Hey everyone! Sooooo...I planned to do only one Squad for each chapter. Buuuut...well, this chapter ran a little long. 34 pages long. So I decided to split this up so some people don't get intimidated. I left it a kind of a cliffhanger, so sorry about that... I couldn't find a better place to do the split. Next week will have the second part, and a little mini-chapter for Squad 7. The truth behind that is because, wlell... I don't have ANY clue what to do for that Squad. I know what to do for Squad 10, though, so that's good. XD
This chapter is dedicated to Hummingbird742. Hope you did well on that presentation, bruh!
Glaaaaaaaaaare…
Ryoko's and Byakuya's eyes locked onto each other the second the girl walked into the Squad Six barracks. The boy had immediately glared at her, his disdain for the girl who had helped prank him being clearly visible. Ryoko was less-than pleased with having to spend time with him, as well, and she had shared her opinion of the boy with Ukitake.
"Give him a chance, Ryoko," the man had told her, "He has a hot temper, but he's a good kid once you get to know him."
Reluctantly, Ryoko had promised to give him a chance. But that didn't mean she'd have to like it. It certainly didn't help when Byakuya already had bad blood with her.
Needless to say, when they saw each other when she got there, she immediately regretted making that promise.
"What's she doing here?" Byakuya asked, his lip curling upward slightly.
His father, and the Lieutenant of Squad Six, looked at his son with a soft smile. "Ryoko is going to be staying with us for a week starting today. She'll be staying inside the Kuchiki mansion, as well."
Byakuya gave him a wide-eyed incredulous look that spoke, 'are you kidding me?'.
"Thank you for bringing her over, Captain Ukitake," Ginrei Kuchiki said, bowing slightly in respect and thanks. Ukitake smiled and bowed back.
"It was no problem," Ukitake replied, before looking down to Ryoko, who looked very uncomfortable despite her best efforts. "Ryoko, don't worry. You'll be fine."
Ryoko gave him the same 'are you kidding me?' look before whispering, "Did you not see the look he was giving me?!"
Ukitake only smiled comfortingly, ruffling her hair before standing back up and facing the Captain and Lieutenant. "Well, I should be heading off now. I trust you'll take good care of her."
"Of course," Sojun said with a nod.
Ukitake left, leaving Ryoko in the hands of the Kuchiki clan. Ryoko looked nervously toward Byakuya, who was no longer looking toward her. He was looking off to the side, a scowl on his face and his arms crossed. Ryoko gulped, remembering her promise, and hesitantly walked over to him. "U-um…" Byakuya looked at her through the corner of his eye. "I-I think we got off on the w-wrong foot…" She smiled nervously at him. "I-I was thinking… Maybe we could be friends?"
Byakuya stared at her for a long moment before his eyes narrowed into a hard glare. "I don't have time to waste on a kid like you." Ryoko flinched at the harsh tone and watched as the young teen stormed off. She looked down in defeat, her shoulders slumped and her arms hanging. She felt a hand on her shoulder and looked up to see Sojun with a worried look.
"Now listen up," Ginrei said, getting Ryoko's attention, "While you're here you're not going to be goofing off. You will learn the basics of fighting with a Zanpakuto. Ukitake has told me that not only do you wish to learn, but you sometimes hear your Zanpakuto Spirit, as well."
Ryoko nodded. "Y-yes… Though they've been a bit quiet lately…"
Ginrei nodded. "I see. Have you been able to connect with your Spirit outside of the realm of sleep?"
"Mhm."
The old man hummed in thought before speaking again, "Very well. Your connection with your Spirit is strong enough for us to skip that phase of training." He turned to Sojun. "Sojun, I trust you can show her the room she will be staying in as well as other places of importance? I have some work I need to finish."
"Yes, father."
Ginrei turned back to Ryoko. "Your training will begin tomorrow in the training grounds. I expect to see you there bright and early." He turned, not noticing the wilted look Ryoko had on her face at the last part.
She looked over to Sojun. "Are all of your family members sticks-in-the-mud?" she asked. Sojun chuckled.
"You get used to it." He shrugged, then started walking. "Come on, I'll show you around."
Ryoko smiled and walked by his side. "Okay!"
The two walked through the barracks, with Sojun pointing out the important places within. A few of them were the training grounds, mess hall, and living quarters, among other things. The place was huge, so they walked quite a ways between each point of interest. They also ran into/saw quite a lot of Soul Reapers. Thanks to Shinji's little "lesson", she wasn't quite as terrified of them, but she still stiffened when she saw some get too close.
"Do you have any questions?" the Lieutenant asked. They had taken a break and were back in the mess hall so Ryoko could get a snack. They were sitting opposite of each other at the table.
Ryoko looked up from her plate of food to the man in front of her. She swallowed her food before answering, "Nope." And she went right back to eating.
Sojun smiled softly. Her actions reminded him of his son when he was around her age. He was much kinder then.
A frown formed on his lips and his eyes became downcast as he thought about his deceased wife. Once she died, Byakuya became more hostile toward others. He wanted to fix it, but he didn't know how.
"Are you okay?" She frowned. "You look sad."
He smiled sadly. "I'm just thinking about my wife." Ryoko's frown deepened in understanding.
"Oh… I'm sorry."
Sojun shook his head. "No, don't apologize. You couldn't have known. You just got here, after all."
Ryoko looked down at her food. "It's hard living without a mommy…" Sojun frowned. "That's why Byakuya's like that, right?" His head lowered. "I guess Byakuya and I aren't so different…" His head lifted toward her with sad eyes slightly widened. Ryoko smiled. "But my friends helped me through it. Uno and Uki and Goldilocks… They've helped me a lot. Maybe Byakuya just needs a friend."
"Ryoko…"
Ryoko's soft smile turned to one of determination. "Right! I'll be Byakuya's friend whether he likes it or not!" she exclaimed, raising her chopsticks into the air.
Sojun couldn't help the relieved and happy smile that formed on his face. Even when Byakuya was mean to her, she was still willing to help him because of their shared pain. 'Thank you...Ryoko.'
"Woah!" Ryoko stared wide-eyed at the large mansion in front of her. It was huge! "This is where you live?!"
Sojun chuckled at her shock. "Yes. And this entire area is our estate. From the koi pond to the walls on the other side." He pointed to each place as he spoke. Ryoko's jaw continued to drop in shock.
"So huge…" she whispered in awe. Sojun chuckled again.
"Come on, let me show you around inside." He nudged her forward, breaking her out of her trance. She followed him through the building, taking in everything he said as she looked around at the intricate rooms and decor.
"This place is amazing…"
"It's quite beautiful, isn't it?"
"KYAH!" Ryoko jumped and screamed, causing Sojun to quickly turn to her in shock at the sudden noise.
"Ryoko? What's wrong?" he asked worriedly as Ryoko shook her head roughly for a moment.
"Nothing, I just heard the voice in my head again." She looked up at him with a sorry smile. "Sorry for scaring you."
Sojun smiled. "It's fine." They started walking again. "So, what did the voice say?" he asked, his curiosity getting the better of him. Ryoko chuckled.
"She said this place was really pretty."
"I said beautiful, but okay."
Ryoko had to keep herself from chuckling at the female Spirit's sarcasm.
"I see. Well, tell her I said thank you."
"Okay!" A pause. "She said she could hear you."
The man shook his head in amusement. "Right." He looked to his left and stopped walking, causing Ryoko to do the same. "Alright, this is where you will be staying for the week." He opened the door, revealing a large room. Well, large to her.
In the far-right corner was a futon, neatly made and ready. On the other side was a bureau and a desk a couple feet away from each other made of dark wood and polish. In the middle of the room was a large, ornate rug colored with different hues of pink, blue, and purple. Next to the bed was a sliding two-door closet. A couple beautifully painted pictures were placed on the walls, as well. And on the wall above the futon was a rectangular window stretched horizontally, which showed a beautiful view of the gardens and koi pond.
"Amazing!" she exclaimed, "I know I've said that about a hundred-gazillion times now, but it's just so AMAZING!" She ran into the room, looking around excitedly.
"I'm glad you like it." Sojun watched with amusement as the child ran around her new room.
Eventually, Ryoko's excitement dwindled down until she was calm enough to sit on the futon without bouncing up and down. Sojun leant against the doorframe, his arms crossed. "There are extra clothes in the closet, including pajamas and normal clothes so you do not have to walk around in the Shinigami uniform."
"Thank you," she said with a smile. He smiled back.
"Byakuya's room is next to yours, and mine is just a few doors down on the right. Alright?" Ryoko nodded in understanding. He pushed himself off the frame. "Alright. I'll let you wander around. But be careful, alright? If you break anything, you'll have to face the Captain's wrath. And you don't want to see him angry." Ryoko shuddered a bit at the warning.
"O-okay… Thanks for the warning."
He nodded, then turned and walked off, leaving Ryoko alone.
After a while of doing absolutely nothing and being alone, Ryoko decided to find someone to hang around with. She didn't care if it was a maid or whatever, she just didn't want to be so bored!
She walked over to her closet and opened it, curious as to what outfits were given to her. Each outfit was carefully folded or hung up in the closet, making it easy to find the one she wanted. After a careful debate in her head with her spirits, Ryoko finally decided on a very light blue kimono with sky blue and purple floral patterns and swirls on the bottom and sleeves. A sky blue and purple sash also wrapped around her stomach, with a thick bow on the back. She pulled her hair into a tall ponytail but kept the hair pins in to keep her bangs out of her face.
When she finished dressing, she looked at herself in the mirror, making sure her ponytail was centered.
"You look fine, Ryoko," the female Spirit said after a couple minutes of said girl fussing over her hair.
"It looks crooked…" she muttered.
"I don't see why you're fussing over something so trivial," the male Spirit said, making Ryoko roll her eyes. "-'s right. You look fine."
Ryoko's eyes widened and she froze for a moment before slamming her hands on the mirror and looked into her own eyes. "Wait! What did you say?!"
"I said -'s right. You look fine how you are."
Ryoko frowned. She wasn't imagining it. He said the female's name, but she couldn't hear it. Whenever she should, a strange buzzing noise rang through her ears each time, blocking his voice. She sighed, her tense muscles loosening and her arms going back to her sides as she leaned back. Her eyes were downcast.
"Oh, Ryoko… Please don't be upset. Once day you will learn of our names. You just have to be patient," the female Spirit said soothingly.
"I know… But it's still annoying."
"I know you're frustrated, but it will feel that much better when you are able to learn our names," she replied. Ryoko sighed, feeling a wave of calm flow through her, courtesy of the Spirit. "Come on. You said you were bored, right? Let's go find someone for you to hang out with."
Ryoko reluctantly nodded. "Okay…"
She walked toward the door, stopped, and ran back to the mirror to check her kimono.
"JUST GO!" the male voice growled. Ryoko jumped and ran out of the room with a squeak.
Ryoko walked around the manor, looking for someone interesting to hang out with. Unfortunately, with a house that big, she was bound to not run into a lot of people. Annoyed, she decided to go outside to the koi pond. When she went outside, however, movement caught her eye. She looked over and saw Byakuya training in the field. Her bored look transformed into that of relief at having found another person, and she ran up to him. "Hey, Bya-kun!"
Her exclamation caused the boy to whip around toward her, his eyes wide in surprise. But it quickly swapped into a look of annoyance when he saw who called him. "What do you want?"
"I was bored so I wanted to find someone to hang out with. You were the first person I saw."
"I told you, I don't have time to entertain a child like yourself," he said with a glare. Ryoko winced slightly, but quickly recovered and smiled.
"Well, you're going to have to live with me for a week, so you might as well get used to me bugging you, Bya-kun," she joked with a smirk. Byakuya frowned.
"Don't call me that."
"Why not?"
"It's stupid."
"Goldilocks said the same thing…"
"Ryoko, I'm serious!" He turned to her fully, glaring down at her. "I don't want to hang out with you! I'm busy."
Ryoko's smile faltered slightly, as she winced slightly at his tone, though it was faint. "Well… You wouldn't be annoyed if I just sit on the sidelines and watched you train, right?" she asked, a bit nervously. Byakuya didn't seem to catch her nervousness as he turned away with a scowl.
"Fine, whatever. Just stay out of my way." When Byakuya turned away, Ryoko's smile turned into a sad, defeated frown. Silently, she walked over to a bench and sat down, her hands resting on the wood. She watched Byakuya perform different fighting moves with the bamboo sword.
"Well he seems pleasant…" the male voice growled, "I don't understand why you're trying to befriend this guy."
"She's just trying to be nice," the female replied, "He's experienced the same pain as her, though on a smaller scale. He needs a friend."
"He's not worth it."
"Guys, please…" Ryoko muttered under her breath, looking down at the ground. "I already promised Sojun and Uki that I would give him a chance…" She looked up to see Byakuya facing away from her, completely focused. "I can't give up so easily."
The male Spirit sighed. "You're wasting your breath and time, Ryoko. But I know I can't stop you. Just be warned."
Ryoko sighed, closing her eyes and bowing her head. She heard a grunt and looked up to see Byakuya hitting a dummy in different areas. She watched in fascination, imagining herself being in his position. He was fast, and strong; able to move from one spot to another with incredible speed. Then, he jumped back and held out his hand. "Hado Number 31: Shakkaho!" A red orb shot out of his hand and hit the dummy, incinerating it.
Just like the target, Ryoko's imagination shattered and she looked down. She knew she could never perform Kido due to the stress placed on her heart whenever she tries even the most basic spells. The only thing she could do would be healing Kido, but that's it. She kicked a pebble in annoyance.
"This is stupid…"
"If you're just going to talk to yourself, do you mind going away?" Ryoko's head shot up to see Byakuya once again glaring at her through the corner of his eye. "It's distracting me."
"U-um… Sorry…" she muttered, withering slightly under his glare. An idea popped into her mind not a moment later. "Hey Bya-kun!" Said boy, who was just about to swing his sword again, growled under his breath and turned to her angrily.
"What?"
Ryoko stood and ran up to him. "Do you think you could teach me a couple of those moves? They looked really cool!" The teen scoffed and turned away.
"No way. You're going to start training tomorrow so there's no point."
"But if I start early, then I can get a head start on training," she reasoned. Byakuya raised an eyebrow and Ryoko sighed. "Fine, how about this: if you teach me a couple techniques, then I won't bother you for the rest of the day. I can't promise anything for the rest of the week."
"Deal." Ryoko's eye twitched slightly at how quickly he agreed to the deal, but couldn't complain. "Stay here. I'll get another bokken."
"No way!" Ryoko exclaimed. Byakuya frowned.
"What now?"
"How do I know you'll come back?" she asked, crossing her arms skeptically. Byakuya rolled his eyes.
"Unlike most people, I actually keep my word." Ryoko raised an eyebrow, making the boy sigh again. "Just trust me, alright?"
Her eyes narrowed for a moment before nodding. "Okay. I trust you. But if you don't come back, I'll tell the Lieutenant!"
Byakuya didn't answer as he ran back into the manor. She huffed and dropped to the ground, humming as she waited.
He returned a few minutes later with two bokken in his hands. He tossed one over to her when he was close enough, and watched in amusement when it hit Ryoko's face when she failed to catch it.
"Owie…" she rubbed her nose as she stood, holding the bamboo sword in her left hand.
"Oh don't start whining before we've even started," Byakuya groaned, rolling his eyes. Ryoko huffed, but lowered her hand and stopped whimpering as the pain dulled. "Alright, now hold your sword out in front of you. Keep your arms straight and down, and point the sword slightly upward." Ryoko did as told, with Byakuya helping fix any mistakes. "Keep your legs spread apart." He kicked one of her legs lightly, silently telling her to move it in more. She did so, and with a few more corrections, her stance was good.
Byakuya took a couple steps back to inspect the stance before nodding. "Alright." He did the same stance, looking forward. "Now, raise your sword above your head and swing downward, moving your foot forward when needed. Like this." He performed the quick but easy swing, his foot moving forward as he swung. He performed the action a couple more times to make sure she knew how, then relaxed and turned to her. "Now you try."
Ryoko nodded, then looked forward. She took a deep breath before raising her sword above her head and swinging down, her foot moving forward. Byakuya's eyebrows raised in surprise.
"Are you left-handed?"
"Huh?" Ryoko looked up at him in confusion. "Yeah. Why?" She stood straight and turned to him.
"Not many Shinigami in the Soul Society are left-handed. I'm just surprised, is all. Now do it again."
Ryoko huffed, but complied. She swung again, and again, and again. A couple times she had to be corrected with either her stance or her swing. But after a few corrections the swing was perfected, and they moved on to the next one. And the next one.
It took a couple tries, but she took to each technique much more easily than Byakuya had expected. He was, dare he say it, impressed with the kid. Due to her age, he never thought she would be so focused and gifted in Zanjutsu. He decided to kick it up a notch.
"Alright, now this time, try and pour some Reiatsu into your swing." At Ryoko's questioning look, he elaborated. "Focus your Spirit Energy into your hands, then extend it into the sword. Here." He took his sword and extended it in front of him. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath.
Ryoko's eyes widened as the bamboo sword gained a pink glow. Byakuya opened his eyes and swung, a small arc of pink energy shooting out and cutting one of the dummies, but not all the way through. "Woah!"
Byakuya lowered the sword and turned to her. "I didn't put a lot of my power into the blow, but that's the gist of it." Ryoko nodded in understanding. "Try to only pour a little bit into your sword. But if you pour in too much, then you'll end up breaking it from the stress. Just go nice and slow."
"Right," Ryoko said with a nod. She faced one of the untouched dummies, pointing her sword at it in a ready stance. She closed her eyes and took a deep, calming breath. She felt the Reiatsu inside her body, most of it being suppressed by her necklace. She concentrated it down her arms, and into her hands. Her eyebrows scrunched up slightly as she tried pushing it into the sword, but it seemed to just... disobey.
"Don't get stressed. It'll only make it harder," the female Spirit told her. Ryoko felt two hands being placed on the back of hers, as if helping her. "Think of the sword like an extention of yourself. If you think of it as a weapon, an object, then your Reiatsu will not want to flow."
Ryoko took another deep breath as she did what the Spirit said. 'Think of the sword like a part of me…' She felt the Reiatsu slowly flowing into the blade.
Byakuya's eyes widened as the bokken gained a blue aura, and his eyes widened even more when the aura started getting bigger and brighter. "...Uh-oh."
Ryoko raised her sword and opened her eyes, her pupils becoming bright-red slits. "HYAH!" She swung down.
"What happened here?"
Byakuya and Ryoko's heads were downcast as they stood in front of a furious Squad Captain. Their hair and clothes were dishevelled, with their hair no longer in ponytails and cascading down in knotted messes. In their hands were their bokken, though Ryoko's was only the handle and it was charred. Behind them was the field they were practicing in…
...which now looked like a warzone caught in a hurricane that was on fire.
Trees were blown back and the grass was charred in a circle, burned to a crisp black. Extending from one part of the circle was a large and deep gash that went all the way to the koi pond, and was now acting as a channel for a water. The grass and rocks by the gash were also incinerated.
Ryoko shifted in her spot, her foot rubbing against the floorboards in nervousness. "I-I'm sorry…" she muttered, getting Ginrei's attention, but she didn't look at him. "I didn't mean to destroy your property. But I couldn't control my Reiatsu and it got out of hand…"
"And why exactly were you using our bokken?" he asked angrily, making Ryoko wince. She really hated being yelled at…
"W-well… I-I thought that if I-I learned the basics now, I-I-I w-wouldn't be s-so pathetic…when I t-trained with y-you…" She looked to the side, rubbing her arm worriedly. "S-so I asked Bya-kun to teach me some…"
Ginrei's attention immediately turned to Byakuya, who barely contained a flinch. "And why would you teach her a dangerous move like that?" Byakuya looked up at him.
"But Grandfather, I didn't know that she had so little control! If I did, then I-"
"That's enough!" Both kids flinched.
"Byakuya, you are my Grandson, and because of that, your punishment will be carried out here. But you," His sights turned to Ryoko, who withered under his dark look, despite not actually seeing it. "After I agreed so graceously to let you live here for a week, something we Kuchiki's rarely do, if ever. And you repay me by destroying my own property within the first day of being here!" His voice rose, making Ryoko sink further. Byakuya gave her a sidelong sympathetic look, knowing exactly what she was going through with his Grandfather. "Because of that, I-"
"Now, now, father."
Ginrei stopped and turned his head to see Sojun walking over to them, stopping next to the Captain. A calm smile was on his face, as usual. Ryoko lifted her head and looked at him, not having expected him to be there.
"Sojun."
"It was an accident, father. Clearly they didn't mean to cause so much destruction. And even I can tell how genuinely sorry they are," the kind man looked to the two kids with a soft smile.
"It doesn't matter! She has destroyed our property-"
"And she will clean it," Sojun interrupted, turning to look at his father. "I would think that to be a more suitable punishment than simply kicking her out, don't you think?"
He and Ginrei played the staring contest for what seemed like an eternity to Ryoko. But finally, Ginrei relented.
"Fine. I will allow her to stay." He looked at the girl. "But you're to no longer use those kinds of techniques. And your training will be withheld until the mess is completely clean and the field is spotless! Understand?" Ryoko gave a weak nod. Ginrei turned to Byakuya. "And you will assist her."
Byakuya's eyes widened. "Me? Why?"
"You are as much to blame as Ryoko for this little event. Unless you would rather wait for the original punishment?" Byakuya winced, knowing he would be better off cleaning.
"No, Grandfather. I'll go with Ryoko..."
"Good." Ginrei nodded before turning and walking away.
Sojun turned and looked at the kids and opened his mouth to speak, but Ryoko beat him to it.
"I'm sorry, Mr. Kuchiki… but I really didn't mean to do what I did!"
"I know you didn't, Ryoko. But you still did it, and you have to be punished." He put his hand on her head, rubbing it slightly. "Don't feel so down. It was a mistake, and you apologized. Just don't do it again, alright?" Ryoko sniffled, but nodded. Sojun smiled and stood. "I'll let you two get started. The sooner you start cleaning, the faster you'll get done."
He walked away, and Ryoko fidgeted in her spot. "U-um… Bya-kun?"
"Let's go," Byakuya stated, turning and walking toward the field. Ryoko watched him walk away, a worried and sad frown on her face.
Ryoko yawned as she walked back to her room. Her hands, face, and kimono were covered in dirt. Her legs and arms burned when she moved them, making her wince slightly as she walked. Sweat covered her face, matting her hair to her skin.
She and Byakuya had worked for about ten hours on fixing the field, with a couple breaks in-between for food or just to rest. They had fixed the koi pond and started working on the gash in the ground, but there was still a long way to go. Needless to say, Byakuya would never look at koi the same way again.
Speaking of Byakuya, he wasn't happy. Ryoko tried to talk to him while they were cleaning, but he would either give short replies, or just simply not speak at all. Eventually she gave up, and the two silently worked.
Ryoko opened her door and walked into her room, not bothering to close it before collapsing onto the bed with a muffled groan.
"Oh, don't be so dramatic. A good exercise never hurt anyone."
"Shut up Flamey…" came her muffled reply.
"Flamey?!" the male voice exclaimed in surprise.
Ryoko moved her head to the side. "I can't just keep calling you 'the male voice inside my head'. If you won't give me your true name, I'll just give you one."
"I'm afraid it doesn't work like that, Ryoko," the female replied while 'Flamey' grumbled in the back of her mind.
"Oh relax." She yawned, feeling her eyes tear up but too lazy and pained to actually wipe them away. "It's not permanent… I just wanna call you guys something…" Her eyes started to close.
"Get some rest, Ryoko," she said soothingly, "You have a long day ahead of you."
Ryoko winced as she sat up on her bed, her body still sore from the night before. She sighed, then grimaced as she smelled something unpleasant-herself. She quickly got up and went to her closet, picking out a new outfit-one that will actually be more fit for working. Then she went into the bathroom to take a shower.
She came out about an hour later, her entire body feeling so much better. She used her towel to make sure it wouldn't drip with excess water as she walked back to her room. She put her dirty clothes by the closet, then went to the bureau. She grabbed a hair elastic and tied her hair up once again into a high-ponytail, with a couple strands framing her face. She separated her hair pins so there was one on each side to help keep her bangs out of her face.
She now wore another version of her shinigami outfit, with the bottom of the hakama being more tight-fitting.*
(*The kind of outfit Inuyasha wears.)
When she finished dressing, she walked to the dining room where they were serving breakfast. She sat down and started to eat. During her meal, she heard soft footsteps behind her. When she looked, she saw Byakuya walk past her, sit down on the left side of the table, and silently eat. Ryoko looked down at her plate of food, gripping her chopsticks tightly. The tension around the table was near-unbearable for her. She had to say something-anything!
"B-Byakuya?" she called softly, still looking down at her plate, "A-about yesterday… I'm sorry. I didn't mean for you to get in trouble and-"
"It's fine," he cut her off. Ryoko looked up to him, but his eyes were closed, so she couldn't tell if he was being genuine or not.
Her gut said he wasn't.
After breakfast, Ryoko walked through the halls. Her eyes were looking to the ground, and her hands were balled into fists to keep them from shaking. After a couple minutes of walking, she stopped, and looked up at the door in front of her. Behind that door was the Squad Six Captain, Ginrei Kuchiki. She gulped, her nerves telling her to run away, but she knew she couldn't.
"I keep telling you, girl. That boy is not worth this much trouble!"
"Shush! Let her do what she wants."
Ryoko shook her head, trying to ignore the voices in her head. She inhaled sharply, raising her hand to knock on the door…
Byakuya groaned in annoyance, leaning against the wall facing the destroyed garden. He had finished breakfast a little after Ryoko had, and had been waiting for about fifteen minutes for her to actually show up so they could start. His eye twitched in aggravation. He looked up at the sky again before sighing and pushing himself off the wall.
He turned and started stalking through the hallway. "Stupid girl… This isn't the time for a stupid nap!" He stopped at the door to her room and knocked, but no reply came. His eye twitching once again, he slid the door open hard, his eyes widening slightly when he found the place empty.
He searched the bathrooms, the dining room, basically anywhere he thought she might be. But she was nowhere to be found!
He was walking down the halls again when he heard voices coming from his Grandfather's room. His curiosity getting the better of him, he started walking in that direction. As he got closer, he could make out one of the voices-Ryoko. His speed increased further, though not quite a run. He knocked on the door. "Grandfather?"
The voices stopped, and there was a small pause of silence before he heard his Grandfather speak, "Enter."
So he did. He slid the door open, revealing Ryoko and Ginrei. They were facing each other, though their heads were turned to him. Ryoko seemed surprised to see him, and her hand was halfway in the air, caught mid-gesture. Ginrei was staring at him blankly, though a small frown was on his face.
"What's going on in here?" he asked, confusion written all over his face. Ginrei didn't answer, only turning to Ryoko to continue their interrupted conversation.
"Very well, Ryoko. Your point has been made. I'll make an exception in your case. Now leave, before I change my mind."
Ryoko smiled and bowed in respect. "Thank you, Captain." She turned and ran out of the room, not even glancing at Byakuya as she passed.
"Wha-hey!" Byakuya exclaimed, watching as she left without his question being answered. He made to follow.
"Byakuya," Ginrei called, stopping the boy in his tracks, "Why are you here?"
The small boy turned to his Grandfather. "I apologize for interrupting your conversation, sir. I was searching for Ryoko so we could continue cleaning the field today. She didn't show up, so I searched the house," he explained. Ginrei hummed for a moment before turning away.
"You do not need to fix the garden, Byakuya." Said boy's eyes widened in shock.
"Why not?"
"Ryoko has agreed to do the work herself. She claims that you had tried to warn her about the dangers of the technique, and had even given a demonstration on what to do. Because of this, she told me that you had no reason to be punished along with her, as it was her own recklessness that caused the destruction." Byakuya's eyes widened even more in disbelief. "While I do not agree with her judgement, she was quite adamant about her decision. So I have decided to humor her, and accept her request. But make no mistake: I will not do it again."
The young boy was completely speechless, his anger and annoyance toward the girl completely forgotten. He didn't understand why she would do that. What the heck did she have to gain? Nothing! Absolutely nothing. So why?
"Thank you, Grandfather," Byakuya said as he bowed in respect, his mind still reeling.
"Hmph. It's not me you should thank. Now leave. I have work to do."
The young boy left, his eyebrows creased in thought. That girl was a complete fool! Doesn't she know how long it would take for a single person to clean up that mess? Let alone a child?
He blinked out of his thoughts and looked up, surprised to see his feet had led him to the veranda. Looking out he saw Ryoko working on the large gash in the ground. She was quiet, excluding a couple grunts, and she seemed to be working diligently.
Byakuya played with the thought of just leaving her be, but his curiosity was just too great, and he found himself walking over to her. She was facing away from him, and judging by her level of experience, she can't properly detect Spiritual Pressure. Oh he was going to have a little fun with this.
He snuck up behind her, leaned close to her ear, and whispered, "Boo."
Alright, so...
Talking about the time where I mentioned InuYasha's outfit: I don't usually like doing that sort of thing. Doing a little Author's Note in the middle of the story kinda irks me since it takes away some of the immersion. But, to be fair, I ALSO hate having to go up and down between the little note down here and where I was reading just to figure out what something is. It annoys me, but I can see why people do it. Heck, one of my favorite Fanfics does it. But I digress.
As I said, the whole chapter is about 34 pages, and if I recall correctly, this goes up to around the middle of the sixteenth page. Hopefully you guys enjoyed this! If you have ANY suggestions for what Ryoko should do during her time with the other Squads, let me know. I may just use some of them~ And I will give you guys credit for coming up with them.
Let me know how you guys liked it by writing a review below! It really helps. Love ya!