Hi all, it's been a while. And I know this chapter isn't very juicy, but I would hate to keep you waiting for too long. So here's chapter 5! =]

CHAPTER 5: PIECES OF ME

Another week zoomed past and Byakuya was still not home. Renji said the details of the mission were too vague and that there was nothing else he could tell her. 'Taicho will be fine for sure'. That didn't sound all too depressing, did it? But Rukia understood Shinigami language well enough to realise that a top secret mission was never short and simple. Perhaps Renji too, was worried that the wedding would take place before Byakuya's return.

She was anything but herself during his absence. At her tenth kimono fitting session she was momentarily proud that she had actually paid attention to the tailors and ladies-in-waiting. "Oh yes, this one is definitely better than the last one," she heard herself say. A quick look at the mirror, she was confident enough to admit that she looked quite elegant. Elegance…the precisions of his attacks and the grace in style of fighting… She took the liberty to imagine whatever battle he was currently engaged in. Nodding absentmindedly at a maid, she pushed the thought of him falling, just a tidbit clumsily to the ground as all elegance failed him and blood spattered from his mouth. I wonder if he would really mind falling from grace?

"For your safety, I don't." He didn't say that to her, but she could almost picture him mouthing those words to her. Her train of thought abruptly stopped and she was once again standing in the wide fitting room in the manor.

And yet just seconds ago she prided herself for not thinking about him. How shameful!

"Do you think he'll like this?" she thought out loud, instinctively. And from the corner of her eye she saw a young maid turn towards her, alarmed, and hurried to her front with a face that seemed to be fishing the most appropriate answer from a sea of formalities and hypocrisy.

"Certainly, Rukia-sama. You're beautiful in it."

"Thank you," she accepted the useless piece of compliment with a smile. She knew that her question was very much misunderstood, but she didn't blame the girl. How was she to know that the Rukia couldn't care less about her fiancé's taste in fashion?

I never understood what he liked or disliked, after all these years.

"Nii-sama, why do you like calligraphy so much?"

"I don't."

"Then why…"

"It's a beneficial pastime. It sharpens one's concentration."

"Oh. But isn't there anything you would like to do instead? You've been spending hours in this room and you've written a lot already." She stared hard at him. She wasn't sure, but she thought she was not asking out of curiousity but hope—hope that he would stop and spend more time with her instead.

"No." Then he looked at her suspiciously. "Is there a problem, Rukia?"

She shook her head in response. "Just wondering if I'm bothering you."

"I like the company," he said.

"Rukia-sama, have you decided? Or would you like to continue in the morning tomorrow? There are still a number of kimonos you haven't tried."

"Ah, it's time for dinner, isn't it? I'll pick this one," she pointed at the complicated garment she was wearing, "for now." Smiling bitterly she turned away from the maid to look at her reflection in the mirror once more. She imagined the smooth glass falling into a million pieces, and her heart went along with it.

If each piece is a part of our story, Byakuya, I'll pick them all up. One by one, even if it cuts my hand. I'll never forget, no matter what happens next.

The servants seemed a lot happier these days, she noted. It was either due to their master's absence or the positive atmosphere of wedding preparations. Both possibilities were equally depressing to Rukia, anyway. Sitting in the dining hall alone, she recalled the ridiculous moments during the banquet that occurred shortly after her meeting with Renji. The guests were merry and blabbered a lot. She didn't care to understand much of what they were saying, only responding when they directed a congratulatory speech at her.

She was… pleasantly surprised to see Shishio there. She did not expect to see him twice in a day, and as far as she knew, he was the only sane being other than herself present at the banquet.

"You…are alone." His tone was flat, but there was a hint of curiousity.

"That's a funny thing to say in a hall full of people," she retorted.

He rolled his eyes and as though stating the obvious, he said, "he's not here."

"I am aware."

"Aren't he worried that I'll sweep you off your feet and you'll eventually fall madly in love with me?"

"Nii-sama is on a mission, Shishio-sama. He had to leave." Rukia shifted uneasily in her seat, staring down at her plate of food.

But the man sitting across the table wouldn't let her go easily. "All this madness! Such an extraordinary party just for our impending union. I didn't want to come at first, you know. But then I changed my mind at the very last minute, that's why you weren't told…Nevertheless you seemed quite happy to have my company, no?"

"You speak too much. But yes, I'm glad to have someone who communicates without pretense. It is a relief," she answered emotionlessly.

"Hmm. Aren't you gonna ask me why I decided to come?"

She looked up at him and sighed. "Why, Shishio-sama?"

His eyes twinkled. "I was hoping to see the oh-so-great Kuchiki-sama," he paused to gauge her reaction, but she didn't give any, "so that I can learn what it takes to make you like me."

At that she dropped her chopsticks. "You… you are…"

"Unbelievable? Believe me, I know." He grinned at her then, leaving her speechless.

Rukia swallowed at the memory, subconsciously tightening her hold on the chopsticks as she ate her dinner in silence. She decided that once she was finished with dinner, she would return to her room to write.

A letter to Kuchiki Byakuya.

There was no way to send the letter to him under normal circumstances—she needed a hell butterfly to do the job, but she was no longer a shinigami. Not to mention that it was impossible to reach him when nobody knew where he was. Yet she had to do it. She could pass him the letter when he comes home. She could keep it for the rest of eternity if she felt like it.

I have to ask you, Byakuya-sama. Why am I excused from Gotei 13 without any penalties? I've always thought that there are no exceptions when it comes to shinigami retirement… Is this what it means to be noble? It makes me guilty, more so when you're not around. I don't think I deserve to be treated differently and this becomes obvious without you, who made me who I am today. Just last night, I had a dream about being locked away, and there was Soi Fon taicho, saying, 'no one gets to leave Seireitei' before turning away and leaving me behind bars. Oh, I have to apologise, by the way. I woke up in your bed since I crept into your room…without your permission. The servants didn't know, I made your bed and cleaned the room so they can't tell the difference. You might reprimand me for this, but the entire ordeal of sneaking out at night to get to your room was a rather interesting and adventurous thing to do.

The wedding preparations peaked recently. It's tiring. Yukina-sama said the invitations have been sent out. I'm…scared. Life slowed down miserably but everything concerning the wedding sped up. Ichigo contacted me a while ago, saying that his family and the others in the Human World have received the invitations too. And that, was really surprising.

Seiryu Shishio is an unpredictable man. Sometimes he reminds me of Urahara. He knows, Byakuya-sama, about us. And he is not keen on cancelling the plans of retirement. He makes me miss you, somehow. Perhaps intentionally. He isn't repelled by the idea of arranged marriage at all. It's to be expected of a noble, I guess?

I wanted to ask why you left so suddenly and where you are, but I know asking would be fruitless, even if this letter was sent to you. Be safe.

Love, Rukia.

Countdown to the wedding: 13 Days!

NEXT:

A KISS THAT WAS NOT MEANT TO BE.

PLEASE READ AND REVIEW. I'LL TRY MY BEST TO UPDATE SOON!