Understanding
Warning: Yaoi
Byakuya x Toushiro
In the tenth division office; Shinigami Taicho Hitsugaya Toushiro was busy focusing on his paperwork. Trying to focus would be the right word as he ignores the eyes boring a hole into him by his fukitaicho who strangely enough was in the office and was actually touching her paperwork. Even if it was a few pieces, the young taicho was glad to see that his fukitaicho was focusing on the paperwork for once but her gaze was getting a little annoying. "Is there something wrong Matsumoto?" The busty woman jumped slightly. "Oh nothing, doesn't the weather look nice today?" Toushiro raised a brow but kept his gaze on his subordinate who was obviously changing the subject. The busty woman sweat-drops as she realizes that her decoy lie had failed and sighs before a look of determination etched her features.
Standing up abruptly, she struts over to her captain's desk. Toushiro hearing the sound looks up to see his tall fukitaicho over towering him. "Finish your paper-work before you even think of going to drink sake…" "Taicho what will you be doing today?" The young boy raised a brow. "Why do you ask?" Rangiku points to the window outside. "It's spring, Taicho." "I know that Matsumoto." "You should be going on Hanami." Toushiro sweat-dropped. "I do not see the connection Matsumoto." This time, the busty fukitaicho let out a frustrated sigh of exasperation. "Taicho, you are being neglected by Kuchiki taicho!" Rangiku exclaimed while Toushiro stared at her. The male blinked once than twice as he registers his fukitaicho's words. "What gave you that ridiculous thinking Matsumoto?" "He doesn't show you affection; he leaves you alone most of the time; he never spend much time with you; he never tells you anything and he goes to his dead wife's grave all the time…" "Matsumoto!" The busty woman immediately went quiet when the room's temperature dropped and she realizes that she had crossed the line when she retraced her words.
"Gomen nasai Taicho…" Toushiro glares at her but eventually sighs and pinched the bridge of his nose. Awkward silence resumed and Rangiku sits back down at her desk and tried to re-focus on her paperwork. "Matsumoto…" Rangiku looked up when she hears her taicho call her and notices that her captain's teal eyes have softened. "It's difficult to move on when you lose someone important to you. Especially if they have been by your side for very long…" "Taicho…" The white hair male looked at her. "Lady Hisana's death was extremely painful to him…she was the only one allowed to see behind his mask… I do not seek to replace her existence neither do I want him to forget her permanently. That is all to this…" Rangiku looked at her captain in awe. She had never known that her taicho had such profound thoughts on love. "Taicho…" There was no more further response from the chibi captain as he begins continuing his paperwork without any sign of responding to further questions.
Sixthdivisionoffice
Silence prevailed in the office which was rare for sixth division captain Kuchiki Byakuya as usually his fukitaicho would have been running in late; bellowing at the top of his voice his apology for being late. That would then be followed by his usual glare and nagging which will cause his fukitaicho to shrink before hurrying to the security of his desk and to complete the paper work that can be finished. Instead, he finds his fukitaicho on time and was already quietly working at his desk. "Ohaiyo Taicho." Byakuya nods before breezing to his desk and starts operating on his paperwork. Silence prevailed and normally, Byakuya wouldn't mind the silence except for the fact that a pair of eyes was boring right through him. "Is there something wrong Abarai?" The response from his fukitaicho was sudden as red head suddenly knelt on the ground and place his forehead to the floor. "Taicho, please don't leave Hitsugaya taicho alone so much!"
Byakuya was speechless for a moment before registering the words and his gaze sharpened. "What are you talking about Abarai?" The red head immediately looked up. "Taicho, you don't spend much time with Hitsugaya taicho at all and most of the time, you would be…at Lady Hisana's grave if not you would be at her prayer altar…" "What are you trying to say Abarai…?" Renji held back a flinch at the sharpened tone now. He knew that he was treading dangerous water now but he couldn't stand it any longer. His taicho despite dating the younger taicho had not shown a single bit of affection to Hitsugaya taicho. Half the time, he would disappear leaving the smaller male alone only to be at the grave of his wife and stay there for a long while before re-appearing in front of Toushiro. Normally, one would expect Toushiro to flare up but instead the younger male would just nod and accept the excuses without fail despite the evidence showing that he had been somewhere else.
With the renew thought, Renji swallowed and stared back at Byakuya. "Forgive me for being bold but Lady Hisana is dead and Hitsugaya taicho needs your love in every way. Why can't you forget her…?" Renji was immediately cut off as he was slammed to the ground by his taicho's gigantic reiatsu. "Get out… I do not want to see your face for the rest of the day." Renji barely managed to get up and by the time he did so, his taicho was gone, paper-work completed neatly at his desk.
At the same time, Toushiro snaps his head up as he sensed his lover's reiatsu flared in anger. He gazes out worriedly. "Taicho…" "Matsumoto, I need to check something." Before the busty fukitaicho could respond, the chibi taicho vanished leaving his fukitaicho looking worriedly.
Kuchiki graves
Byakuya stared at the elegant kanji of Hisana's name that was inscribed on the tombstone. True to the noble standard, Hisana's grave was splendidly sculpted and he had personally seen to its construction. "Hisana…" The noble murmured as he stroked the marbled tombstone. His heart ached at his loss; no one could understand his pain. They had never lost their other half before so how could they simply tell him to forget the first woman that he had loved so deeply. For once, the mask slipped and anguish found its way onto Byakuya's expression. "I miss you Hisana…" The noble choked out as he knelt in front of the grave unaware of a set of softened, pained teal eyes that were observing him from afar.
Hidden carefully within the trees, Toushiro's heart ached as he saw the noble's mask shatter. It was true that Byakuya had refused to show him what was behind that unreadable mask and that most of his efforts to try and get Byakuya to smile or laugh was often a major failure. But he had never blamed Hisana nor did he blame Byakuya for not appreciating his efforts; he blamed himself instead. He couldn't even get Byakuya to smile and when Byakuya accepted his confession for love; he only brought more trouble as he was looked down for his Rukongai birth. He gave a sad smile as he had already accepted the fact that Byakuya could never forget his previous lover but he still felt the sharp pain as he would wonder if he was just a replacement for Hisana. Silently, he casts one last glance to his lover before shun poing away, leaving his lover to mourn silently.
Byakuya wept silently and before long he had dozed off at the grave…
Opening his eyes; he realised that he was in the gardens of the Kuchiki compound. "How did I get here…am I dreaming…?" He looks in front and sees a familiar figure under the Sakura tree. "Hisana…?" The Rukia look-alike with a more subtle expression turns to face him. "Byakuya sama…" The Kuchiki heir immediately runs over and pulls her into his embrace. "Hisana…" "Byakuya sama…" Byakuya felt joy as he tenderly stroke the side of his wife's face, he had missed her and for this moment he wanted to capture her appearance. "Byakuya sama…isn't there someone else now that you should go back to…?" Byakuya was stunned momentarily when he realised that she was talking about Toushiro. "You know…?" Hisana nods and Byakuya looks away. "I'm sorry…" "Why are you sorry?" "I promised to love no one else but I…" He was hushed by Hisana who had placed one finger on his lips. "There's no wrong in falling in love again… But you should let him into your heart just as you have opened up to me many years ago…"
Byakuya remained silent and Hisana smiles at him in her own gentle way. "He is a very sweet person and…he blames himself." Byakuya looks back at Hisana in surprise. "Why…?" "He is sorry for being unable to make you happy." Byakuya looks at his wife in surprised and watched as she gazed in to the bark of the Sakura tree. The tree bark turned translucent and it showed a familiar small sized captain standing in front of Hisana's grave. "Toushiro…?" Byakuya murmurs as he watched the small male clean the grave and settle down fresh offerings. Toushiro then proceeded to stare at the grave for a while, before beginning to speak. "I've heard a lot about you from the servants…not directly well you know…eavesdrop…not intentionally but yeah…" The white hair chibi shrugs as he lets out a wry smile.
"Well, I was wondering…if you could give me a hint on getting Byakuya to trust me…" Byakuya's eyes widened while Toushiro sighs. "I sound like a fool don't I. I guess when everyone says I'm a freaking 'ice cube' they weren't lying about that…" Toushiro continued as his eyes softened in sadness before lowering his head and falling silent. The silence went on for a while before he spoke again in a wistful tone. "Sometimes…I feel useless… I love him so much but I can't get him to trust me let alone to show me the true self that lies behind that mask he wears everyday... Maybe I'm not meant for him at all…" A sad smile formed as the male continued. "Now that I think about it, I brought him more trouble than I ever did. He is going against the rules again so that I can be with him…against the law of marrying someone of Rukongai status. The worst thing is that I'm a male and the whole uproar after that was…memorable. You wouldn't even want to know…" The smile formed was bitter and Toushiro inhaled shakily as he looked away for a moment before looking back at the grave.
"I…really envy you a lot Lady Hisana… Even through death, Byakuya would still open up to you. I can't even get him to tell me anything that happens around him or figure what's going on in his mind. But then again…I'm the same as well…" The smaller captain paused before he continued. "I apologize… I rant sometimes, not that I want to but it happens…" Toushiro trails off and he unconsciously grips his haori tightly. "I guess he finds it easier to open up to an adult then a child doesn't he…?" A sad chuckle left his mouth and he stifles it swiftly. "It's silly but…even if he never tells me anything, even if he cannot trust me or let me into his heart… I…will still stay by his side and love him with all my heart and soul even if I'm just a mere…replacement." Toushiro confessed and Byakuya saw a tear appear but was swiftly wiped away by a small hand. "Thank you for listening to me and...I'm sorry for bothering you…" The chibi captain then shun po off and the image disappears from the tree bark. "Toushiro…" Byakuya murmured; he never knew that Toushiro worried so much for him and he didn't even know that the young captain harbored so much insecurities of himself.
"He is a sweet one, strong but still in need of protection and reassurance in every way…" Hisana stated as Byakuya unconsciously clenched his fist in guilt. "I didn't know…" "He is just like you…keeping everything inside so that he worries no one and silently suffers by himself…" Hisana stated softly once more as she holds Byakuya's face gently with both of her hands. "Hisana…" "You have to move on Byakuya sama. I am happy that you have never forgotten me but in return that it hurts the person that loves you so much now…it is not worth it…" "Hisana…" Byakuya begins as he covers one of the smaller hands with his own. "Remember Byakuya sama…you are not alone anymore…he's there for you." Purple eyes widen with realization and soften tenderly. "Thank you, Hisana…" The girl smiles and kisses Byakuya on the cheek before backing away. "Aishiteru Byakuya sama…" "Aishiteru Hisana…" A gust of wind blew the cherry blossoms, obscuring the view of his wife before it faded to darkness.
Purple eyes open once more and the Sixth division captain found himself leaning against Hisana's grave; cherry blossom petals covering him and the night sky above him. "Was it…a dream…?" Byakuya touched his cheek and faint warmth was left behind, as if someone had kissed him there. "Hisana…" Said noble murmured as he stood up and his eyes softened with guilt for a certain white hair captain. Swiftly, he shun po back to the Kuchiki main house. As he reached the front door, he was prepared to fully accept a full scolding but to his surprise a servant just bowed politely when she saw him. "Okairi nasai Byakuya sama." Byakuya blinked in surprise but immediately schooled to his impassive mask. "The Elders had arrived?" "Yes, they had arrived but left shortly after Toushiro sama said that you would be very late as you were held up by your duties and that you will inform them for the rescheduling of the next meeting." Byakuya said nothing for a moment. "Byakuya sama…?" "Where's…Toushiro?" "Toushiro sama is in the gardens and he instructed me that if you came back, that I should warm up your dinner while you changed…Byakuya sama?" The servant questioned when she realizes that the noble was nowhere to be seen.
Gardens
Toushiro looks out at the moon; he had decided to stroll outside after the nasty meeting with the Elders. "Thank god they didn't probe further… I may have frozen them." Sighing, he proceeds to inhale the sweet Sakura scent from the Sakura flowers. "This is calming…" The white hair captain couldn't help but let out a smile as the night breeze sends some of the flowers floating down. "At least I managed to get Byakuya some relief…" The white hair chibi thinks when he suddenly sensed his lover's reiatsu. Turning around, he sees a tousled Sixth Division Captain. "Byakuya…? When the black hair male didn't respond, Toushiro worriedly walked over. "Did something happen…" Toushiro was cut short when Byakuya suddenly hugged him. "Byakuya…?" "I'm sorry…" Teal eyes blinked in confusion as he gently pull away and look up at his lover. "What happened…?" Toushiro asked worriedly as he cupped Byakuya's face with both of his hands, staring straight into purple eyes that had a mixture of guilt and sadness in it.
Byakuya covered one of the small hands with his own larger hand. "I dreamt of Hisana…" Toushiro's eyes widened slightly in surprise that Byakuya was willing to tell him what happened but his eyes once again softened in sadness at the fact that the raven haired captain was once again reminded of his loss. Toushiro tip toed and shifted his arms so that they were wrapped around his lover's neck in the form of an awkward hug. "It's alright…" Byakuya couldn't help but relax slightly into those small arms and guilt swelled in him as he re-called his lover's thoughts. "I'm sorry…" "What for…?" Toushiro asked softly as they pulled apart briefly once more; his smaller hands cradling the larger face of his lover. "For everything…" Toushiro just smiled softly. "There was nothing that you had never needed to be sorry for…" Purple eyes widened in shock that his lover could be this understanding. "I…" Byakuya was stopped by a small finger on his lips.
"Let's get you cleaned up.""Toushiro…" Teal eyes gazed into purple before Toushiro smiled softly and tugs his lover along. Byakuya was speechless as his smaller lover gently took his hand and guided him back to the manor. Both males walked in silence and for once Byakuya noticed how small the hand that was holding his was. Purple eyes trailed at the small sized body and the noticeably small sized shoulders. "Had he lost weight?" Byakuya noted worriedly in his thoughts as he recalled the small, bony shoulders he had touched when he had embraced Toushiro. Byakuya had been so deep in thought that he failed to realize that they had reached the front porch.
"Byakuya?" The black hair male snapped out from his thoughts and berated himself for not paying attention and worrying his younger lover who was looking at him with concerned teal eyes. "It's…nothing…" Toushiro just gave a knowing smile before calling one of the servants to warm up dinner and ushered Byakuya to bathe and change. Byakuya did as he was told and felt the fatigue roll of his shoulders as he did so. After removing the Kenseiken and changing into a sleeping yukata; the raven haired male returned to the room and noticed the hot meal waiting for him and his white haired lover completing what was definitely paperwork. The lantern light cast a shadow over the small taicho's frame and Byakuya's eyes softened when he realised that Toushiro had actually lost weight. His hands itched to scoop up the small sized taicho and hold him close but he resisted and settled down to eat his dinner. He felt teal eyes on him for a moment before watching from the corner of his eye as a small smile bloomed before the male shifted a little to turn back to his paperwork.
The comfortable silence proceeded as Byakuya finished his meal and gazed right at the smaller back before him. "You're not alone anymore…" Hisana's words echoed in his mind and he immediately stood up, walked towards Toushiro and holds him close. Toushiro was startled at the gesture but relaxed into his lover's warm arms. "Byakuya…?" "I love you." Teal eyes widened at the statement before Byakuya tenderly sealed his words with a kiss. Teal eyes widened in shock before closing as Toushiro relaxed into the warm kiss. When they parted, Byakuya tenderly wiped away the tears that had gathered at his smaller lover's eyes. "I'm sorry…I don't why I'm crying…" "You are no replacement…" Toushiro looked at his lover in surprise as a larger hand cradled his face. "I love you as you are. Can you forgive me for hurting you…?" Toushiro said nothing and buries himself in Byakuya's chest. "Baka…there's nothing for you to be sorry about." "Yes… I'm not alone anymore…" The older male thinks as purple eyes closed in understanding and the couple silently spends the night; cuddling closely to each other in understanding and a silent vow to be with each other forever…
The End
Omake
Renji: Oi Matsumoto!
Rangiku: Don't stop me Renji! I'm going to scold your taicho to your senseless no matter what! (Rolls up sleeve)
Renji: Just look okay! (Pulls the woman to peep through the office window)
Rangiku: Huh? What… OMG!
Toushiro and Byakuya both curled up and sound asleep on the sofa.
Renji: Shh! You're gonna wake them up! (Whispering)
Rangiku: I have to get some photos! (Flicks out camera)
Renji: Are you crazy! (Tries to stop Matsumoto unaware that his taicho is awake)
Byakuya: Chire Senbonzakura.
Renji/Rangiku: Ack! (Both running away from the deadly flower petals)
Toushiro: Did something happen…? (Rubs eyes sleepily)
Byakuya: No, go back to sleep. (Tucks Toushiro in)
Toushiro: M'kay…aishiteru Byakuya… (Dozes off)
Byakuya: Aishiteru Toushiro. (Smiles)
Meme12: Alright folks, the show's over! I will see you guys again! (Waves from stacks of notes around her)
Bam!
Toushiro: MEME12! (Kicks the door down while temperature drops rapidly)
Meme12: Sigh…and I wanted to study…What now and did you just break down my room door!
Toushiro: Why are you writing my love life goddamn it! (Whole face red while pointing Hyourinmaru in mem12's face)
Meme12: Don't curse. It will ruin the pretty face. Besides, Byakuya is not complaining.
Toushiro: Why you! (Temperature drops)
Meme12: If you don't mind let me just go back to my… WHY THE HELL DID YOU FREEZE MY NOTES! (Looks down to find her note stack frozen)
Toushiro: You deserve it for exposing my love life. (Dead-panned)
Meme12: That's it, I'm going to write an angst story and make you suffer. (Moves to the laptop)
Toushiro: You wouldn't…
Meme12: You don't know me so well don't you Toushiro… (Deathly aura while preparing to type)
Toushiro: Fine… (Temperature drops)
Meme12: Good…WHY ARE NOTES STILL FROZEN! (Gestures at the frozen note stack)
Toushiro: Oh, look at the time. I have to go! (Shun po off)
Meme12: PAY FOR MY NOTES CHIBI! (Pulls out a flame thrower and chase Toushiro)
Yakumi: Oh well, since she's gone I guess I shall help her say it: This is Meme12 saying sayonara matta o. (Waves)