"Cherry Blossoms"
Byakuya x Orihime
By Eowynd
Disclaimers: those of always well known by all
(*) Spoilers: Zanpakutous appear in his true form so that those who have not seen the fill arc of bleach from the Chapter 230 to 255, i.e. the "Zanpakutous arc" would not understand the details
Everything appearing in italics is thoughts of a character or dialogues between the zanpakutous and their carriers
And if there is any mistake it's because I'm not a native English speaker and don't have a beta, so I make the corrections myself. The Original version is in Spanish and it's called "Cerezos en Flor"
O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O
- Are you sure it's not a problem Byakuya? –she asked the captain while the door connecting both worlds closes behind them
- Of course not, it's an honour for me to be able to present my respects to your older brother Orihime –Byakuya was wearing a top generation gigai. He was wearing blue trousers, with a white shirt, a dark blue jacket and a black scarf. He was carrying a picnic basket and Orihime was carrying a bouquet of White gladiolus.
- Thank you for coming with me. I'm sure nii-chan would be happy to meet you –she said while walking together towards the graveyard, that was closer to her old apartment, where her brother, Inoue Sora, was resting.
Byakuya didn't have the heart to tell her, that after a friendly talk with the surrogate shinigami and Rukia's suitor, meaning, Kurosaki Ichigo cornered in a small room, with Senbonsakura watching the door, and a very resolute Byakuya, to obtain the required information about Orihime's older brother, that he was aware about what happened to her brother, and the destiny that befallen over the ones who succumbed to the hollowfication, well… it was better to let her believe that her brother's soul while be with them at the graveyard
- I'm sure I'll be glad to meet him too –answered while he hugged her waist to give her a short kiss, that she returned – Are your parents in this graveyard too Orihime?
-Eh, I don't think so –she said- as long as I can remember, it was my brother and myself, and anytime that I ask about them, he always said that they were on a trip somewhere or anything like that, so after a while I stopped asking
- Why?
- because if they were dead, nii-chan surely have a good reason to tell how they died, and if they abandoned us I didn't want to know that kind of people, that did that to their kids –the seriousness in her voice, when she answered him, took him by surprise
- I see, it's quite logical –said, while wondering what had happened to both Inoues and remembering his own parents, whom in their own way, had loved and taked care of him the best they could –The guard will not bother us because of this? –asked raising the picnic basket, and entering the graveyard.
- They almost never go to that side of the graveyard, and the few times they have, I solved all with a couple of onigiri.
- I see –he stops talking for a few seconds and then says- Orihime, I believe that, after we married, we should translate your brother to the Kuchiki's family graveyard
- Eh? Kuchiki's family graveyard?
- Once you become my wife and lady of the manor, it would be very difficult for you to come regularly to the human world. So I think it would be best if we take him with us back to the Sereitei, where we will put his photo in the family shrine as it should be –this was big news, like, really big. The fact that Byakuya, was talking with her, as if they marriage was something that already happened and they consumed, she imagined that and blushed a Little; and also the union of both family pantheons, well in her case it was more putting her brothers photo in the Kuchiki's shrine and graveyard, was huge news. If her memory serves her right, for the groom to do that, make the marriage unbreakable beyond death, because not only the alive family was becoming one but also the death family became one too. This realization make her stop in her tracks, she grabbed Byakuya's arm and looked him straight in the eyes
- Byakuya, you… You would really do that for me?
- But of course my hime, Why do you ask such a thing?
- It's so big… if I remember right, that you do that for me… will make our union … -she got a little nervous while asking him something while looking him in those eyes of him, each time a little less nervous, but still…
- Orihime, I need you to understand that for me, our relationship already is something big and serious. The fact of bringing your older brother to my family graveyard, it's just an acknowledgment to all he did for you, by which I'll always be grateful to him. Now, cheer up mi hime, your nii-chan wouldn't like to see you like this today –he said while using his fingers to caress her bottom lip before kissing her deeply.
- Do we have to walk a lot more?
- No, that grave over there is my brother's –sea said pointing one over four graves beyond where they were standing, so they hurried their steps to reach the grave faster. Both bowed in front of the grave and Orihime said
- Nii-chan, I know it's been a while since my last visit, but a lot of things had happened since, so I'm sorry. Someone very special has come with me today. Nii-chan I want you to meet Kuchiki Byakuya, my betrothed
- I am delighted to meet you too Inoue Sora –he greeted while looking down to the photo under the stone. They really looked quite alike. After that, he helped Orihime to clean the Stone and eliminate the undergrowth. Orihime then throw in the trash some dead flowers form her last visit and put some new sunflowers, while Byakuya placed a tablecloth on the ground and started to take the things from the basket, all under Orihime' s gaze, whom could not believe that a men like him, were doing something like that for her. ¡Lord! He is almost a prince in the Sereitei!
So, she leaned closer to him, and gives him a soft kiss in the lips, taking him by surprise
- Why?
- just because –said she while taking the sake out of the basket, and poured three cups, one of which Byakuya poured on the gravestone (*) of Orihime's brother
- I hope you like sake Inoue-san –Byakuya said while pouring the liquor
- Sora-san
- Eh?
- My brother was never one for formalities, so he would like it if you called Sora
- Very well, then today Sora-san will drink sake with us. I hope you agree with my relationship with his little sister –Orihime laughed softly
- Who knows, Sora nii-chan was very overprotective with his Little sister, just like a certain person –she said, giving him a very meaningful look that the captain pretended not to notice.
- Which it's quite evident, he being the only men of the family, and your closest relative, it was his duty to protect his little sister
- Well, at least you got that in common –said serving the captains food
- At any rate, it was quite normal that he was so mistrustful about others mens intention towards you
- Really?
- Obviously. When you are a men, and have a daughter or Little sister to take care of, and she reach that age, when unrelated men, start to haunt her, you get back all those thing you did or do with other woman's, and to think that they have the same intentions or worst, make your stomach explode
- Then, when we get married, we better have only boys, because i can only imagine what would you do to scare the boys away if we have a daughter when she reach the proper age for marriage –Orihime said between laughter. Byakuya have the decency of blushing with that comment. Not as much for the implication about his possible overprotectiveness over a unborn baby girl, which was quite the truth, but because, for the first time Orihime had made a comment like that about their future life as a married couple, after all she had said babies and that was a strong word
- Orihime, have you thought about having to have kids with me? –now she was the one blushing a little
- Well, I… I always wanted a big family. It's true that I had my brother Sora, but I always wanted an Oba-chan, and parents, and siblings, cousins and aunts… So I wished since little, that if I found a good husband, that I would like to have a big family –answered the auburn girl
- If that's what my little hime want, she shall have it. At the very least, by being part of the Ukitake clan, you already have a lot of cousins, aunts and uncles. If my memory serves me right, Juushiro-san has 4 brothers and 4 sisters, all of them married, and with at least two kids.
- Really? I'm going to ask him if I can meet them –in that instant, Byakuya takes her by the waist and tightens her against his body while telling her, while softly caressing her lips with his own
- And I promise I will give everything in my power to make those dreams came true Orihime –and then he kissed her with so much passion, more than all those other kisses they shared before. Orihime felt like melting while she tried to kiss him back. ¡It should be illegal for a men to kiss like that! It's to dangerous for the woman close to him.
- I love you Byakuya –was all that she could said when the kiss ended
- I love you too Orihime – was everything that he could said to her, and everything he needed her to say
O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O
- Welcome to my home –said Orihime while opening the door of the small flat, where she had lived with her brother all that time, to the brunette captain, who tried to control his reaction at seeing the small place. Kami's name! The room while they keep his kimonos was bigger than this entire place. How could two people live in these conditions? Thank god that he would take care of things very soon.
- It's a very... cosy place… -he answered
- Please sit down. I will go for my brother's shrine, and be right back –the captain sit next to a small coffee table and start looking around. Everything looked clean and in its place. One could tell that the young girl was very good at managing a house. In that moment he felt a sudden rush of curiosity about how her room would look like. He rose carefully, and since she didn't came back, started to walk to toward one of the doors.
He opened the door, and found a small room, with walls painted in a soft peach colour, with an occidental type of bed with a white bedspread and pink pillows and cushions. In the shelves there were some dolls and teddy bears. Next to the bed, was the pedestal table painted in White and red. There was a lamp with a dog form, and some photos and poster in the walls. To his right were the doors of the closet, and to his left where the small window that showed the external corridor of the flat. There were also some equipment and modern things that the captain didn't know, but he didn't think they were abnormal.
The room, anyone could tell, belonged to a young girl, of Orihime's age, very feminine and delicate
- Do you need something Byakuya? –sounded the girl's voice behind him
- No, I just… I was looking the bathroom…
- It's the last door and the end of the corridor –said with a big smile
- Thanks –he said retiring with all the dignity of which was capable. While the auburn girl laughed softly, to not offend him while thinking about "curiosity killed the cat" or in this case the shinigami captain
O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O*O
- ¡Wow! –was all she could say when she saw Hisana's photo at the Kuchiki shrine, where she has just put her brother's Sora photo
- She really looks a lot like Rukia…
- It's true, but the personalities are completely different –said Byakuya looking at her - Hisana, was more calm and reflexive, Rukia its more… well, you know how is her.
- But it must be difficult, right? –asked closing the shrine and approaching the captain
- What must be difficult? –asked without understanding
- that when you find Rukia, she was so look alike to Hisana, especially since she died so Little time a go, and then adopt her and bringing her to the house, without telling her the truth, must be very painful. I can't imagine how much you must suffer all this time –she said while hugging him and looking straight into his eyes. Byakuya didn't know what to tell her, since she had just hit the nail in the head, and all without him telling her anything. She was the best person for him.
- My little hime, don't worry about that, it's all in the past, and now the only thing we must worry is about our future together, don't you think so?
- But Byakuya, I don't want you to not tell me things; I don't want you to pretend that you are alright when you are not. We are supposed to be partners in this life project that we pretend to start, then we must be able to talk about everything and anything, not hiding things or you telling me that you are okay, just to not talk about the past, please …
To the captain, the words of the auburn girl, hit him very deep. No one had ever said anything like this to him, and he felt that he could open his soul and heart to her, like he haven't done with no one before.
- It's going to take sometime
- I don't have any hurry, Do you? –she smiled softly while she closed the distance some more
- Then lest go to the garden, and order some tea and food, we are going to need it
- Okay…
Both went to the backyard, leaving the room, the shrine and the past behind
End of Chapter X
Thanks for their sus reviews to:
Guest, YokoTakamotoFenix, chibi313, moodymel, Michiko Burel
(*) It is a tradition in Japon, that when you visit a grave, you make the dead drink their favourite drink, like sake, through pours it over the gravestone of the person.