Disclaimer: ORIHIME SHALL DIE (clearly not Taito-sensei)
A/N: Ah, and so inspiration has struck. I've always known where I was going with this story, but for some reason got really stuck on this chapter. "Really stuck" is usually measured in years for me. Lol. University= no fan fic. Sorry about that. I think I can actually finish this story within a month.
I was rereading Bleach in my volume formats. And I cried, when I was reading volume 18. Sad, I know. Ukitake, Shunsui, Rukia, Ichigo, and Renji are just so adorable and so incredibly good, it makes me cry with the heartwarminess and sadness of it all. Then when I got to volume 23, I just couldn't stand it anymore (especially since the most important aspect of this fic is blatantly mentioned in volume 23).
But enough of my ridiculous emotions. And so. . .the scene opens in an unseen garden where rain is falling, where three teens are contemplating the universe, each with their own thoughts. . .how dangerous.
Sakura in the Snow
Chapter 2:
Raining China
The rain was getting heavier.
The three friends ignored it, swaying gently in their hammocks in the Fifth Garden. It was a silent agreement among the teens that after the near-tangible tension in the house, the rain was comforting and cleansing.
Ichigo lifted his face to the droplets, reveling in their gentle caress. The rain joined him with Chad, with his family, with Tatsuki, with Orihime and all the others he had left back in the land of the living. Most importantly, it joined him with Rukia. Feeling it trickle down his face was like the touch of Rukia's spiritual energy, gentle and cool.
He shook his head to clear it, appreciating the fact that Akira and Riku were quiet as he reminisced. What had Riku said? "I've heard the rumors," he said finally, closing his eyes against the idea of the exceedingly asinine gossip. No privacy.
Riku colored a bit. "Yes, well. Abarai-fuk—"
"What do you think about the rumors?" Ichigo abruptly interrupted.
Akira was chewing thoughtfully on a stalk of peppermint he'd found in a flower bed. "Ano, they're pretty wild. They go from you two being madly in love and having a secret affair to Byakuya having hired you as a bodyguard that Rukia only reluctantly puts up with. There are obviously some rather negative ones, but there is one particular rumor at the academy that I think is legit. They say most of the Gotei-captain-class shinigami and a good deal of the seats have a betting pool on you two. Some of the older students in my class claim to be in on it, actually."
"Seriously?" Ichigo choked. He'd thought at least that one was a joke. . .
"Yeah," Akira grinned. "There's a lot of money at stake, apparently. Kurosaki?"
"What?"
"Sorry about my outburst. It's just—unnerving, you know? I should have known when you beat both me and Riku while we were in shikai without anything fancy."
"I don't usually do 'fancy,'" Ichigo groused.
"Is any of it true?" asked Riku suddenly. He wouldn't meet Ichigo's eyes.
"Well. . ." Ichigo didn't know what to say. "Maybe."
"Maybe?" Akira nearly yelled. "Really?" For some reason, he actually didn't seem that surprised.
"What's going on here?" Ichigo asked suspiciously.
"Well done, Akira," Riku said acidly. "Sorry he's being as ass, Kurosaki. We're kinda ahead of you. Well, all the servants pretty much are, I think. . ."
Ichigo sighed in exasperation. "I suppose this has to do with damn Abarai Renji, right?"
"Yeah, and Rukia got back about an hour or two ago. She was sort of involved, too."
"Sort of?" Akira snorted.
"Ok, ok, but let's start with Abarai-fukutaicho, alright?" Riku snapped almost uncharacteristically. "We were serving breakfast this morning. Well I was, Akira was sort of standing around aimlessly, like usual—"
"It is called 'formal attendant,'" Akira snarled. "It's not my fault that today I was chosen to stand against the wall, ok? But I did clean up the dish Abarai threw."
"He did WHAT?" Ichigo exploded.
"Erm, right. . ."
And together they launched into a detailed explanation of breakfast with Byakuya that morning.
Abarai Renji only came to the Kuchiki Manor for meals when Rukia begged him to come, Ichigo demanded that he come, or when he invited himself over.
So more often than one would expect.
This morning was one of the latter, when he had warned Byakuya that he was coming for breakfast by way of butterfly and then unceremoniously appeared on the doorstep—not literally though, because he still hadn't strengthened his long-distance flash steps to the point where running was completely unnecessary.
He was determined to speak with Byakuya on behalf of Rukia. He hated watching her overwork herself simply to avoid him, and he hated having to watch her suffer her brother's wrath whenever she mentioned the two matters he wished to discuss with his captain.
Rukia was suppressing herself to please her brother, and Renji wouldn't have it any longer. He wasn't to the point where he could defeat Byakuya, but he didn't need to strive to do that any longer. Now he was at the point where he could flatly explain to Byakuya exactly how he felt and then proceed to have a shouting match with him. And he could back up his shouts with enough power so that Byakuya would at least not be able to kill him, or reduce him to shreds again.
The two comrades calmly ate breakfast with the rest of the Kuchiki clan, and it wasn't long before the room had cleared out and Byakuya and Renji were left staring at each other across the table. "Speak your mind, Renji," Byakuya said as the last noble excused himself with a bow.
"I intend to," Renji said calmly. "I want to talk to you about Rukia."
Byakuya placed his spoon carefully on the table and smoothed out his napkin. "I thought as much. Continue."
"First off, meaning no disrespect, Taicho, you have to lay off her about Kurosaki."
Byakuya's eyebrows shot up and he looked at Renji inquiringly. "Explain."
Renji figured that this would be the hard part. Byakuya was her big brother, and he might not even fully realize what he was doing. "Listen, if she wants to be with the strawberry oaf, you should let her." His mouth felt dry for a moment. It had taken a long time to realize that he had let all romantic feelings for Rukia go, but it was still a realization that left him stunned every once in a while.
Byakuya blinked. "The boy is human. And he is not of noble blood."
"That's a lie if you ever told one," Renji growled. "You know his father was born here, that he left when he was past captain level."
The leader of the Kuchiki household stared impassively at his vice captain. "His humanity makes him weak. His training is not going as well as could be expected."
"You think a weakling beat you, Taicho?" Renji growled. "You thinking a weakling destroyed the both of us, Zaraki Kenpachi, and the Thousand-Strong Zanpaktou on Traitor's Hill? You think a weakling defeated Espada 6 and all the Arrancar who threatened Karakura countless times? Is that what you think?"
"He has shown enormous potential," Captain Six conceded. "But that does not—"
"You have seen him at his greatest!" Renji yelled, glad that none of his other friends from the Soul Society could hear this. He didn't want anyone hearing him admit that Ichigo was better than him. "He told me that you showed him the end of your bankai! And he lived to tell me that tale, Kuchiki-taicho, so I do not think you that should be doubting him. And you saw what he did to the Espada Aizen threw at him. He matched them blow for blow and left their ashes behind him, just as you did when you fought Aizen's army. He fought as you did, Byakuya, you cannot deny the merit in that."
There was a heavy silence over the table before Renji continued. "And lay off Rukia about—"
He could not finish that sentence, as his captain already knew what he was going to say next. Byakuya Kuchiki stood up and his eyes flashed for the first time that morning. Renji also rose. "I will not have it. As I will not have her consorting with Kurosaki Ichigo."
"Are the two connected?" Renji asked. "I have known Rukia longer than you, Byakuya, and she's my sister as much as she is yours. I haven't wanted to kick your ass for a while now, but if you aren't going to let this go, I might have to change my mind."
"Of course the two are connected. Rukia would be in grave danger if I gave into her demands on this matter. More danger than I wish to expose her to and I thought that you might agree with me on that, Renji. And Ichigo presents danger, even more danger to Rukia if I allow what you wish to be. How do I know that he would protect her?"
Renji heard the unspoken ending to that sentence. Byakuya was not confident in Ichigo's ability to control himself. He did not know if Ichigo could protect Rukia from himself. "Ichigo is currently protecting all of us from Aizen, so I do not understand why he can't protect your sister. You cannot protect Rukia from herself, either, Byakuya. She has been too strong for her own good for years now. You have to let her make her own mistakes."
"I will not allow Rukia to be exposed in such a way. She is not strong enough."
"She is, Byakuya! Her zanpaktou is a legend, and she can control all of Sode no Shirayuki's dances!"
"And I can summon all the power of a white zanpaktou, but why are you two talking about me?" Rukia asked, walking in and stripping gloves from her hands.
"Rukia," Byakuya bowed. "You have returned."
Renji walked over, picked her up, and swung her around, muttering, "I've been trying to argue your case."
Byakuya looked a bit stony as he surveyed his sister. She flung an exasperated look at Renji and then sat down at the table, motioning Byakuya to sit with her. Renji politely walked away.
The whispered conversation between the siblings was clearly heated, but Renji only caught bits of it. When their voices began to rise, he stalked back over to them. "Taicho," he said, trying to get his attention. "Taicho. Byakuya!"
Neither of them heard his attempts at drawing their attention until he picked up a plate and threw it at the wall above their heads. They both cringed at the crash and Rukia jumped up, sweeping shards of china off her sleeve. "You don't get to decide how I feel about Ichigo," she seethed at the wide-eyed Byakuya. "Thanks for trying, Renji, but I think someone is just going to have to teach my brother a lesson."
"—and then she stalked out of the room in high gudgeon," Riku finished.
Ichigo had remained totally and inexplicably silent during the entire tale, and Riku and Akira looked at each other worriedly. Then—
"I want to kill Renji," Ichigo growled, rolling out of the hummock and leaping to his feet. "Why was he looking for me if he knows that I want to kill him?"
"That's the next bit," Akira said calmly. "The whole complex knows—"
"What else could they know?" Ichigo gritted out. "It sounds like they know everything."
"—that Byakuya disappeared shortly after breakfast, and Abarai was looking for you because he hasn't the faintest idea as to where he or Rukia went. He must figure that you won't kill him out of worry for the two Kuchiki sibilings."
Ichigo froze for a moment. "Maybe," he admitted. "But we'll see. You know where he is?"
"I think he was in the drawing room last."
Ichigo stayed still for another moment, rubbing his forehead as his thoughts raged in an incomprehensible storm. It had been too much, too fast, and his heart felt like it was going to beat its way out of his chest.
One thought surfaced, and his hands dropped from his face to be replaced by a distinctly stony expression.
Screw Byakuya. Rukia wanted him. That made Rukia his.
"Thank you for dealing with all of this, guys," Ichigo growled. "I'm going to go find Renji. And just some advice—maybe you two should go put down a couple last minute bets in that pool you told me about."
A/N: What in the world is going on here? –smirks- Sorry for being so obnoxious. Actually if you lot think about the title for a minute, I'm sure you'll figure it out. XD
I cut this chapter a little short so I could have the next one done and post next week! If you review. Yes I am bribing you XD
Thanks for your patience, and see you again next Friday!
~Conterra-hime
