A/N: Hello, Ayame here! I hope you like the story so far. I think this pairing is sooo cute! I love writing about them because I can just imagine Bya-chan (who's usually so arrogant and confident) being a bit hesitant and awkward around Hisana as he starts to fall in love with her. I have five or six more chapter ideas lined up filled with romance, drama, humor and fluff so please keep reading and let me know what you think! XD
THE ART OF WAR
By Ayame213
Dawn was breaking on Soul Society and the lazy rays of the sun painted the sky in beautiful shades of crimson and gold. Most of the Kuchiki mansion still lay asleep. However, at the back of the main house, the sound of hurried footsteps across the pavement pierced through the stillness of the morning.
"Nao-chan! Nao-chan!" a young girl called out in a loud voice.
"Airi, please keep your voice down!" Nao pleaded. "Do you want to get us in trouble with the old bat?"
Both girls were part of one of the lesser noble houses and had grown up together working since their early childhood as domestic servants for the Kuchiki clan.
"Oops, sorry you're right" Airi lowered her voice. "But Nao-chan you won't believe….Kyaaa!" she squealed blushing and hugging her own body in excitement
"What is it? Did something good happen?"
"Oh Nao…I just saw a vision…just now I caught a glimpse of Byakuya-sama's half naked body!"
Nao dropped the basket of laundry she was carrying in total shock. Airi breathlessly went on, "I think he was coming out of the training room…his shirt was off…you should have seen him Nao, all hot and sweaty and beautiful…"
"KYAAAA!" both girls now held each other, shrieking in unison. In fact, it was a good fifteen minutes before they separated from their wild embrace.
"Ahh, Byakuya-sama!" Airi sighed blissfully. "I wonder if he's seeing anyone at the moment?"
Nao suddenly turned serious, "Funny you should ask. I've been meaning to talk to you…" she began in hushed tones. "I have a bad feeling about that new girl, Hisana-san…it's like she's been getting awfully close to him lately…"
"Pfft! Hisana-san! Impossible. She's just a nobody kid from Rukongai with absolutely no redeeming features. Byakuya-sama wouldn't touch her with a ten foot pole" Airi confidently tossed her hair behind her shoulder.
"Yes but you've been working at one of the other Kuchiki households this past month, right? I've known that Hisana girl for a bit longer than you have and I'm telling you, some strange things have been going on during your absence…"
"Wha-what do you mean?" Airi asked, suddenly alarmed
"…Well…just a few days after you left, I saw Hisana-san bringing Byakuya-sama some tea in the garden and…instead of just serving the tea and leaving, she stayed and chatted freely with him for almost an hour!"
Airi inhaled sharply, "No way!"
"And then two weeks ago, I saw Hisana-san carrying some things. She wasn't paying attention and she tripped and almost fell but Byakuya-sama caught her in his arms…"
"That bitch!" Airi fumed. "What girl in this household hasn't already thought of doing that? Once, I practically threw myself at Byakuya-sama hoping that he would catch me and hold me close but that fool Rikichi got in my way and I fell on top of the idiot instead! That sneaky brat, what should we do Nao, we can't let Byakuya-sama fall into her evil clutches, I– "
Nao interrupted her "Wait – there's more…now Airi when you hear this you have to promise me that you'll be strong and that you won't lose your head, we have to think through this constructively…"
"What? What is it?" Airi now had a dangerous glint in her eyes
"…..." Nao took two steps back and swallowed hard, "Ok, three days ago…"
On second thought, she drew back two more steps as extra precaution. Taking a deep breath, she began again,
"…three days ago I think I saw Byakuya-sama…I think Byakuya-sama sort of s-smiled at her" Nao finished with a whisper.
For a moment Airi was perfectly quiet, trying hard to process this outlandish new piece of information. And when she finally did, all hell broke loose:
Almost hysterical, she grabbed Nao by the collar with both hands, "No! No no no! You-you're lying! You've got to be! You must have seen wrong, Byakuya-sama never smiles, NE-VER! Maybe someone stepped on his foot, maybe there was something in his eye, maybe he had to go to the bathroom– "
"AIRI! Get a hold of yourself dammit! I told you we have to be strong!" Nao cried, desperately trying to break free from her friend's vice-like grip.
All this commotion eventually alerted the rest of the staff "What is going on out here? Who is making all that noise early this morning?". The girls recognized the voice of their supervisor, Tachibana-san, approaching at a dangerous speed.
"Oh no! It's the old bat, see what you've done! I told you this would happen. If she catches us now we'll be washing dishes for the rest of the year!" Nao hissed.
"Run!" was Airi's prompt reply.
So they ran, their worries momentarily forgotten in the rush to escape from their beloved supervisor. Little did they know that other more prominent parties were also intently observing the growing interactions between the Lord of the House and the mysterious girl from Rukongai.
The matter was judged important enough for the elders of the Kuchiki clan to gather in secret. The meeting was called to order.
"Gentlemen. I need not remind you of the reason for your presence here today. It seems we have a situation on our hands and we need to resolve it promptly before it spirals out of control. Any suggestions?"
"I say we throw her out back to the gutter where she came from"
"I disagree. We cannot act too rashly, Byakuya-sama is still our current leader"
"Why bother to interfere? You all have mistresses after all, this is a waste of my time"
"That is not the point. What do we do if he becomes serious about this girl?"
Finally, one man stood up. It was Kuchiki Akira, the elder brother of Byakuya's late father. Those who knew this man well also knew that under his deceptively gentle exterior and grandfatherly smile laid a ruthless guardian of the Kuchiki name and noble status. A silence fell upon the room as all eyes turned towards him.
"Leave it to me. I will make the young lady an offer she cannot refuse"
A murmur of approval instantly swept across the gathered assembly of some of the most powerful and influential death gods in Soul Society