Was it too early to think that way?
Shiba clan's mansion, March 13, Night
Miyako and Nanao had helped Rukia wore her kimono when the Kuchiki's servant came to fetch Rukia. Miyako wanted to assist Rukia, but her husband forbade her.
"Where are you going, Miyako? I need you here." Shiba Kaien held his wife's arm.
"Anata, I need to accompany Hisana."
"No, you don't. She can take care of herself."
"At least, let Nanao go with her." she tried to persuade her husband.
"What's wrong with you? We need Nanao for the preparation of festival next week."
"Onii-san..., please let me go just this once." Nanao begged to her brother-in-law.
"I'm terribly sorry, Milady, we had ordered only to fetch Hisana-sama. Please rest assured, there would be plenty of maid and servant in Kuchiki mansion who stand by to help Hisana-sama if she needs something," said the butler.
The butler bowed low and turned his way to the car before Miyako and Nanao could respond. Nanao gripped her sister's arm with trembled fingers. Miyako could only stare at the moving car that brought Rukia inside it.
"There's nothing we can do after she step in Kuchiki mansion. All we have to do is praying. Please be save, Rukia..." Miyako clapped her hands together to pray.
Inside the car, Rukia was praying too.
"God, I knew I always have a bad luck since I was born, but...please, just for this time. Let me have my luck just this once. Please don't let me get them killed. I will pray more often and I won't do bad things again in the rest of my life," she pledged to the God.
Rukia barely could hold her tears that surged in her eyes.
Get grip of yourself, Rukia. You can do this! You had been training for two month. You've got the skill even you don't have talent as a princess of noble family. Don't cry! You can do this!
Since the beginning, she already knew that this was a suicide mission. The chance of success was below one percent and yet, she was still doing it.
Rukia didn't mind if she was the only one who killed for this mission. There won't be anyone cry for her. She had no one in her life. No family... No friends... Just enemies... Rukia had been wondering about the reason of her existence. She wondered if God made a mistake by creating her.
The problem was... she won't be the only one who killed if she failed. The whole Shiba clan's member will annihilated. All of them! All of those nice people.
I won't let them die! Definitely...!
Kuchiki clan's mansion, March 13, Night
Kuchiki Byakuya signed a pile of documents in his office room when someone knocked his door.
"Byakuya-sama, Sasakibe-san has returned from Shiba mansion."
Sasakibe Chōjirō was the butler of Kuchiki mansion. He was the one who responsible for fetching Shiba Hisana, Kuchiki Byakuya's fiancée. Byakuya kept on writing without stopped even for a second after heard the news.
"Did he bring her?" he asked calmly, still writing.
"Yes, Byakuya-sama. Hisana-sama has arrived. May I ask your order, Byakuya-sama?"
"Let her rest in guest room and report anything about her to me."
"Understood. Then, I will take my leave."
So, she has arrived in this house...
Byakuya remembered the features of his fiancée. The first and the last time he met her was in a tea ceremony with both of the elder of the clans. She was a graceful lady, as he expected from a Shiba clan's princess. Although looked so frail, she has gentle smile and bland gestures.
Everything about her was reflecting a princess's figure, so flawless.
However, his personality wouldn't let him so easy to trust someone, especially...a woman. It's not that he hate woman because they irritate him by their hysterical scream or dreamy stare every time they saw him. It's more like... he realized the dangerous potential that a woman had.
Women's gentleness was their ultimate weapon. The more fragile their features, the more dangerous they are. The best example was his aunt, Kuchiki Retsu. Even his grandfather didn't want to have an argument with her. Byakuya had ever witnessed how she broke someone's arm because he bumped her and didn't want to apologize. It made him chilled just by remembering it.
Shiba Hisana's figure was a perfect copy of his aunt from the outside. He did not want stabbed in his bed when he slept beside his frail-looking-psychopath-wife. That was the reason he wanted to reveal his bride's personality by one-week personal approach, his own method.
After he had done with the documents, he went to side porch of his office to look in his East-side garden. He looked up and realized that tonight is a new moon. The moon was invisible. If only there are no artificial illumination and the starlight, it would be a complete darkness.
Suddenly his steps slowed down. His gaze settled on a figure under the cherry blossom tree. Byakuya narrowed his eyes, tried hard to catch a better vision on the figure. It's a woman... What did she doing in late night at his garden? If she was one of his maid, he'll fire her for sure. When his eyes adjusted to the lack of light and his vision became better, he could see clearly the figure in front of him.
About 20 feet from his position, there was a girl in white kimono. She...she was... dancing? Byakuya frowned when he realized that the girl was dancing under the cherry blossom. He cannot believe his eyes as he saw her like sparkling in the darkness. He almost thought that the moon had fallen to his garden in the form of a young girl.
He stepped forward slowly, carefully not to make a sound. While doing it, his eyes latched on her figure. He was afraid that she will disappear when she knew that he had been watched her dance, that fairy.
However, the magical moment broke into pieces when he saw her fell to the ground in a loud thud. He managed to restrain his urge to burst a laugh. She fell ungracefully and landed by her face to the ground. Fortunately, thick and soft grasses covered the grounds. She spit some grass that accidentally went into her mouth, and groaned.
She looked around to make sure there was no one witnessed her 'successful landing'. She missed Byakuya's figure because he had hide in the shadow of bushes. She sat down and looked at her geta. The knot of her right geta had broken. She tried to fix it desperately, but failed.
"A-ah, I guess I have to walk back to my room in barefoot," she decided.
Byakuya watched silently until her figure vanished in the curve of corridor. Now he can smile freely. What a strange girl... On the first glance, she looks like a fairy. So beautiful and elegant. In reality, she was just a clumsy girl.
Who is she anyway? Somehow, her features are familiar... Did I ever met her somewhere before?
The confusion thought lingering in his head even a minute before Byakuya drifted to his deep slumber. He smiled in his sleep, dreaming about a girl in white kimono.