'This is so irritating,' Hisana thought darkly, stepping lightly as she danced. She was wearing the most comfortable yukata she could find, just to make her feel a little better about the amount of practice she was having to do for the New Year's Celebration Dance.
'If only the tradition was to play the music behind the dancer,' she deliberated, pursing her lips as she tossed the sakura-adorned fan delicately from one hand to the next, 'I would rather play the koto all day long rather than this dance for a miserable few minutes.'
And yet, it was tradition for a high-ranking female member of the Kuchiki-ke to perform this dance on New Year's. The kimono she would have to wear was a furisode, and as such, the preferred victim was supposed to be unmarried. But they claimed to have little choice – all of the other eligible members of the family had, supposedly, refused. Even after the now nine months she'd been married to Byakuya, the coldness towards her from the elders had barely relented. If this was another chance for them to make her seem the awkward peasant, she was going to prove them wrong, no matter how much she'd rather be in the background.
But the Lady of the Kuchiki-ke didn't get to be in the background. She was married to the most important nobleman in the Soul Society, and hence she frequently received the invasive micromanaging from the elders that Byakuya had complained about for decades.
She preferred simple clothing while she was home – cotton kimono that breathed well in the summer heat, and kept her warm, with the help of a haori, in the winter. But this was not appropriate. They tried to push silks on her constantly, though Byakuya, who also preferred comfortable clothing, albeit with more expensive fabric, quickly shut that problem down. However, when it came to formal occasions (and there were many, being the wife of Kuchiki Byakuya-sama), heavily layered and lavishly decorated kimono were unavoidable.
She glanced furtively at the furisode she was going to have to wear for the dance, as it hung on its stand against the wall. It was beautiful, certainly. A lovely magenta color, with sakura trailing up the gown and sleeves, and its oddly matching orange and red obi and yellow hairpin were placed neatly on a shelf behind it. She knew she'd have to practice in it at least once, to get used to the length and burdensome sleeves, but for now, she was perfectly content to wear her choice, manageable yukata.
'I wonder how horrified they would be if I stepped on stage in my Rukongai clothing,' she pondered, 'It might make a point, after all…'
The door opened behind her and she quickly finished the last few steps of her dance, twirling carefully on the heel of her foot to turn and bow towards the intruder gracefully.
"Very beautiful," Byakuya appraised, and Hisana looked up, a blush rising in her cheeks.
"It still needs a little work," she countered, folding the fan and tucking it in her obi before sliding to her knees to sit in front of her husband, who had already sat down, having closed the door.
Byakuya raised an eyebrow, "I could have just as easily been referring to your performance, but you don't assume I was speaking of you first."
Hisana felt her cheeks grow even redder, "Flattery will get you nowhere new," she chided, fighting to keep her smile from exploding into a full-blown, giddy grin.
She could almost hear him roll his eyes even had she not seen it, but he settled for watching her argue with her facial expressions, "Regardless. I know you would rather be playing the koto," he allowed, gesturing with a nod towards the koto against the opposite wall, "but I truly think you're doing an exemplary job with the dance."
Hisana smiled gratefully, "Thank you. I don't want to reflect poorly on you in any way at all, and—,"
"But you'd rather play the koto,"
Hisana reached out to smack his shoulder lightly, "You didn't let me finish!"
Byakuya smiled, taking her hand before she could withdraw it, and bowed his head apologetically, gesturing that she should continue.
"And, I was just wondering how much trouble I'd be in if I decided to wear my old Rukongai kimono. You know, symbolically. 'I was born a peasant, but I can still dance better than you,' and that sort of thing," Hisana finished, gesturing with her arms emphatically, to emphasize that she wasn't wholly serious.
She was rewarded with an appreciative almost-grin (he never "grinned", on principle), "As much as I would value such a performance, I do not think the family would approve."
"Pity. I would treasure the looks on their faces for the rest of my existence," Hisana mused, trying to picture such a scenario. She shook her head, coming back to earth, "I was going to practice one more time before stopping for the day," she tilted her head coyly, "Tell me if I make any mistakes?"
Byakuya nodded, "Of course," he kissed the top of her hand lightly before letting her go, as she drew the fan from her waist, and raised it to her face, matching her eyes with his before taking the first step.
A/N: Wanted to type this up tonight because I have surgery to remove my wisdom teeth in t-minus 7 hours, and I don't know when I'll feel like writing again. Only one more short chapter, then we're back to long ones! (And probably longer updates…Sorry.)