A/N: Okay, this chapter is heavily revised, and I like it MUCH more this way. The previous chapter was kind of scatterbrained. It's the same chapter, but with some things cut out. Still it's nine pages long, so the length shouldn't be a problem :)
By the way! Thank you so much for all the reviews! Almost forty reviews for only seven chapters! And Dinah-Dagger, I can't wait to see the artwork :) I was sooo excited when I realized someone wanted to draw something from this story!!
In this chapter: Black lines do not indicate M, this is the first chapter with multiple POVs, because it takes place at a party it was hard to put all the characters together at once, so lines indicate a change in view point. It flows pretty nicely, they're just there to help it move along. Many new characters appear… R/R!
Suggested listening, "Scandalous" by Miss-teeq
Chapter Seven: So, so, so scandalous
The first thought that crossed Hisana's mind in the span of time that it took her to slip on the seductive and luxurious purple sheath Byakuya had sent her, was "femme fatale", followed subsequently with a catty "rawr" as she turned to look at herself in the mirror. The dress' fabric hugged her curves and accentuated her bottom and breasts, her fingers trailing over her décolletage, manicured tips trailing down the fabric, past her hips. The back dipped down into a scandalous 'v', the creamy flesh above her rump revealing the tiny tattoo of flowers and vines trailing into the expanse of fabric below.
She pulled her hair into a sloppy French twist, her neck like a swan's, her diamond earrings and pendant glittering in the dim light of her bathroom. Spritzing on a little of her favorite Very Irresitible Givenchy perfume, she twirled excitedly, her hands above her head as she spot checked herself at the last minute for mistakes.
She froze, hands on her waist. Did she just twirl excitedly? Why the fuck was she excited about going anywhere with that sonufabitch?!
Lips creasing into a frown, Hisana grabbed a clutch from her nightstand and dabbed a little concealer under her eyes, then strutted out, her strappy sandals stopping out a rhythm to the soft 'swish, swish' of her dress. The clock read 7:55 PM as she prowled out of her bedroom and into the hallway, the elevator dinging as she pushed the call button, Rukia's eyes following her as she swished out of the loft amidst the sounds of "the Golden Girls" playing on their High Definition plasma TV in the loft living room.
The clunk of the elevator's closing doors was a signal for Rukia. She darted out of her seat and into her sister's room, rummaging through her briefcase, discarded and left to lie on the bed.
"Shit" she whispered, her thumbs fingering through the documents, the click of a key in the lock making her jump.
"What're you doing?" a voice came, from behind her.
She turned to see Ichigo and another tall man behind him standing in the doorway, shadowed by the way they blocked the hallway's light.
"Rukia, may I introduce Ichimaru Gin?" Rukia shook hands nervously with the tall silver haired man standing behind Ichigo, a strange grin on his face. "He will be accompanying us to dinner and the party later this evening. Go get ready, or we'll be late."
Rukia nodded and gulped at Ichigo's command, hurriedly running to change into her red dress, placing a headband in her hair to pull back the wisps that fell around her face, and dashing into the living room where the two men lurked like gangsters beneath the moonlight pooling through the large windows.
Gin smirked again, and Ichigo placed his hand on the small of her back and guided her out, his warm fingers reassuring in the waning light as they stepped into the foyer, the windows disappearing as she turned and locked the door behind her.
Her heels clunked nervously as they walked out the back door of the building, Ichigo handing a twenty to the doorman who had disabled the alarm for them. Grabbing Rukia's hand in his own, he gave it a squeeze as she followed along behind them, Gin leading the way to a black Mercedes parked in the alley.
"Ladies first" he purred, the door opening to the back seat.
Rukia slid into the car and was greeted by the astonished look of the other passenger sitting next to her.
"Ran..Rangiku!" she squeaked, her eyes opening wide as Ichigo slid into the passenger seat, Gin joining him on the driver's side.
"Yo, Rangiku." Ichigo said with a smile, his hand raising in recognition, "I haven't seen you since we graduated!"
She smiled and glanced at Gin, his eyes watching her in the rearview mirror, and she blushed, turning away.
Gin pulled the Mercedes out of the alley, sliding into traffic with ease and a few rude gestures. The four of them soon found themselves making their way downtown, where Gin parked the car and gave the keys to a valet, then led them inside an intimidating building made of intense black marble.
The double doors opened to reveal a beautiful dinner table set for four inside the mansion. "The Vanderbilt's used to own this house." Gin said with a smile, pulling Rangiku's chair back as Ichigo did the same for Rukia.
"So, Mr. Kurosaki," Ichimaru said with a purr, "I hear you may be interested in my business proposal."
"That I am." Ichigo said, lifting his glass of wine in a toast. "Please…tell me all about it."
Hisana frowned as she sat next to Byakuya in the exquisite Bentley he had pulled up in, its black leather seats warm and comfortable, the clean look of the stainless steel interior shining in the flashing neon lights making her want to reach out and touch it, just to prove that it wasn't perfect. Wasn't perfect – just like the façade her employer put on for the press.
They pulled onto a swank, crowded, pulsing street full of cameras and celebutantes, Byakuya stepping out and dropping his keys with the valet as he walked around to escort Hisana out of the car. She held out her hand and he took it, lifting her gently out of the car, her shoes making little noise on the asphalt as he gave her his arm, which she took gently and followed him, cameras and reporters noisily interrupting their silent walk.
"Smile" Byakuya hissed, his eyebrows creased into a furrow as he turned to address the reporters.
"Mr. Kuchiki! Who is the young lady with you tonight? This party is for your father, is it not?"
"Miss, miss, your name!"
"Excuse me, who are you wearing, Mr. Kuchiki?"
"Armani" Byakuya replied, edging Hisana away from the reporters.
"Mr. Kuchiki, is this your fiancé? Your father said you were making an announcement about your pending engagement with the Fultons!"
"Are you the heir to the Fultons?" another voice shouted, the cameras hounding them .
"Please, no more pictures." Byakuya said, smiling.
As he turned into the building, Byakuya's smile vanished as he hurried Hisana away and up the steps of the club in front of them, nodding to the likes of former Mayor Rudy Giuliani and other prominent political and social figures.
Ivanka Trump smiled and waved, and Hisana could have sworn she saw the Hilton sisters in the corner conversing with Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen. Her eyes swam with the amount of formal wear and glittering gems that decorated the general splendor as Byakuya tugged her to the cloak room, checking her bag and asking for a small package that was handed to him.
He slid the man working the cloak desk a 100 dollar bill and tugged Hisana into the room, the door shutting behind them, leaving them amongst thousands of dollars of expensive jackets and furs. Without pretense, Byakuya shoved Hisana backwards into the coats, his elbows pinning her tiny body against his rock hard form, his lips sliding against her neck to her ear, where his tongue darted out to lap at her lobe, making her gasp.
"Now, Hisana" Byakuya growled, his fingers reaching out to catch her cheeks, turning her face so that his eyes met his, his expression serious, "I asked you here for one reason, and one reason only. I know we didn't get to finish…discussing the terms of our agreement…"
She tried to open her mouth but his hand slid scandalously below the back of her dress, caressing the smooth skin of her buttocks, his eyebrows lifting flirtatiously. "No underwear?"
Hisana's faced flushed crimson as she tried to jerk away, his hands pushing her back, gently, his teeth nipping at her neck, "You naughty little minx."
"They would have left…a line" Hisana gasped, as Byakuya slid one hand to the small of her back as the other trailed lower, a low rumble in his throat, making her tremble.
Hisana's hands grasped weakly at his firm biceps, nails clutching tightly at the jacket Byakuya wore, his hands leaving her back to open the package beside him.
"Now, let's seal this agreement." He said, nipping at her mouth as he drove her to distraction, his fingers tugging at her own as he slid something on her left hand, her mouth hanging open as he nibbled at her exposed neck, down into the gap between her breasts.
"Byakuya…" Hisana gulped, her hand sliding up to tangle in his hair, her mouth opening in shock at the diamond winking back at her from her left hand. She shoved him off of her, staring at it.
"What the FUCK is this?!" she shrieked, coats falling to the floor beside her as Byakuya's hand shot over her mouth.
"Shut up!" he demanded, pushing her down to the floor. "Listen to me…" he growled, "You are mine to do with as I please. And as of right now, it pleases me for you to be…engaged to me."
Hisana bit Byakuya's hand, his muffled curse covered up by her shriek of "WHAT?!" as he tried to push her back down, her dress sliding up to reveal nude thigh highs and stilettos, Byakuya's face grinning as he ran his fingers up her legs, pushing her backwards into the floor, his lips nibbling at her neck.
"Fuck you, fuck you!" she hissed into his ear, tugging on his hair as she tried to push him away.
"You know, I think we need to put that mouth of yours to better use." Byakuya grinned devilishly, eyes laughing. "I can't exactly walk outside when you've got me so…riled up."
Hisana bit her lip, her eyes narrowed.
Hell had just frozen over. Fuck.
Aizen Sousuke walked calmly into the foyer of the party, sliding off his heavy trench coat, his slicked back hair and calm brown eyes glancing around the scene slowly, his feet padding along the floor in polished dress shoes, his entourage following him like shadows, splitting off into various directions as he made his way to the center of the room, tailed only by a single gentleman.
He waved nonchalantly towards an eager group of balding and middle-aged business men, his smile of greeting thick and plastered falsely on his handsome face, his eyes betraying his expression of benevolence as one of benign hatred.
"Mr. Aizen, it's wonderful to see you at our little soiree this evening!" one of the portly men laughed, his blond hair wiggling along with his jowls as he lifted a glass of wine from a server's hands, some of the deep red liquid splashing like blood onto the polished marble floors.
"I couldn't refuse an invitation from you, my dear Mr. Samuel" he purred, lightly accepting a glass of chardonnay from the same server, who watched him with a slight nervous twitch.
"Wou…would you like some sir?" she asked, timidly, as Aizen's companion turned to face the group, his navy suit setting off his flaming electric blue hair, his ice blue eyes glancing at her sharply.
"No." he grunted, eyes narrowing, and with a flick of his hand, set the tray flying, the expensive glasses shattering on the floor, the whole room silenced as the girl tried to clean up the mess, cutting her finger in the process.
"Really, Grimmjow…" Aizen snarled, lifting his foot carefully from the puddle of wine and stepping aside, the liquid splattered upwards by another foot as a soft hand gripped the girl's elbow and lifted her up, Aizen's face momentarily masked with fury as he stared into the eyes of her rescuer.
"Mr. Kuchiki…I had no idea we had the honor." He said, face blank as he retrieved the false smile from before, plastering it on again.
"Are you alright?" Byakuya whispered to the girl, stepping aside to reveal Hisana watching the group coldly, her red lips pouting dubiously.
"Hisana, would you please take this young lady to the restroom and clean her cut?" Byakuya said, smiling in satisfaction as Hisana's face flamed, her shoes clacking loudly on the floors as a hand reached out to catch her elbow.
Hisana whirled, and stared into Aizen's eyes, his fingers trailing down her arm slowly to lift her left hand, the diamond twinkling brilliantly in the chandelier's light. "My, my, my…I'm guessing this is the infamous Ms. Fulton, Mr. Kuchiki?"
A slight cough made the group freeze, Byakuya still holding the serving girl's arm as an almost perfect clone of himself stepped into the circle, the only difference in the two his dark brown hair and the tell-tale signs of age: a slight wrinkle of the brow, deep laugh lines, and a more hollow expression.
"Father" Byakuya growled, his voice barely civil as Hisana stared at him sharply, the older Kuchiki stepping forward to lightly take her hand out of Aizen's grip, turning her like a puppet on string, his hands lifting her left hand to kiss it, his lips pursed into a frown.
"What is this?" he said, his fingers trailing over the gem that twinkled on her finger, his eyes seemingly watching Hisana's, but his eyes glancing toward Byakuya behind her with a deadly gleam.
"Touche, Byakuya." He said, handing her back to Aizen, "Your lady is beautiful, and once again you have sidestepped one of my schemes, the Fultons will not be pleased."
Aizen's smile dimmed substantially, a pleased smirk replacing the fake façade, "Mr. Kuchiki, why don't you take that girl to have her hand taken care of. I'm sure your father and I can care for your lady while you are absent."
Byakuya inhaled sharply, outplayed by the two business men before him as he stalked off of the floor, the girl stumbling behind him, fingers dripping wine and blood in a macabre trail behind her.
"Now, Miss, what is your name? I don't believe I caught it." Aizen smiled, waving his hand for another server, who walked over quickly as another person scuttled behind them cleaning up glass and wine.
"Hisana Carel" she replied, eyes watching warily as he lifted the glasses of wine, turning his back and handing one to Grimmjow, who held it like it was his purpose in life, a wide grin on his face as he checked out Hisana from head to toe, his eyes undressing her and making her flush angrily.
"What…" she began, but was cut off as Aizen finished fumbling with the drinks to hand her a glass of red wine, the color slightly off from that of his own, her lips raising the glass and swirling it, the red color leaving a spot of light beside her on the floor tinted the same shade. Taking a sip, she hardly noticed when Byakuya's father stalked away towards a tall blond woman across the room, his fingers gripping her elbow and pulling her into the shadows as Aizen escorted her towards a booth in the back corner with a view of the main entrance doors.
"Now, Miss Hisana, allow me to introduce myself." Aizen purred, Grimmjow standing beside the booth and leaning against the walls, his ice blue eyes catching Aizen's and nodding slightly at the expression he saw there.
"I am Aizen Sousuke, the owner and CEO of Hollow Corporation, I suppose you've heard of me?"
"It is regrettable but I must say that I haven't heard that much about you, although I do follow your business's progress, sir." Hisana replied, her face guarded -- she had heard plenty about Aizen Sousuke, and not all of it she liked.
The cold air shot into the room as Ichigo and his party stepped inside, the smell of snow and the shivering of guests making them look towards the draft, important faces smiling in recognition at the small group as they entered the room.
Gin glanced furtively across and blatantly balked when he saw Aizen across the room, pulling Ichigo, Rangiku, and Rukia into a shadowed, crowded corner by the bar, Ichigo's eyes following his direction and widening slightly at what he saw.
Hisana sat on a booth next to Aizen, and he glanced around rapidly to find Byakuya, his eyes flitting over to where the man in question was pushing his way through the throngs towards the girl, his father stalking him cautiously from the shadows, the sinewy blond girl creeping behind him like a cat.
"So do we have a deal?" Gin's voice said, interrupting his reverie.
"Of course. I'll meet you tomorrow at Dock Five to discuss the intimate details. You're sure this guy is reliable?"
"100."
"Then let's take him down." Ichigo replied, watching as Gin, taking Rangiku by the waist, melted away into the crowds and out the front door as quickly as they had arrived, a smirk on his lips.
"I don't like this." Rukia said, her arm wrapping around Ichigo's waist from behind.
"It'll be fine." Ichigo replied, a grin on his face, and raised his eyebrows as Hisana stood up suddenly and swayed, leaning back against the bar like a smug male lion, tail twitching and ready to pounce on anything that intruded in his territory.
Hisana's head swum as she stood, her stomach lurching as she muttered out a hasty, "Don't feel well" to the men at the table with her, turning quickly towards the restrooms, the crowd preventing her from moving quickly. Her whole body felt hot and sweaty, her hands were shaking. God, she couldn't be drunk this early, not off of one damn drink.
Leaning against a pillar, she caught sight of Byakuya and his father having a heated argument in the corner, the blond girl she had spotted earlier standing behind the older man, hand on her hips. Dizzy, she walked towards them, her path wobbly and zigzagging as she attempted to make her way across the ballroom.
The blond girl grabbed Byakuya's face, making her cringe as a muffled, "How dare you?" was hissed out over the crowd, the girl's face furious. "I have been groomed for a perfect marriage my entire life, and now you throw this in my face?"
"Yes, Ms. Fulton, now go the fuck away." Byakuya muttered, too low for Hisana to make out as she staggered closer.
The blond shook her head violently and grabbed his face, her lips slamming into his own as a gasp came from the edge of the crowd. Byakuya's eyes jerked away as he saw Hisana standing there, her hands over her mouth swaying as Byakuya shoved the girl away from him and tried to catch the now fleeing Hisana. He was held up by a crowd of paparazzi that had snuck into the building, their flash bulbs almost blinding as the glint of Hisana's purple dress and black hair disappearing towards the front door.
"Dammit!" Hisana hissed as she tripped in her heels in the foyer, not even bothering to pick up her coat and bag. "I don't even like the bastard…why the hell is this making me so angry?" she wiped a tear from her face and yanked off her shoes, the doors opened for her by the attendants.
"Excuse me, Miss Hisana?" a familiar voice said.
She turned to see Aizen once again, standing on the step below her, his hand outstretched.
"Do you need a ride?"
Hisana nodded, not even thinking, and took Aizen's hand, following him down to his black Jaguar, not even seeing Byakuya as he managed to finally reach the doors behind her.
She ducked her head and slid in as Aizen opened the door, buckling her seat belt as he walked to the other side, Grimmjow stepping into the backseat behind her, the tinted windows and glare from cameras trying to vie for pictures of Aizen preventing her from getting a good glance out of the window.
A startled Byakuya stood on the doorstep as Aizen turned and smiled, waving slightly in his direction. A snarl appeared on Byakuya's face as he stepped forward, only to be hounded by photographers.
"Excuse me…Hisana!" he yelled, but it was to no avail.
Grabbing his car keys from the Valet who'd brought his Bentley forward, he stepped in and revved the engine, then pealed off behind the car, his lights flashing as he tried to force himself over.
Hisana blinked wearily, she felt so strange. It wasn't even eleven o'clock and she was so sleepy she could hardly keep her eyes open. Yawning, she leaned against the window.
"Thank you, for offering me a ride Mr…Aizen…" she murmured, her eyes sliding shut as if heavy weights held them down.
"Oh no, Miss Hisana…" Aizen replied, dumping the rest of the contents of the wine glass she still clutched in her fingers out of the window, a small package of white powder dropping out with it, "thank you."
A/N: Uh oh! The plot thickens again….
Lyrics: (I think this song is perfect for Hisana's view of Byakuya…definitely listen to it if you can!!)
You got me feening and you got me feeling weak
Listen as I speak cause I'm careful as I creep
You got me going crazy and you know I can't sleep
No fortune your moves and you hypnotise me
You got me trembling like a little baby girl
You're so special, you're like diamonds and pearls
You got me spinning and you got me in a twirl
You're my number one baby and you come to rock my world