Title: Sleeping Beauty and Crayon Pictures
Author: The Fat Lady
Rating: K
Summary: Kuchiki Byakuya did not like Kurosaki Ichigo.
A/N: Thank you soooo much for the great reviews. I'm taking them to heart and am making an effort to improve my writing. I tried to add more internalization to this chapter, so tell me how i did ok? (Thanks for the constructive criticism Melizta!). And thanks against everyone who reviewed! ENJOY!
WARNING! I wrote this quickly. I tried to catch the mistakes, but I'm not perfect. This fic isn't betaed, so if you're a grammar/spelling fanatic…read at your own risk!
"Please Nii-sama!!"
"This pestering in unbecoming of a Kuchiki lady Rukia. My final answer is 'no'." After responding to his little sister, Byakuya returned to his paperwork.
"Ni-sama, I told Ichigo that he was invited to dinner. Why can't you both get along? When we were children and played in the manor, you had no problem with him." Rukia came up to her brother's desk, pouting slightly at the injustice of the situation.
What Rukia carelessly forgot to mention was that Byakuya had tolerated the Idiot years ago because back then, the Idiot was not defiling his innocent little sister. Back then, Rukia and Ichigo-chan climbed trees and played on the manor's expansive estate. Now the Idiot was climbing up his little sister's window at odd hours, pretending as if the guards did not see.
"The Boy has grown more insolent as he has age. He does not show proper respect to his elders," Byakuya drawled as he skimmed over some accounts.
"Please Nii-sama, it would make me really happy." Rukia was desperate, and when was desperate, she played dirty. Nii-sama would not deny her now…he couldn't.
Byakuya frowned at the pleading voice coupled with those magic words. Rukia must have been particularly desperate to have used such heavy artillery.
"Dinner will begin promptly at seven. Formal attire is required, and Rukia, remind that Idiot of your's that formal attire means a proper shirt, jacket, and tie…a respectable tie." Byakuya glanced up at his sister to let her know he was serious.
Rukia laughed a little, knowing full well what her Nii-sama was referring to. During last year's Spring Carnival, Ichigo's group was put in charge of handing out the maps and brochures at the different entrances. The third year boys had decided that it would be funny to wear holiday ties that had nothing to do with spring, in protest of making them do such a boring job at a carnival of all places. Ichigo had had the pleasure of handing Byakuya and Rukia their maps, since Rukia had already finished her shift at the cotton candy stand. Byakuya had made his distaste for Ichigo's attire known while Rukia hid her face behind her map to hide the large, shit-eating grin. Of course, her smile might have had something to do with Ichigo's secret message of 'meet me in front of the Ferris wheel in an hour', scrawled hastily on the back of her map.
Resisting the urge to laugh at the memory, Rukia bowed her head respectfully and assured her Nii-sama that she would pick his tie herself. With that done, she gave her brother an exaggerated smack on the cheeks, happily bouncing out the office to finish her homework.
"Walk like a respectable lady Rukia!" However, the command fell on deaf eyes as Rukia made sure to hop just a little more than necessary. The servants and Rukia knew that the command was only half hearted. Rukia-san was the reason the grand Kuchiki manor was not as depressing as it seemed on the outside. The halls had been filled with her laughter for nearly two decades.
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After Rukia had closed his office door, Byakuya went back to his paperwork. When he could not find a paperclip on his desk, he annoyingly pulled open one of his drawers, mentally berating the servants for not restocking his supplies.
Byakuya paused when he found a couple of crumple drawings at the bottom of his pen drawer. Frowning slightly when he pulled the pictures out to investigate, Byakuya sighed, memories from years ago coming to the surface.
Twelve Years Ago
Byakuya had always worked better at night. He could admit to himself that he was a workaholic and could work anytime in the day; but his concentration was more focused at night. The manor was quieter, calmer, and the distinct absence of a five year old's childish laughter made working on concise financial reports easier.
It was nearing two in the morning when Byakuya decided to retire to bed. After making sure everything on his desk was meticulously in place for work tomorrow, the tall man of twenty-eight turned off the remaining lights and walked towards his bedroom.
It was when he passed the opened door of Rukia's room (for she had to have it opened because if the monsters attacked, she would not have to bother with turning the knob to escape) that he heard the small whimper. Opening the door completely, Byakuya entered his little sister's room to find the five years old girl's limbs tangled in the pink and purple bedding.
Leaning down to untangle her lest she strangle herself, Byakuya gently shook his little sister's shoulders, "Rukia, it is just nightmare; you must wake up now."
Rukia's eyes instantly opened, and Byakuya was surprised to see them filled with more fear than any child of five should experience. Suddenly, his arms were filled with the frightened sobs of one tiny sprite, "Nii-sama! They were so scary! They…th-they had big white m-ma-masks…and…and…h-huge red eyes! Th-they wanted-d to..to...EAT me!" Rukia's tears were making damp spots on his silk Armani shirt, but he didn't seem to care at the moment.
Stroking the little girl's hair comfortingly (and Byakuya would never admit it, but also a little awkwardly), he whispered into her ear, "Shh, there now Little Sister. We are Kuchikis, and no monsters can get us. Remember, we bite back just as hard."
Leaving her spot on her Nii-sama's shoulders, Rukia pouted adorably, she tear stained cheeks chubby with her confused look, "but Nii-sama, you said I wasn't allowed to bite! 'Membwer!? You said it was not nice…be-because when I bite, Ichigo-chan cries!" Was her big brother allowing her bite that bratty Ichigo-chan? He had made fun of her pigtails last week. But then again, Ichigo-chan had also pushed down the second grader who had picked on Rukia just the other day…so maybe she would not bite him again.
"We Kuchikis do not bite other people. However, I am sure that Mother and Father will not mind in Heaven if you bite bad monsters who are trying to eat you." Byakuya had to school his face to not let the smile that threatened to show out. If he smiled, Rukia would not take him seriously. She would simply think that he was humoring her, and pout prettily until he came up with a 'proper' defense against nightmare monsters. His little sister was, after all, a Kuchiki.
"Nii-sama, I don't wanna bite those icky monsters! They prob-ba-baly taste yucky!" Rukia was no longer sleepy, and she did not want to go back to sleep if those THINGS were going to return.
"Well then Little Sister, might I suggest that you kick them? From what the new gardener tells me, you kick like a professional football (1) player."
"He had it c-coming Nii-sama! H-He want-ted to put Mother's chrys-chrysan-mums in the back of the garden! They don't belong there Nii-sama!" Rukia was near tears again trying to defend her swift kick to the gardener's shin last month. The late Kuchiki matron had always planted her Chrysanthemums in the very front of the garden, stating that the Kuchiki family had served almost all the previous great Emperors of Japan. As such, the Emperor's seal, the Chrysanthemum, would stand proudly at the East Garden's forefront to symbolize the clan's great history and loyalty. The insolent gardener (a new hire after the family's former gardener had passed on) had thought that the idea was nice, but aesthetically unappealing. He was taken care of quickly right after he came screaming into Byakuya's office, shouting that the small Demon Child should be punished for such disrespect to an elder.
"We do not kick others Rukia, not if our lives are not in danger. It is rude, and unbecoming of a lady. However, if we must kick insolent, self-righteous gardeners and unusually large nightmare monsters, we will do so in the most ladylike fashion available."
When Byakuya made a move to tuck his now fully awake sister back into bed, Rukia scrambled off the mattress, grabbing her Nii-sama's larger hands until they were both in front of the small white drawing table at the center of the room, "I'm scarewed to go back to sleep Nii-sama. Can we please draw? It would make me so happy!" Rukia looked up at her tall Nii-sama, making her eyes as large as possible.
Sighing and knowing that there was no way out of such a predicament, Byakuya gentlemanly pulled out a chair for his sister before sitting down himself. He would indulge her for a few minuets since there was no school tomorrow.
Ten minuets later, when it was obvious that Rukia was getting tired and would not be able to hold her pink crayon up any longer, Byakuya put the final touches on his masterpiece of crayon and magic marker. He had been a talented artist in high school, and knew that if she were more awake, Rukia would marvel at her Nii-sama's skills. Looking down at his drawing of three rabbits wearing business suits, Byakuya wondered if he should add in an evil bear just to balance out the drawing.
Hearing a soft 'thump', Byakuya looked over to see that Rukia had fallen asleep while drawing. Standing up, he carefully picked up the small child, noting that he would have to tell the cook to feed her more; she felt much too small and delicate in his arms. Glancing down at her drawing, Byakuya smirked at his sister's natural artistic abilities. A tall bunny, most likely himself since Rukia had drawn his long black hair and business suit on the bunny, was gallantly protecting a smaller black haired bunny from a large, red-eyed monster.
Hearing Rukia mumble quietly in her sleep, Byakuya shushed her softly, "Do not wake Sleeping Beauty, or your prince may not come." Placing her gently on the bed, Byakuya lifted the comforter, ensuring that she was fully covered. A small voice stopped him just as he was ready to leave.
"I don't want Prince Charming Nii-sama…Sleeping Beauty had to go live with him after his kissed her. Kissing is yucky. I wanna stay here with you FOREVER Nii-sama!" With a final yawn, Rukia closed her eyes, drifting off to a dreamless sleep.
"I would very much like that also Little Sister." Byakuya made sure to leave the door slightly ajar before making his way back to his own room.
Present
Byakuya's brow furrowed at the pictures. When he had finished breakfast the morning after the incident, he walked in to see that his sprite of a little sister had placed both drawings onto his desk before she had run off to play with the Kurosaki child down the street.
Byakuya had placed the drawings in his drawer that morning, and to this day, had made sure that both remained there.
Kuchiki Byakuya did not like Kurosaki Ichigo. This was because Kurosaki Ichigo was stealing away his Princess of a sister, and Byakuya did not like parting with what was his.
(1)Football as in American soccer.
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