A/N: I do not own Bleach or its characters.
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PRINCE CHARMING AND HIS FAIRY GODSISTER
It was weekend when he decided to go out and did some grocery shopping. The nearby local shopping area was exactly five minutes walking from his house; therefore he decided to take a walk there instead of driving his car. The traffic was quite busy in the evening and he did not want to be stuck on the road for a mere distance.
There were too many people in the crowd, but that did not bother him. He just needed to get everything on his list and went straight back home. Not really fond of being around people, he was. Completing his list, he decided to stop by a bakery at the far end of the shop lots. The sign read "Hisana's Kingdom". He never went that far before. Usually he would only stopped by the grocery shop and the butcher shop, but never before that he wandered to the end of the lots.
He pushed the door open. The sweet scents of various cakes and buns filled the atmosphere in the shop, and he was greeted by a girl at the counter.
"Hello." The girl fabricated a smile and nodded a little before resuming her work behind the counter. He looked at the cakes on display and took two slices of a cake; one slice was the black forest cake with a childish name displayed, while the other was a slice of a red velvet cake, also displayed with a childish name. He was not sure on why he took the cakes. He was not fond of sweets, let alone buns or breads. He preferred a real meal – heavy dish which must contain lots of meats or fish, green vegetables and dessert of fruits. His dessert was never something sweet.
"Thank you. Please come again." The girl said after giving him the receipt. He just nodded and went out of the shop; taking along the cakes he was not sure he could finish eating.
..o0o..
"Oi, Byakuya. Are you in there? Open the door, please." A voice thundered from outside of his house, accompanied by a few knocking on the door. Sluggishly, he went to open the door only to see his friends grinning like hell. Each one of them brought a bottle of sake and rushed to the porch outside.
"What the – " He could not finish his sentence when all of them shouted in unison, "Tanjoubi omedetto, Byakuya! Happy birthday!"
"You guys should have brought a cake if you're going to celebrate my birthday, fools!" He smiled, slowly joining them on the porch. The sakura tree at the back yard was blooming, and traces of the wilted flower on the ground were quite a scene to behold. It was his favourite spot to relax, and had been his friends' too once they discovered it accidentally during their last visit before.
"Oh, don't worry. Your cake is on the way. The cake shop owner says that she'll deliver it here." His bald friend, Madarame Ikkaku, explained. Just after he spoke, the doorbell rang. He went to retrieve the cake only to see the girl at the cake shop he went previously standing in front of his door, holding a big cake box. He took the cake and thanked her.
"Thank you. I didn't know you're the owner. Pardon me."
"It's okay. Anyway, happy birthday to you."
"Thanks." He closed the door after the girl started to walk to the gate. Yumichika and Renji, his other friends, lurked from behind him and grabbed the cake box. They opened the box at the porch and placed it in front of him, ready with a phone camera in each hand.
"What? Don't tell me you want me to close my eyes and make a wish? That's not funny. Am I a kid?"
"Just do it, okay? We have to post the photos to the company's Whatsapp group. Unohana wants to see your birthday pictures." Kenpachi, a man of a huge build than any of his other friends was taking his photos as they spoke.
"What does Unohana have to do with this?"
"Well, you can say that she was the only one who remembered your birthday. We totally forgot." An orange-haired lad said, guiltlessly. Byakuya sighed. "I should have thought so."
"Anyway, let's party! Hahaha!" The others started to cheer and soon all of them were covered with traces of cakes all over their face. "Party? It's only evening, guys!"
"Who cares? Take this! Hahaha!" Soon, all of them were covered with cakes.
..o0o..
"I can't trace our driver on GPS. The customer is complaining that he still doesn't receive his goods. What should I do?" A panicked voice thundered the customer service and operation room. He was a newbie that was hired by the General Manager at their headquarter a week ago.
"Who's the driver?" Byakuya asked the panicked man.
"Chad. He was supposed to deliver the goods half an hour ago. But I can't trace him on the GPS!"
"His GPS was jammed. Don't worry, he'll arrive in fifteen minutes. I already informed the customer."
"Oh, okay. Thanks."
Byakuya was the Operation Executive for Seireitei Corporation, mainly dealing with logistics and warehousing. He was transferred to Kansai a year ago to lead the branch there. It was a small branch compared to the head office in Tokyo, but he was content. The atmosphere was up to his liking and the subordinates were friendly. He could not ask for more.
The Seireitei's Kansai branch consisted of a two storey building and was divided into the operation team and finance team accordingly. The first being in the lower storey while the latter being in the upper storey. Byakuya's room was located on the lower storey while the Finance Manager, Unohana, was located on the upper storey along with their subordinates respectively. Most of Unohana's staff was women with all of them being picked personally by her. No interference by the General Manager included whatsoever. The operation and customer service team on the other hand was picked solely by the General Manager. He said that the team he picked was the best in the logistic field, but all Byakuya felt was different. His team was the wackiest he ever encounter!
"Hey, have you seen the invoices for that haulage shipment? I can't find it anywhere. Help me, will you?" Another man who looked like he was the youngest, lurked from behind the door and asked Byakuya.
"Haulage? I think I saw Renji taking it out just now."
"Okay. Thanks. How come you know everything? You're a genius, Byakuya."
"Me? A genius? I just happened to care a lot more than you guys, okay? You can do that too, if you're not playing around." He replied coldly. His colleagues shivered. They knew he was starting to get mad. And he really was.
He could not wait for his shift to end. He had somewhere to go. The girl at the bakery fascinated him. It was as if he was falling in love, again. Last time he checked, he was out of love life for almost four years now. And he did not fathom the sudden attraction mingling in his head. Stupid, but he would not care.
..o0o..
He pushed the door open and entered the bakery. He saw the girl at the corner of the shop, busying herself with cake decorating. It looked like a wedding cake of some sort, and her hands moved meticulously from one spot to another. She was so indulged in her work that his appearance did not faze her at all.
"Ahem." He cleared his throat purposely, trying to divert her attention.
"Oh, I don't realize you're there. Sorry. Do you want some cakes? Breads? Buns?" The girl approached him.
"I..think..I'll have some breads." He moved to the display rack and pretended to be choosing the bread, yet his eyes betrayed him. They were glancing at her. Luckily the girl did not realize that. She had a call coming through.
"What? How am I supposed to deliver it if you're not coming? You know I can't drive!" He heard her talking on the phone.
"No. You have to come. We'll deliver the cake togeth—Hey! Don't hang up on me!" She shouted and let out a sigh after her call was ended. Looking at him, she apologized. "Sorry if I startled you."
"No. I'm not startled. By the way, what was that about?"
"My business partner's car broke down. He can't come. And the cake...we're supposed to deliver it by now. I guess I have to call for a taxi. Have you chosen your bread? I have to close the shop, if you don't mind."
"I think I'll pass. I can come again anytime, right? So...do you need a ride? Perhaps...I can take you there."
"Thanks, but I don't know you. We're not even acquinted."
"Well, is 'shop owner and her customer' sufficient enough to be called acquinted?"
The girl chuckled. "Okay, we are acquinted. So, help me please." A smirk formed at the corner of her lips. Byakuya grinned.
"Oh, by the way, my name's Hisana."
..o0o..
Byakuya and the girl arrived at the banquet hall almost on time before the wedding ceremony began. He was then asked to accompany Hisana at the guest table. Somebody must have mistaken him to be her companion, he thought as they were ushered to the guest table. Hisana looked calm, yet she was not content. He wondered why.
"Oh, my! Hisana! Is that you? Wow, I can't believe you come today. And don't tell me the cake is from your little shop there. Pathetic, aren't you?" An unknown woman approached their table and sprouted nasty comments on her. Byakuya remained silent.
"Oh, you come. How does it feel, Hisana? Seeing your ex marrying your best friend?" Another unknown woman approached the table. Soon, almost all eyes were diverted to the centre of attraction – them! Byakuya was impressed by how calm Hisana was. Although not being too content, she did not show any emotion at all. All she did was smiling back at them. And then, the bride and the groom entered the hall. Byakuya saw the couple approaching the table where he put the cake down. It was nicely decorated, with the rose fondant vividly contrasting the white cake. And it came in three layers. He wondered how much care Hisana put into making it.
"Attention to everyone here. Before we cut this lovely cake, I have something to say to everyone. Me, marrying this gorgeous woman beside me, was all in courtesy of our friend Hisana. She was the one setting us up. Just now I saw some of you harassing her. Please, stop. She doesn't deserve that." The groom spoke to the entire guest, while his bride walked to Hisana and dragged her to the groom.
"Hisana is our friend. Like my husband says, she was the one setting us up. And she has this hunk with her." The bride turned to Hisana. "What's his name?" She asked, gesturing to Byakuya at the table. Byakuya saw Hisana blushed and trembled.
"Honey, you can't just ask her out of the blue. See, she's blushing already." The groom said to his bride. They both giggled, with Hisana still trembling between them. The crowd whispered to each other, probably making assumptions of the three of them. Byakuya felt his blood riled up. Without much thinking, he dashed to the couple and grabbed Hisana's hand.
"Sorry guys, but I'm taking her." With that said he pulled Hisana and quickly took her belongings at the guest table before rushing out of the hall.
..o0o..
"What was that about? Why did you drag me out?" Hisana asked after he dropped her at her shop. He was raged, but what for? They were not even acquinted, except for the 'customer and the shop owner' thing.
"i don't know. I just feel like I should. You don't look so good."
"Do you wanna come in? I'll make some tea." Her voice sounded melancholic. Byakuya agreed and followed her inside. While Hisana was making the tea, he wandered through the shop. He never did pay attention to the names displayed on the racks, but eyeing each and every one of them, he was amused. Hisana used fairytale-based names for her products. He chuckled.
"What's so funny?"
"Nothing. I'm just amused by the names you picked."
"Oh, that. My customer's are mostly kids and high school students. I just thought that they'll like it. That Snow White cake and Prince Egg Tart are all-time favourite, but boys prefer the Ogre bun. I made it bigger than other buns so that it will satisfy the boys. They won't be full with smaller one." Hisana explained to him, grinning. "Here's the tea. Let's have a seat."
"You must love your job so much. I can see it in your eyes."He said after he sat in front of her. Sipping his tea, he saw her expression dimmed.
"This is the only thing I'm good at." She lowered her head, her voice almost unheard. "The groom just now, he used to be my boyfriend. At least I thought so. It turned out that he actually liked my best friend. I love both of them, but it was hard. I'm such a hypocrite."
"You're not a hypocrite. You just value your friendship more than your feelings. That's not a bad thing."
"Maybe."
"Hey, enough with that. Why won't you tell me about yourself? I don't even know your name."Hisana placed her hands on the table, staring at him.
"I thought you're not interested. Hehe."
"Hey, I never said that. So, what's your name?" Hisana asked him when she realized that she had not known his name. Yet.
"Prince Charming." He grinned as he told her the name. He saw her pouting.
"That's not funny."
"..."
"If you're Prince Charming, then I'm Fairy Godsister. Hahaha." Hisana laughed.
"If I'm Prince Charming, aren't you supposed to be Cinderella? And what's with Fairy Godsister? I know of Fairy Godmother only."
"I'm not a mother. Why can't I go with 'sister' instead?"
"Okay. Point taken."
"So, what is it? Your name."
"Byakuya."
"You have a nice name. I like the sound of it. So, Byakuya, thanks for helping me today. And happy belated birthday."
..o0o..
Both Byakuya and Hisana were being friends for quite some time after that. Each and every day passed, they grew fonder of each other and soon enough, they found themselves falling deeply in love and decided to start dating each other openly.
Byakuya was shocked when Hisana invited him to meet her family on New Year's Eve. She never told him anything about her family except that she did not live with her parents, and that she had a younger sister whom was abroad, studying. He accepted the offer gladly as he too, had wanted to meet them.
"Are you sure they are okay with this? I don't know why, but I feel like trembling. Haha." He met Hisana in front of her parents' house. She was already waiting when he arrived.
"You'll be okay. Prince Charming can't show his weakness in front of the king and queen, isn't it?" She smiled, grabbing his hand and led him inside the house. Byakuya followed her to the living room where her parents were.
"Urm..hi." He tried to greet them formally, but hi was all that he could say. Hisana's father seemed like a stern man, while her mother had some elegant aura surrounding her. He felt uneasy, being stared by both of them intensely. Byakuya stood still until he was asked to sit down.
A few minutes later, he was chatting contently with both her parents. They were not so bad, he thought. But then, he did not see the sister yet. The dinner followed, but there was still no sign of the sister. He started to feel uneasy. Like something bad was going to happen. And he was never wrong! The sister did show up!
"Rukia?!" Both Hisana and Byakuya was shocked to see Hisana's sister. And Rukia too, was shocked to see Byakuya at her parents' house!
..o0o..
Hisana had been avoiding him ever since the New Year's Eve. He went to her bakery but it was closed. There was even a notice saying the shop would not be opened for quite some time. He had tried calling her, but the number was unavailable. It was unacceptable. She should have talked to him instead of just vanish like that.
In his unstable mind, Byakuya found himself standing in front of Hisana's parent's house. He stalled before ringing the bell. Five minutes after, the door opened.
"What do you want?" Hisana's mother stood in front of him.
"I need to see Hisana. This is not fair. I can't even explain to her that I know nothing on why she's avoiding me. She can't do this to me. Please."
"She's not here."
"I know she's here. She's not at her house. Her shop's closed. I can't find her anywhere."
"I'm not lying when I say she's not here. Even we can't contact her. Don't worry; she'll come back when she's ready. And kid, we know you're not at fault. You don't have to worry. This is our family's problem. You shouldn't concern yourself with it."
"T-thanks." Byakuya was confused, but he did not bother.
"I'm sure she'll find you. She needs her time."
He wandered around her shop lots, hoping to bump into her. And when he did, he would pound the truth into her senseless. She deserved it. His life had been a living hell after the meeting. Rukia getting mad at him, Hisana suddenly run away, and the parents – well, they did nothing actually. He was frustrated. He could not live without her. That was the truth.
..o0o..
Flashback...
"What are you doing here?! I thought you don't live here anymore!" Rukia throwing tantrum once she saw Hisana at the dining table.
"I just come back for New Year's Eve. You said you won't be back. Why are you here?" Hisana said to her sister.
"I don't care! I don't want you to be here! I don't want Ichigo to mistake you for me!"
"It's not my fault if we are identical. We are sisters. If he loves you, he'll recognize you. Why are you being so ridiculously nonsense? And why are you separating me from our parents?! Why it is always me to sacrifice on your behalf?" Hisana snapped. She could not contain her grief and stormed out of the house, leaving Byakuya speechless. What should he do? Should he stay? Should he leave?
"Hisana is right, Rukia. We have been catering to your nonsense behaviour, but I think it's time we stop this thing. You should apologize to your sister. She had done nothing to you."
"She had done nothing? She's the one standing between Ichigo and me. It was her who influenced both of you to stop us from marrying each other. And this man here, he too, had been a nuisance to us. Stupid Byakuya, why would you be dating my sister? She wasn't even here when you came with Ichigo. How do you even know her, then?! Oh, I get it! Both of you were behind that, right?"
"I just happened to know her not so long ago. I don't even know she is your sister." He tried to explain, but Rukia was not listening. She was rumbling on and on about it until suddenly her father stood up and slapped her on the cheek. "Dad?"
"Enough. Go to your room. I won't hear any more nonsense of this. GO!" Her father gave an order, and she had no choice but to obey.
"I'm sorry, lad. But I think it's time for you to go. I'm sorry to ruin your new year." Byakuya left after saying his good bye. He searched for Hisana, but she was nowhere to be found.
End of flashback
..o0o..
Byakuya sat on a bench at the park nearby Hisana's bakery. He was exhausted physically and mentally. He did not deserve this treatment. It was not his fault that Rukia almost eloped with her boyfriend – his colleague at Seireitei Corporation, Ichigo – approximately two years ago. Hey, it was him who stopped them! Why was he the bad guy now?
He never knew that Ichigo was so madly in love with his girlfriend that he would consider eloping with her when both families did not approve of their wedding. It was decided that Rukia had to further her studies while Ichigo, let say; he should be more serious at his job before marrying someone's daughter. But it seemed that both Ichigo and Rukia were too dense to see the truth. It was then that he decided to interfere and made Ichigo realized that he needed to be financially established before marrying Rukia. That was, if he really loved her.
Reminiscing the past two years incident, he remembered not seeing Hisana at all. Where was her at that time?
"Byakuya..." He heard Hisana's voice behind him. Turning his head back, he saw her gloomy face.
"Hisana..."
"I'm sorry. I should have said something. I owe you an explanation, right? Ask me anything, and I'll answer you." She walked to the bench and sat beside him. Byakuya flinched.
"Why must you avoid me? I believe I have done nothing to entitle this treatment from you."
"I'm sorry. I just need time to myself. I'm not exactly in a good term with my sister. I moved out right after my parents convinced her not to elope with your friend. She wouldn't stay if I live there. So my parents found me a new home and I had lived there ever since. I never visit them except after my sister started studying abroad. I invited you to meet my parents because I thought she won't be coming back this year. I don't know that she wants to surprise them by coming back unexpectedly."
"Still, it has nothing to do with avoiding me, right?"
"True, but I just have to. I never know you knew my sister. And that her boyfriend is your colleague. I might end up meeting them often if we happened to be marri-" Hisana stopped her words, blushing heavily on both her cheeks. Oh, no! What did I say?!
"If we happened to be what, Hisana?" Byakuya grinned, looking at Hisana's face which had become crimson in colour.
"I..I should go back now. Bye, Byakuya." She stood up and before she could walk away, her arm was grabbed by Byakuya, forcing her to sit down.
"You're trying to drop the topic, aren't you?"
"I'm...not."
"So, Fairy Godsister, will you marry this Prince Charming of yours? I'm sure the King and Queen will be pleased." He kissed her hand, gazing at her face.
"I...I..." She stuttered.
"I'll take that as a yes."
..o0o..
Their wedding was planned to be on Valentine's day. Since then, Hisana was busy preparing for it while in the same time, opening her bakery as usual. Her new line of cakes and buns inspired for Valentine was selling rather promising. And she was glad.
Byakuya visited her bakery after his working hour ended. Eyeing the shelves for cakes, he grinned in amusement.
"Do the kids even know what a Fairy Godsister is?" Byakuya leaned against the counter, gazing at the cake he mentioned.
"Well, I told them it is a fairy specialized in love potions. And they seem to like it." Hisana smiled.
"Where's Prince Charming, then?"Hisana gestured at the buns shelves. A boy was picking one of it and went to the counter to pay.
"So, Fairy Godsister, is this your Prince Charming?" The boy asked while handing her the money. Byakuya was shocked a little bit, but then he chuckled.
"Why, yes. He is, Toushiro. Do you want to find your Cinderella?" Hisana replied to him, amused and at the same time feeling proud of her Prince Charming.
"Nah, I don't want to. Girls are so much trouble." The boy replied, expressionless.
"Aww, Toushiro. I can't believe I meet you here. Buy me that Fairy Godsister cakes, will you?" A girl suddenly emerged from the outside of door. Toushiro sighed.
"Alright, alright. Pick it by yourself, Matsumoto." The boy sighed and taking out his wallet again. The girl quickly picked a slice of the cake and proceeded to the counter, humming gleefully.
"Well, good luck, Prince Charming." Hisana whispered to the boy when he was about to leave with the girl. Byakuya laughed when he saw the boy pouted.
"So, Fairy Godsister, help me. My love won't leave her work and I've grown hungry waiting for her. Help me, please." Byakuya made a puppy-eye-look at Hisana.
"Just a minute. I'll close the shop early for you, ." Hisana teased. She saw him pouting the way the boy did and chuckled at the sight before her.
"Hey, I'm Prince Charming, not some ugly Ogre, okay?"
"Whatever."
"Pack me some cakes tomorrow. Those colleagues of mine might kill me if I don't bring them some."
"Anything for you, Prince."
Fin
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A/N: Thanks for reading, minna-sama.. ^_^