Disclaimer: If Bleach was mine, I would make it into a ... *mumbles*.
"No... hold on..." It was a bitter sight.
"Sorry... I can't hold out much longer."
"I..." It was difficult to share his last words, and all what he could say was 'I'.
"You don't need to say it. Me too... and please..." And nothing more. Anything that he could hear was the thud of an arm, and for the first time his eyes could do such a thing like shedding tears. "No..." He couldn't shout or scream or make a sound. He sobbed quietly while his head tilted down and he touched the hand that was once warm and soft.
"Alright, today's the day." Ichigo sighed quietly with excitement as he left the bed five minutes before seven. He was now thrilled for his first lesson, and is also eager to know if Byakuya is really a good teacher.
While walking to the art room where he will be taught his lessons, as Toshiro told him, he saw more pictures but they were painted with the same color, red. From the skill in the shading, blending, and the drawings, the consistency is using red would never become tedious, he thought. But he was curious to why Byakuya would be obsessed with such a color that had many meanings.
Anger. Love. Passion.
Murder. Fire. Danger.
Strength. Power. Determination.
Which among those meanings inspired him to use red as his trademark color in his paintings? He wanted to know.
But he kept quiet about it as he stepped in the room, immediately sitting on the small pillow laid out in front of him with a plate of heated cheese bread. He took another note to self that his teacher is not just punctual, but also early than the exact time.
He stopped painting at the sight of his student, who looked prepared and already stuffed as the bread was finished in a minute.
Byakuya looked at his student once in a while to see if he is really paying attention as he demonstrated to the orange head how he would apply the paintings and mix them to form a natural-looking blend. This time, he makes an exception by using different colors but red is still the main color in the painting.
He was relieved that his student was a trustworthy one and was really passionate about the arts, for his honey eyes were absorbing what they were seeing and his ears were open to every word that he said.
In an hour, it was over. Ichigo didn't lose one bit of his energy at all, Byakuya could see that from the invisible and scorching flame around the boy as he still looked like he wanted more but he said nothing more than a thank you.
Before he left, he called out for the young teen. It was an unexpected thought that he'd get, and he wasn't the type of person to chat, but...
"Kurosaki, before you can go back to your room and do what you like, would it be okay if you take a walk with me to the gardens first?"
Of course, as a student, both had to get to know each other personally even just a little bit. But he knew he wouldn't be telling the boy everything, he is not even sure if he can stand that part of him that only he and his trusted servant know.
Ichigo agreed with a nod, not suspecting anything. Nothing at all...
To be continued...
A/N: Like I said, the pace of the story is slow but it's better than being fast. I'm busy with the other stories, you know. Until next chapter!
