I DON'T OWN BLEACH
Antebellum
Find beauty not only in the thing itself but in the pattern of the shadows, the light and dark which that thing provides. ~Junichiro Tanizaki
Chapter 10; Shadow Games
The noisy spray of fast steamy water dancing off Byakuya's shoulders does little to mute the voices of his subordinates chatting in the stalls nearby. The men yell and cut-up with Renji like the differences in their power are meaningless if they are naked. Do they not loathe their own weakness?
His wife's voice echoes in his head, a distant memory of the first year they were married.
Faced with difficulties from the very start, Hisana struggled to stand tall with his family looking down on her. Byakuya managed to shield her for the most part from their tongue waging and cruel disapproval. Nevertheless, Hisana could never get the confidence to walk next to him, and he silently allowed her to hide in his shadow with the excuse of it being proper etiquette for a nobleman's wife.
"I prefer to walk behind, Byakuya-sama."
"Very well..."
And it remained so, despite Byakuya's longing for a wife with a stronger presence. Hisana remained buried beneath his title to the very day she died.
Exhaling a gasp of air past his lips he leaves behind those memories to turn off the faucet. Can the water rinse away the shadow he has locked away in his heart? "Ichigo, you would not be satisfied to trail in my wake. You've always run ahead... so far ahead of everyone else." he whispers, focusing his ashen blue eyes on the smooth tile in front of him ignoring the water flowing freely over his head and face.
Lips warmer than the water slid over his mouth covering his, the passion finally breaking is a great victory after a ten year battle. So why does he feel so unsettled by the sounds creeping up on him?
The source of his restlessness, and the subtle drumming in his head, is the woman he kissed not twenty minutes ago. Captain Unohana was right in the bond he and Ichigo have achieved. Somehow, their souls managed to blend over the long years while she slept nearby to the point, he can hear the beating of her heart. Forcing his head to dip lower under the stream of water Byakuya continues to ponder the next steps to take. "I should have went to the manor for a soak in my bathhouse." Bathing would soothe him more, but he can not return to his home without being late returning from his lunch break.
Somewhere in the vastness of Soul Society that strong beating heart stops it's gentle echo, "Ichigo." his thoughts crash together as he shuts off the water and quickly dresses.
"Captain?" Renji's voice is slapped to the floor of the division dressing room as the dark haired noble darts away.
Seconds later Byakuya's sandals touch down to the scene. "What are you doing with her..." he asks the dark haired man in front of him holding Ichigo's lip body in his arms. "Shukuro Tsukishima."
"Ho? We always seem to cross each others paths, Captain." The dark haired man replies in a whimsical tone.
The area trembles as Byakuya's right hand moves toward his hip where his zanpaktou rests in it's sheathe. "I will not repeat myself."
Undaunted by Byakuya's reiatsu crackling at his skin, Shukuro's lips thin in a smirk. It's true, this man has never once showed him a hint of leniency. Why should he... when they are after the same thing. "If you are referring to my fiancee, the moment she set eyes on me she passed right out." His left arms cradles her easily as his right hand comes to rest on Ichigo's cheek. "I guess it was a bit of shock to her." Shukuro's eyes meet Byakuya's filled with amusement. Very few people are truly as entertaining as Byakuya Kuchiki. "I've always found her beautiful when she sleeps in my arms."
"This man... thinks his past intimacy with her will put me at a disadvantage. Fool." If it were ten years ago Byakuya would turn his back on this person and walk away. "Ichigo, wake up." Byakuya calls out to her in a firm voice, he isn't capable of leaving her, this woman's heart is in his head. How can he ignore that? "Ichigo."
"Hmm?" Ichigo's eyelids flutter as she struggles to wake from a strange dream. Slowly the realization that she is in someone's arms settles over her as a shadowy figure casts a shadow over her. "Byakuya?" she mutters at the dark outline before focusing on the dull brown eyes of a stranger. "Whoa!" Quickly darting from his grasp she scrambles away from the man finding herself a few feet away from two dark haired men staring each other down. "Byakuya and...?" Flicking her eyes to the second figure, the one who was carrying her, she finds something in his eyes strangely familiar. "Do I know you?" Scratching at the back of her head her shoulders shrug. "I'm Ichigo Kuro-"
"Captain Kurosaki." Byakuya corrects her as he steps next to her. "As a result of her brutal attack, she has no memory of the past thirteen years. You are a stranger to her, former shinigami Tsukishima."
"Now that isn't very fair." Tsukishima puts a hand on his hip arching his neck to look at the woman who used to sneak into his room at night to sleep next to him. "I guess I will have to make her fall in love with me all over again."
"Ridiculous." Byakuya replies with a frown. "You forfeit any claim to her ten years ago."
The air around Ichigo turns crisp as Byakuya and her fiancee glare at each other. Are they actually fighting over her? This has gotta be a first... "Um... guys... there isn't a reason to get up-"
"Stay out of this, Ichigo." Both men turn an eye at her.
"Oi! What the hell?" Raising a fist in air she starts to step in between them when a hand settles on her shoulder. "Huh?" Turning her head she sees Captain Kyoraku's face appear behind a straw hat. "Kyoraku-san where-where did you come from?"
"Kyoraku-san? You haven't called me that in so long. Does this mean we are growing closer?" he gives Ichigo a mischievous grin. "I'm so happy~!"
"What?" Ichigo panics at his innuendo. "Don't tell me... Heh... heh Sorry about that Captain Kyoraku-san. I was just distracted for a moment."
"Oh?" Tsukishima's eye sparkle for a moment with the knowledge Captain Kuchiki and his little Ichigo is keeping her memory loss a secret. This situation just became interesting. "Captain's if you will excuse me, I would like to talk to my fiancee alone for a moment." If they can play at it then he can too. Taking Ichigo's hand he pulls her around the corner leaving behind a smirking Shunsui and a stewing Byakuya.
"Um, Tsukishima, right?" Ichigo pulls her hand from his grasp retreating to high white wall to stand against. Before she can speak the tall lean man leans close pressing a long leg between her knees and smacking a palm to the wall near her head.
"Sweetheart... Sweetheart... tell me you remember this." Shukuro lifts an open hand to her chin and leans forward to kiss her. Just how much has she forgotten? And what about... before? What will that do?
"No-Nothing at all!" she says pushing a hand to his chest nudging him away from her lips. "So none of... whatever this is."
"Are you sure you don't recall something about the man who was going to be your husband?" His head tilts, the expression on his face carefully dripping with sadness. "Any single moment?"
"I um..." Confusing images cloud Ichigo's mind. She struggles to grasp something, anything that might make this person familiar. A beautiful kimono, hushed voices and a tender feeling in pit of her stomach washes over her.
"I want to more than anything."
"Just do it already." she blurts out, her cheeks turning the color of her dress.
"Rukia will be here in sixty seconds."
"Then you better make it a good one." Ichigo whispers then grabs his robe crashing her lips to his.
It's just a glimpse like a flicker of emotion. But feelings... the feelings were so intense her lips suck in a deep breath.
"Oh, you remember something." Tsukishima's left hand moves down to his side. "Tell me what you've remembered Ichigo." He has to know if everything is really gone. All those moments of her resting her head on his chest, the quiet kisses just outside her division, the time he made love to her in the rain, is all of that really erased? "Tell me." Shukuro demands clutching her chin with his right hand forcing her eyes to meet with his.
"I-I..." Her eyes widen from the turn of his demenor, and the roughness of his fingertips digging at her cheeks. The memory and the person hurting her face doesn't add up for Ichigo, and this memory... is precious. Her hands press at his chest firmly and she steps away from him. "I don't remember anything about you. I'm so sorry." Something feels wrong here. Something is terribly wrong.
"How did this happen?" he almost growls the words turning his back on her. Glaring up at the bright midday sun his eyes glow crimson in anger and frustration. The blankness of the blue sky piercing down on him only feeds his frustration. "It's impossible!" He did not delete himself from her yet so why is she a clean slate?
"I'm sorry, I was told by Byakuya I was attacked and I was cut on my head." she takes a step toward him and pats him on the shoulder. "I can't remember three years before that moment."
"You were cut?" he turns around to find her lifting up a long lock of hair to reveal a small scar. "This isn't a cut, it's a stab wound."
"Damn, you can tell that just by looking at it?"
"Yes, when you draw a blade and fight, it's a common technique to slash. But this is a piercing wound." Soon as the words come out his fingers tightening into fists. "Who would dare..."
"Shukuro... san perhaps in time I will remember." Interrupting him and the dark reiatsu radiating from him, she tries to put him at ease. Those memories, the tenderness, it was real and she has to try and get them back. "At some point... I loved this person and I made promises to him."
Meanwhile just around the corner Kyoraku shifts his weight from one foot to the other. Kuchiki has always been such a mystery to him. Right now that noble stubbornness is keeping him here instead of going over there and busting up the little talk Ichigo is having with her no-good ex-boyfriend. "You aren't gonna let him win are you?"
"I have no idea what you are-"
"If you let that young punk take Ichigo away without a fight. It just proves you don't deserve her." Shunsui says walking toward the relief station and Nanao-chan. "What is the report?"
"There has been another attack- This one is a fifth seat it happened just a few minutes ago and there was a note left on the body." Nanao hands Shusui the letter with Ichigo's name written on the front with a frown. "Oi, Kuchiki-Taichou. This involves you, you better have a look at it."
Ichigo Kurosaki, the time is coming for you to die.
So much for the theory that Byakuya is the main target. "Has Captain Unohana seen this?" Byakuya takes the note from Nanao and folds it in half sticking it in his haori.
"Yes, Captain. She is performing an exam of the victim and will send her results to you this evening."
"Very well." Byakuya heads toward the door.
"Aren't you forgetting someone?" Kyoraku points to the group of buildings Ichigo vanished behind. "Or are you thinking of hiding it from Ichigo-chan? Deception isn't wise when it involves the woman you love Kuchiki."
"Ichigo does not need my shadow."
Hihi my dear friends. I bet you've been wondering where is the update? Well I decided to just be honest with you all and tell you I'm very sick. But, I promise to finish this before I'm too ill to write anymore. =) I've been getting some varying reviews from people and I wanted to ask your understanding and to please refrain from being to critical, okies? It's just a story about a proud guy and a stubborn girl nothing more. If you like it review, if not that is okies too. =D our support over the past three years has meant so much to me thankyou! Remember to toss me a review and I will see you next chapter. =D I love you all, Fuzzi