"What are you all doing?"
"Um… Kuchiki Taichou, we were just… discussing about Soul Society's current important events." Renji hastily offered.
"Oh? –Byakuya's eyebrows dangerously came together- and I guess what happened at the ball the other night was important to Soul Society?"
…He's pissed…
"How shameful! We are preparing for war, and all Lieutenants are poking their noses in magazines and irrelevant gossips."
"Byakishiii! You're meannnnn! –Yachiru protested. Her cheeks fluffed up in what Hisagi called: red dot balloons- is that why you stepped on Lady Naoki?"
… That Naoki… has made me the joke of the entire Soul Society…
The wall started cracking underneath the intense pressure of his reiatsu. But Byakuya did not pay attention to any of the changes around him, not even to the lieutenants to whom his anger was made blatant.
"Go back to your stations at once. Don't let this happen again. Am I clear?" Kuchiki Byakuya disappeared from the door frame after his order.
…Man, he really IS mad…
Chapter 4: Creatures of Pride
Naoki Helena liked to sit outside in her garden alone. It was simply pleasant in being surrounded by nothing but silent nature. She liked the outside through all the seasons, not that there was much snow during winter here. The air was particularly whimsical today, she remarked. And the scent of blossoming jasmine… delicious… They really bloomed overnight. Reaching for the freshest flowers, Helena admired their purity. The petal was so small. She got a bit excited about using them in baking later. But then she might not be able to make any at all, given how she had to go check on the shops later.
"Naoki-sama, Kuchiki Taichou is here and requesting to speak to you."
"Tell him I'm not wel… Hm, clearly you can't take no for an answer, Kuchiki-sama. –The shape of Kuchiki Byakuya emerged in Helena's sight. That man certainly is used to getting his way. –Leave us, Rei-chan!"
…
"I suppose you know why I am here, Lady Naoki."
"If you want to ask how is my foot, then do not worry. It already healed." Helena could not resist the temptation to get a reaction out of the always-serene Byakuya. What is it about this man that is so untouchable? She stole a glance at him, who had halted right beneath the arched shade of the garden entrance.
"It seem you are good at avoiding questions, Naoki Helena. –Byakuya took casual steps toward the stone path. Though plagued with confusion and anger, he still admired the gorgeous landscape unveiling before him. The whistles of birds, the sly buds on young trees, and the lullaby of running water were together a symphony whose beauty could not be denied by any soul. His facial expression softened. –Why had you acted so ill-mannered toward me?"
"You don't strike me like the type who would care about something so trivial, Kuchiki Taichou."
No, he is not. Normally he would not care for something so small such as loathing of others. But this is different. A shape of a boy with bright orange hair came into his mind. The boy who had challenged his pride… He remembered how serious he had become over that insolent spirit of Kurosaki Ichigo. Just a tiny word from that brat could get the inside of him boiling. This Naoki Helena is just the same.
"It appears that you do after all. –Smiled Helena after perceiving no intention of changing the subject from Byakuya –So be it. Since you are so persistent. Here is why I have no interest in you or the Kuchiki clan, Kuchiki-sama."
"From the moment of birth, I was promised to you. In all my childhood years, I was taught to please you, not my father, nor my kin, but you, whom I never met. I never knew my mother. In fact, it was a relief not to know about her. So I would not have to abandon another of my own family to learn the Kuchiki's way. Aside from being Lady Naoki, I learnt to be Lady Kuchiki as well. I was told it was destined that I would be your bride, and that I was to give you my soul, my body, and my heart; that this decision was final, among elders of both Houses."
On the day I reached young adolescent, I was allowed to see you. –Recalled Helena. Though her sound was hushed, she could not control her rebellious thought running its own way–When I was still a baby, you had already reached your adulthood. So I was scared. I thought I was doomed to marry an old man whom I could not even lay my eyes on, let alone sharing a quarter. –Her lips curved in the bitter-sweetness of memory –However, the man I saw that day walking through the hallways of Shinigami Institute was not a wrinkly old man, but a young noble, whose face resembled a knight: earnest, courageous, stern but actually kind. In my foolishness, I even pictured myself falling in love with you someday.
"But when I came into maturity, it had become apparent that my shinigami ability was not worth mentioning. I trained days and nights to fill in the talent hole I was not born into."
"All this is because of your mother!" –One of the elders's voice rang in her head –"If your father had married a decent match, not a foreigner, this would not happen!"
"I learnt how to be the perfect Lady Naoki. I learnt how to be your future bride. I had tried my damnest to satisfy everyone's expectation. But I was not a shinigami with a bright future, despite all my efforts. –Her voice wavered –At the same time, my father contracted a mysterious illness. The responsibility of the Naoki House was forced upon me in one night. I did a poor job at that as well. In the fifth year of my father's illness, my failure as a shinigami combined with the poor management of our business brought the Naoki House to its knee. But that was not the worst!"
Turning to Byakuya, Helena's eyes sparked.
"The worst thing was, right after my father fell to his bed, you Kuchiki withdrew the marriage proposal, implying that I was no longer a worthy candidate. This incident had fouled our status, making us the laughing stock of Soul Society. –Naoki Helena continued, her voice trembling with anger –Then, to make the disgrace more insulting, you married a commoner, with not a shred of nobility in her blood."
I was raised to be Lady Naoki of the Noble Naoki House, who would one day be the bride of Kuchiki Byakuya, head of the Kuchiki clan. But in matter of days, all that I was prepared for had evaporated into thin air. Shame, though passed many years ago, tasted as repulsive today as it was yesterday. The Naoki name was crumbling. I was rejected by Kuchiki clan; but moreover, you whom I carried a fancy for in the name of my future husband, had also deserted me. Apparently, I was worse than a commoner.
"My pride was crushed by you lots. Thus I made a promise to myself, that under no circumstances should I let anyone, particularly those of Kuchiki names, to stomp upon our pride once more. So Kuchiki Byakuya, when your elders approached mine to restore the betrothal, I took it like poison on my tongue. Sixty years ago, you had shamed us. Now, like bloodhounds smelling qualified preys, you came running asking for my hand again. I accepted the invitation to the ball so I could tell you, in person, that I had no wish nor interest in marrying you, Byakuya!" Exclaimed Helena, addressing him without any proper title.
She halted in all gestures, fists clenched, piercing her stare into the man standing in front of her, whose face had remained indifferent all this time. If only you had looked like the kind of man I despised, if only that face was hideous by trickery, why need it look like white marble if it felt like limestone?
"I see –Finally, Byakuya uttered in calm voice –Thank you for telling me this."
In an instant, he had vanished. But his presence still filled the atmosphere. The trees missed him? Even the carefree fishes are now awaiting his return. The coldness in her seemed to burn.
"Such a man could only bring you misery." She said aloud, but received no feedback.
The morning had worn thin. Sunlight had started to spread with more thickness than an hour ago. She could see the dews diminishing into the warmth of day. The rhythm of her hours had started. I guess I better get ready to check on the shops.
Naoki left the garden. Her heart was in a terrible quaver, and she wondered why.