A/N: Hey again. You're back? That's freaking awesome! Thanks for reading and favoriting. Seriously. You guys are beautiful people and I hope that I'm entertaining you to the best of my ability. Sorry for the slow updates. It's been a rough couple of months, seriously. But I'm getting there. :)
I thought it was time to shift the focus a bit. Here's some filler to add a little humor and a bit of angst and useless drama to cut through the underlying seriousness of this story. Kirei is just fun as hell and fun to write. But don't worry. I'm crafting some ByaJune angsty stuff and wanted to write some humor to clear my pallet. I hope you enjoy because I couldn't stop laughing when I was writing this.
Feedback (not flaming) is greatly appreciated as it helps me craft something entertaining.
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach or any other aspects that seem familiar in mainstream media. Only the OCs in the story are mine and mine alone.
Enjoy.
Chapter 4
Captain Byakuya Kuchiki snorted dismissively when he casually stepped from the senkaimon, the ends of his fluttering silver-white heirloom barely clearing the sliding shoji doors before the portal disappeared in a fade of light.
Karakura Town.
What a place of utter chaos.
Not only could he sense the spiritual pressures of various members of the 13th division and of those souls which had been exiled here, he couldn't sense any other particular pressures through the dense fog of reiatsu clogging the air and hindering his search. As he regally strode through the disheveled park with his usual stoicism and with his hand firmly wrapped around the hilt of his zanpakutō, he wondered how he was even going to attempt to find this human woman amongst the chaos, let alone hone on her particular spiritual pressure long enough to track her movements.
Byakuya knew he had to succeed because his pride just wouldn't allow a failure. It would have been a disgrace to the Kuchiki Clan, as well as to the haori he wore just as proudly as he wore that heirloom scarf and kenseikan. While he physically combed through the remaining evidence of the attack, confirming Ukitake and Rukia's reports, he vowed upon the very laws he was sworn to uphold that he would protect this woman with his life if he had to. He would fight for her, bleed for her, and do whatever was necessary to complete this mission.
But the first order of business? Seek out Urahara Shop as he was instructed and get filled in on the more sensitive details of the woman with the snow white hair that he was most certain Kisuke would have access to.
Kirei Kaizoku found herself sneaking into the clandestine and cavernous grotto beneath Sōkyoku Hill that had once been Yoruichi Shihōin and Kisuke Urahara's private training ground where in their youth; they would train for the Gotei. Currently it had become the covert meeting ground in the Seireitei between active Shinigami and the exiled. No one knew of this place save for a very select few, and it made it just that much painless to meet as the cavern itself masked reiatsu, creating a proverbial dead zone within the Soul Society. Kirei had been called here by Yoruichi through their special means of communication, which was a method that stayed under the radar of the Captains as well as the rest of Gotei 13, and felt obliged to meet her since she'd known Yoruichi since she was old enough to hold chopsticks properly.
Had any Captains or Lieutenants, or anyone from the Thirteen Court Guard Squads for that matter caught sight of a 4th Seat and one who knew the laws fairly well, conversing with one of the exiled without bringing them before the Captain-Commander, she'd be tried and probably exiled herself. Or worse: sentenced to spend the rest of her days in the Central Great Underground Prison.
There was so much undercover shit Kirei had done in her young life and even as a Soul Reaper that she could have gone to prison for and it made the crimson haired beauty chuckle to herself as she executed a perfect hohō maneuver to propel herself towards the back of the training ground. She expertly maneuvered through the rocky and desert themed terrain, using special jumping points on the rocks to rebound from, and landed right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the entire cavern as well as the hot springs.
Once there she found exactly who she was looking for, standing there in her orange short coat and cream colored wraps around her arms, with her violet locks swaying in the breeze.
"You're late, Kirei-chan."
Kirei snorted and folded her arms over her torso as she stood next to the woman of almost equal height, the light breeze whispering over the terrain ruffling the crimson fringe around her face. "Thanks, Okaasan. That's a great observation," she mulled with sarcasm prevalent in her tone, "but you forget, you're kinda technically exiled right now and I could be fucked if they found out I'm even here."
"That's no excuse." Yoruichi shook her head at the woman molded after her own heart.
"Yeah, well. Too bad. Deal with it." Kirei shot her a smirk before she sighed lightly, her demeanor shifting to one of stern seriousness. "Central 46 sent Kuchiki Taichou to watch over her and they sealed the files from all of us. This is going to be a hell of a lot more difficult to accomplish than we'd imagined."
"That's exactly what I told Kisuke when I'd heard." Yoruichi's expression never wavered. Which I'm assuming caused a raucous amongst the ranks, she thought as her expression turned to Kirei. "Has anything changed in the Seireitei since Byakuya-bō left?"
"Nope." Kirei pursed her lips and her eyebrows furrowed as her lavender grey eyes locked with her adoptive mother's. "It's been business as usual." Kirei shrugged casually. "Nothing's changed. No one's even made a move except my team. It's unnerving. It's like they're waiting for something."
"Patience, Kirei." Yoruichi chuckled softly. "The time will come and when it does the Seireitei will be turned upside down and you'll have more than your fair share of glory to reap. But for now, what have you found out from the Archives?"
"About that…" Kirei rubbed the back of her neck nervously as she began the story of the archives…
The night couldn't have been more perfect for this mission. The moon was ensconced behind a thick layer of clouds and the entire Soul Society was cast in twilight, only to be faintly illuminated by the intermittently scattered streetlamps lining the dirt paths. The gusty wind that hissed through the various shihakushōs earlier had died down to a hushed whisper, bringing with it a fog that seemed to hang on the air, disrupting the field of vision. It was the perfect cover.
The clock had struck two, and it was time.
Three women veiled in all black cloaks and whose determined eyes were obscured by their hoods, quietly snuck out of the 11th division's barracks, easily creeping past and altogether avoiding the sparsely scattered late night guards patrolling through the dead streets of the Seireitei. They made it a point to mask their reiatsu as not to set off any alarms as they slowly made their way to their destination: the Archives. Thankfully, all three women had all done their part in this mission to make damn sure it was a success because a failure meant a harsh consequence that none of them desired.
Earlier, Rukia had snuck into her brother's private study to retrieve their salvation since he was distracted by that mission in the World of the Living. Within the locked bottom drawer and hidden under a mountain of paperwork was a small silver key that would unlock the part of the Archive they sought. The Family Records. By an eon long tradition, the Kuchiki Clan had been charged with compiling and protecting the history of Soul Society and only the Head of the Clan possessed the key to the archive. Rukia knew she couldn't just ask Byakuya for the key without a mountain of questions being thrown her way, and once she retrieved the key she went along with her day as though nothing had happened.
Kirei had the task of checking in with the various divisions to secretly track the schedules of the nighttime guards. She had grown up in the Rukon with the 9th's Lieutenant, Shūhei Hisagi, and virtually raised him as she'd had a few years on him and considered him her little brother. And because she'd known him so familiarly and he'd hung on her every word since, she used that opening and a persuasive tongue to grant her access to the 9th division's inner sanctum. The moment he turned his back to handle a printing press error, she stealthily took note of the nightly schedule before hurrying out of the division with a promise of a pricey bottle of sake following her.
Nanao, on the other hand, checked in with Rangiku about her schedule. Had Kirei approached her best friend and asked what she was doing that night, all suspicions would have been raised, and it would have been the end of the line for the mission. Thankfully, Nanao got the information out of her that she was staying in to finish up some paperwork she'd been given by the Captain of the 10th Division, Tōshirō Hitsugaya. This meant, Rangiku would probably be drunk by the time they convened. Then, she casually procured a map of the Archives before retiring to her room to prepare.
To say that suspicions had arisen amongst the Lieutenants was an understatement.
Also, had Shunsui and Jūshirō not been on their side and did some extra inquiring of their own with the other Captains, this would have proved difficult for Kirei and Nanao to justify to anyone, let alone Captain Commander Yamamoto. Thankfully, it was just a few random members of the 9th Division meandering about, so this should have proven easy for the trio of females.
But of course, nothing ever goes as planned.
The moment the trio made it around a corner and ducked into an alcove near the Archives to avoid being spotted by the shadow of a Soul Reaper; Kirei heard a familiar voice whispering on the wind. Nanao, knowing exactly who it was, sighed in resignation and shook her head and since Rukia didn't want to be caught, she slunk farther into the shadows and held her breath.
"I'll handle this. Just stay out of sight, okay?" Kirei whispered before she ducked out and ungracefully snatched her blonde best friend into the alcove across from the other women.
"I thought you had a date with paperwork? I knew you were lying to Nana, Rangiku." Kirei whispered in agitation as she folded her arms over her chest, tilting her head upwards in playful disgust.
"I knew it! How dare you do something drastic without telling me!" Rangiku whined lightly as she rested her hands on her best friend's forearms, her breasts dangerously spilling forth through her shihakushō. "C'mon. Tell me what's up. I want in."
Kirei rolled her eyes before sighing deeply. "Listen, Rangiku. I don't want you involved, okay? You're…"
"You were going to say I'm not cut out for this, weren't you?" The blonde pouted and moved her hands off Kirei's forearms, folding her arms indignantly under her bust as her eyebrows furrowed.
"No, I wasn't going to say that." Kirei rubbed the back of her neck as that all too familiar smirk crossed her face, the same familiar blush creeping across her cheeks as she kept her eyes away from the proverbial pink elephant in front of her.
Rangiku was about to reply sweetly before they heard Nanao and Rukia's voice, speaking with another person. It threw Kirei and Rangiku off and as they both hid deeper into the crevice, they both heard yet another familiar voice. What else can fucking go wrong, Kirei breathed as she marched across the street and glared as Shūhei's muscular frame came into view as he was resting against the wall with his arms folded over his chest.
Rangiku moseyed over with a knowing smirk, wrapping her arm around Nanao's shoulders, which Nanao looked quite agitated about before Shūhei engaged his axiomatic elder sibling.
"I knew you were up to something the moment you showed up at my door. What are you three.. er, four up to this time?" Shūhei smirked.
Rukia shot Kirei her signature, reserved for only Kirei, kind of death glares and threw up her hands. "See? This is what I get for trusting a loudmouth!"
"Hey! I'm not a loudmouth you pompous little Noble shit! I oughta kick your ass right here!"
"And that's when it went sour and Rukia punched me." Kirei sighed and rubbed her now frowning face as her deep rooted anger with the outspoken Noble midget resurfaced, causing a fire to blaze through her nerves.
A laugh bellowed from Yoruichi's chest before she patted Kirei's back to try to mockingly comfort her. "Trust me, it's not the first time a Shihōin and Kuchiki bumped heads. Remember that time I told you about-"
Kirei purposefully cut off Yoruichi because she'd heard the stories of the Noble and the Goddess, at least that's what the legend was called now, and didn't want to hear it for the hundredth time.
"Yes. Many times. Now, can I tell you what happened, or are we going to go down memory lane. Again. Because honestly, I don't care anymore." Kirei looked over at Yoruichi with playfully furrowed eyebrows as she continued on with her story.
The five conspirators easily made their way through the fog and effortlessly to the Archives. And since Shūhei had ever so graciously accompanied them with a promise to keep tight-lipped since he was involved, he'd actually convinced the guards to just walk away and do something else for the evening, which resulted in Kirei, as well as Nanao and Rukia's mood turning for the better since the evening didn't result in some extra altercation that could have added to their records. The night was turning out for the better as they entered the Archives.
It was exactly what it sounded like: sprawled out before them and only illuminated by the rays of moonlight cutting through the fog and streaming through the dust covered windows was a labyrinth of Archived knowledge. Yes, on these shelves sat general knowledge about the Soul Society as a whole and its history, a history of the founding Captains (to which Kirei looked up to the founding Captain of the Fifth Division, Izumi Nomiya), genealogies of the Five Great Noble Families, and many other documents, scrolls, books, artifacts, and the like. Even the Zanpakutō and its wielders were listed somewhere within the labyrinth. Aside from the deeper and more classified information of the Court Guard Squads and Central 46 that was housed in the Daireishokairō, the Archive held everything you'd need for a search like this.
However, the quintet didn't get far before a snake crossed their path. A snake so slimy and ruthless that even Rukia cringed when she heard that distinct, venom laced voice.
"Now, here I find myself out on one of my evening walks and look what I've found?" The silver haired and always cunningly grinning Captain Gin Ichimaru, appeared out from behind one of the bookshelves. After acknowledging them, he moved out into the middle of the hallway, blocking their path towards their intended goal, his hands shoved into his sleeves. "Are we causing trouble this evening, Kaizoku-kun?"
Rukia froze in place as Kirei and Rangiku exchanged similarly annoyed glances. Nanao suspiciously rolled up the map and slid it in her sash before looking over at Shūhei, which seemed more cool and casual than he should have been. After the initial confusion with the quintet settled, it was Kirei, who didn't have as much to lose as the rest of them, stepped forwards and put her hands on her hips, boldly challenging the Captain.
"So Ichimaru Taichou, you mean to tell us your evening walks consist on being in the Archives after hours?" A small smirk crossed Kirei's face as she blocked Gin's limited field of vision so Nanao and Shūhei could covertly drag a frozen in fear Rukia and a confused Rangiku deeper into the labyrinth and towards the back of the Archives. Nanao figured if Kirei could keep Gin busy, she and the buxom blonde could get the information they needed and snuck out of here without consequence.
The silver-haired Captain and the 4th seat exchanged verbal low blows until the rest of the crew were out of earshot. It was then that Kirei frowned and brushed the crimson fringe from her eyes, her voice still hushed as she feared being heard by the other Lieutenants.
"So, why are you really here, Gin? Because I know for a fact your walks don't bring you this far away from the 3rd's barracks." Kirei shifted on her feet, her body language revealing the impatience she always seemed to have with this particular man.
"Well," he began slowly, letting the word draw out annoyingly because he also knew how impatient the 4th seat seemed to be now that she was allied with the 11th. "I was sent here for… this." He fished out an old and yellowed scroll with his spindly fingers from his obi, and Kirei briefly caught a glimpse of the unfamiliar wax seal. As he rolled his wrist to hand it to her, her eyes narrowed in suspicion. "But… if you want it, you will owe me Kirei-kun." The eerily disturbing smile grew wider across his face as he opened an eye to hungrily drink in the buxom woman in front of him. "And if you don't come when I call, I will make sure you are most definitely executed by the Sōkyoku."
After taking a long moment to think about the consequences of taking this document from the man she loathed almost as much as she loathed the dried persimmons he ate, and knowing that Gin's threats were only as idle as his hands, Kirei sealed the deal with the snake by taking the parchment from his extended hand. Immediately thereafter, she dropped it as just holding onto it shocked her hand into numbness. Her eyebrows knitted in anger as she shook her hand out instinctively, giving Gin one of her death glares.
"What the fuck, Gin? Seriously? That could have killed me!"
A low, yet darkly sinister chuckle echoed off the wall of books they were wedged between before he shrugged with one shoulder, his usual façade dropping. "It happened to me too when I first retrieved it and I can only assume the longer you hold onto it, the worse it will get. It's… protected by kidō that only one particular person can dispel." Gin hoped like hell Kirei would catch the subtle hint he'd dropped, his expression turning a bit sullen. "Her time is ticking, watashi no ai. I don't know how much time she will have left."
Kirei picked up the scroll and shoved it into a pocket in her cloak, shaking her head at Gin's expression. "You look like a lost puppy when you do that… watashi no ai." The weight seemed to fall off Kirei's shoulders as yes; she definitely caught the hint in both regards. Her hand moved to rest delicately on his chest as deep within her eyes, she gave the man in front of her a subtle nod of thanks.
As much as Kirei despised Gin for more than his fair share of shit he'd done to her when they'd always crossed paths, she truly felt pity for this skeletal man. He'd been the one of the reasons she'd joined the Gotei, just to watch his back as he'd watched his 'master's.' Part of Kirei did it not for Gin himself but for her best friend Rangiku. Although Rangiku didn't know how deep the love of her life was into the grand scheme of this entire plan, and what his actual role in the scheme was, Kirei knew and knew too much if you asked her. However, Kirei dutifully played her part as the second part of the serpentine double helix that they had become over a century, and vowed to make sure Gin kept his vow so he could finally give Rangiku all that she'd ever wanted like he'd promised Kirei he would.
Kirei was so deep into her thoughts she hadn't realized Gin had wrapped his arm around her waist and had pulled her flush against him, his free hand resting on her upper back, his lips finding hers to the disgust of the party that had accompanied her. Despite wanting to beat the shit out of Gin right then (and probably would later), Kirei played the part and wrapped an arm around his neck, her stomach curling as he tasted like death and dried persimmons. She wanted to gag, to vomit, but she held it convincingly as Gin intentionally deepened the kiss, shoving his tongue deep within Kirei's mouth.
Behind them Rukia seemed to lose all color as she watched the display with widened eyes; Nanao just seemed to hold the disappointed expression on her face; Shūhei grimaced and gagged a bit, turning away as not to vomit right here on the spot; and tears of sorrow and anger welled in Rangiku's eyes. The moment Kirei heard Shūhei gag, she knew she'd have to find a way to explain this off to Rangiku because she doubted her best friend and woman crush, for a lack of a better term, would ever forgive her for this. Short of telling Rangiku the true reason; which angered Kirei because now she didn't know even if there was a reason; she had to tell her something.
Kirei broke the kiss and whispered against Gin's lips that she was going to kill him the first chance she got before snatching herself from his arms and fixing her shihakushō. With a huff of annoyance and a casual wipe of her lips on the back of her hand she looked at the group, most notably at Rangiku's back, as the busty blonde was now storming out of the archives, her pink scarf and blonde hair the only thing following her. A soft sigh escaped her lips as she tried to rationalize this in her mind before it was Gin who surprisingly covered for her.
"Okay, little Lieutenants. Back to you quarters before I'm forced to report you. Bye-Bye." Gin waved at them before turning and heading in the direction of a secret entrance only he'd known about.
And with that the group meandered out of the archives and parted ways before Kirei found herself in her own room, curled up on her bed, and wondering what exactly she'd gotten herself into.
"You kissed Gin? Gin Ichimaru?" Yoruichi turned to Kirei with an amused look, a laugh hanging on the edge of her tone.
"No. As I said, he kissed me. And it was disgusting. I still have nightmares about it." Kirei frowned deeply, her face contorted into a disgusted scowl as she wrapped her arms around herself, shaking lightly at the mental pain that man had once again, caused her.
Yoruichi just couldn't hold it back any longer and the obnoxious laugh broke from somewhere deep within her gut to echo off the cavernous walls. The Goddess of Flash bent over, her eyes watering as she laughed as hard as her body would allow her. Kirei on the other hand, allowed Yoruichi to have her fill of the moment while she moved to a rock nearby and sat down, covering her face with her hands and resting her elbows on her knees because she knew once Kisuke got a hold of this story, she'd never hear the end of it.
"Are you done? Really?" Kirei mulled morosely though the slits in her fingers.
A few good moments passed before Yoruichi collected herself and straightened up, using her index finger to casually wipe the residual saline from her eyes. "Maybe?"
A long and exasperated sigh sounded from Kirei's direction before one of her hands slid in her shihakushō and fished out the yellowed parchment and with closed eyes, handed it in the direction of her still lightly jesting mother figure. "Can we get back on track please? I got me some sake to drink and a best friend to deal with."
Transpiring between the two women was a long moment of silence before Yoruichi took hold of the parchment. And just as Kirei and Gin had trouble keeping their own hands on it, Yoruichi dropped it, followed by a soft yip. "Ouch." After picking it up off the ground, she gave the scroll a curious look. "That's a really old kidō spell tied to the seal. You sure this was just casually lying around in the archives? Something like this…"
"…is what I'm afraid of. And we all should be." Kirei's eyes lifted to meet Yoruichi's as they filled with unease over this entire situation. "Rukia figured out that the kidō spell or spells used to seal that scroll are ancient. So ancient in fact that there's only a small handful of people old enough to know what spell was used, and can identify the person who originally cast it. On top of that little nugget, the page that had the full crest on it is ripped as though someone tore it out so no one could identify it." Kirei rose to her feet, "Whatever is in that scroll and its origins, someone was trying to keep well hidden. And we don't even know if the person who cast it is even alive or here. So, it's a dead end."
"What book did you find the torn page in again?" With a distant tone, Yoruichi kept her eyes glued to the all too familiar symbol, wondering what secrets were hidden within this scroll.
"I'm not sure." Kirei shrugged. "It was a pretty old one where most of the writing was scribbled in and faded. It looked like a someone's personal journal. Gin took it with him when he left." She scratched her head in sheer and utter astonishment. "That scroll is a serious enigma."
Just like the owner of that journal, Yoruichi mused in her mind before nodding in understanding of what she now needed to do and with a quick motion, tucked the scroll into her obi. Yoruichi gave Kirei a stern look as knew Kirei like the back of her hand, and knew that the crimson haired woman wouldn't give this search up so easily with just a specifically placed phrase or two, not with the inclusion of Gin. There were too many factors playing into this now and for fear Yoruichi could blow the lid off this entire thing way too early, she decided to attempt to dispel Kirei's curious mind.
With a deep inhale, Yoruichi began. "Your job here is done, Kirei. I'll take this to Kisuke and I want you to go back to your normal duties." She put a finger up to stop Kirei from protesting, "I know you want to find out more, but Central 46 sealed the records about this woman and any information pertaining to her. If this scroll does pertain to her, then leave it in the hands of Kisuke and Kuchiki Taichou. I don't want you getting into trouble over this as you're my eyes and ears here. You understand?"
Kirei frowned deeply but understood exactly what the elder woman was trying to say before she nodded lightly and pursed her lips. "You make my life entirely too difficult."
"I know." And before Kirei knew what had happened, Yoruichi flash-stepped out of the cavernous grotto in haste.
Now deeply determined to get to the bottom of this come hell or high water, Kirei waited a few reserved and thoughtful moments before did the same, quickly flash-stepping to her chambers within the 11th's barracks. Thankfully, Nanao and Rukia were still there and as she slid the door closed and she lifted her eyes to meet theirs, a sly grin crossed her face.
"Did she buy it? The entire story?" Nanao queried nervously as she stood from behind the table in Kirei's room, hoping that Kirei was bringing some good news. Rukia stayed fairly quiet yet her eyes were also trained on Kirei.
"As far as I know, yeah. She hauled ass out of there after I gave her the scroll so, I'm assuming she's going to Kisuke's. And honestly, Kisuke will figure it out eventually. Time's ticking…" Kirei flopped down in front of the table as she poured herself some sake. "Mission accomplished?"
"For the love of all things sacred, that was intense." Nanao sighed in relief as she sat back down behind the table, took off her glasses, and rested her head against the table.
"You guys worry too much." Renji casually chimed in from the couch on the other side of the room as he slid his sunglasses over his eyes.
"Or not enough." Rukia thought out loud as she indifferently scanned through the various books on Kirei's table. As much as she despised Kirei through and through, she was eternally grateful none of the 11th ever stepped foot in her room, or even on her side of the barracks. It made her room the best hiding place. However, Rukia's expression turned for the worst before she sighed. "Does Yoruichi know we know who that seal belongs to?"
With an annoyed expression darkening his features more and more with every second that ticked by, Byakuya Kuchiki found himself diligent and cross-legged in a large tree outside of an apartment building that just the obnoxious color of the exterior paint alone unnerved him. He was the 28th Head of the Kuchiki Clan, an active member of one of the Great Noble Families, and a proficient Captain. So why had it been him that had been delegated to babysitting again? Why was he specifically chosen for this asinine mission when he could have been back at Soul Society, sifting for someone noble enough to fill the gap of Lieutenant for the 6th division? For the life of him, Byakuya just couldn't rationalize his involvement no matter how hard he thought about it.
The "extra" information he'd received from Kisuke beyond his mission parameters was dodgy at best, and Kisuke hadn't given him much more than what he'd already known, past her lifelong tale of woe, which bored Byakuya to tears. What he'd managed to piece together from all the fragments given to him by Head Captain Yamamoto, Kisuke, and Tessai; was that this woman held extraordinary powers within herself; the question still remained as to why Central 46 took such an active interest in her to begin with when they could have just executed her and have been done with it. Byakuya deduced she had to be of some importance and value to the Quincy, Gotei, and Central 46, but to what effect was still up for debate.
Hopefully he'd find out before long as this song and dance was starting to become boring to him. However, it got kicked up a notch when the light to her bedroom turned on and she stepped out onto the balcony to lean on the railing as she stared out. Byakuya did a good job of masking himself from her sight, but from the moment he locked eyes with her petite form, he was distracted by her sheer beauty.
Byakuya had been surrounded by beautiful women before; hell, he'd been engaged to one and married to another. Still this woman, this human, was utterly beautiful beyond words. Her messy alabaster hair simmered in the moonlight, flowing around her face in the light breeze. He could even make out her dazzling sapphire eyes, which seemed to sparkle like the jewel of corresponding color.
It took a moment of staring intensely, but he had to recompose himself. What was wrong with him? Why was he all of a sudden acting this way? He was a noble man; lived by a very specific set of moral and rules. There could never be anything that could happen between the two because A, she was human. B, she wasn't of a Noble Family or birth. Or, that's what he continued to remind himself.
Yet here he was, staring wide eyed at her like a teenager in love, studying her facial expression with a keen interest. It wasn't until she meandered back into her apartment was Byakuya snapped from his subtle stalking, and with great embarrassment, closed his eyes and waited until morning.
