Soft footfalls sound through high grasses dotted with wildflowers of several colors. Soft hands graze each flower before moving on to the next one as petite steps sluggishly glide through the massive gardens of the Kuchiki Estates. The elder Kuchiki had rushed from the estates before the sun had even risen this morning without revealing anything to the concerned occupants of the manor. The elders, after having severely diminished her freedoms and access to many things within the manor as punishment for her appalling behavior, seemed to be content with her behavior as of late and did little to worry over her any longer. For the first weeks of her punishments she had been with a member of the elder council for most of the day and messengers were to follow her to and from work to report on any misconduct. Now several weeks later she knew that the elders were much calmer and more lenient with her behavior knowing that she walked the straight and narrow. They only allowed such leniency after one of them had found her crying herself sick after Byakuya dismissed her from all meetings in his ire. The elderly woman, with grey hair and startling green eyes, knew with one glance at the petite raven haired girl's eyes that she would forever hate herself for disappointing her brother in such a way.
Rukia knew without a doubt that no matter what she would never do anything to make her brother look at her in the way he had that day. His eyes were so sad. Byakuya was angry, she knew that and he had been angry with her before, but he was so disappointed in her and she had never seen those emotions directed at her before. A piece of her heart died the night he told her that she was not permitted to enter the meetings anymore. In that moment she felt as if she had let her brother down so much that he regretted ever adopting her. After a few moments she comes full circle through the gardens and exits them into the front courtyard. Standing before her are three people as well as her brother. His arm is wrapped securely around a very short, black haired woman, and the dark haired couple several years older than her brother. "Nii-sama…welcome home…" Byakuya turns sharply at his sister's hesitant tone and watches as she bows quickly to him and offers him a resigned half-smile.
Releasing his beloved wife, successfully without looking back at her, he walks silently toward the trembling girl who appears to have been crying once more. Rukia is shocked into silence when her brother hugs her tightly and then proceeds to drag her toward the small trio of black haired people. As she draws closer her lips fall open as she finally realizes who is standing nearest them. The other woman's violet eyes have tears in them as they trace and retrace Rukia's features. "Rukia I would like you to meet my Tou-san and Kaa-san, Sojun and Isae." Rukia's hands are trembling as she bows deeply. Her heart lurches as the curvy woman draws her into a tight hug and presses a kiss to her forehead.
"I have heard a great deal about you…you certainly fit what Sojun's children would be." Isae winks and at Sojun's outrageous expression she playfully pokes her tongue out at him and flicks him on the forehead. "Boke you know as well as I do that Kuya-kun takes after me and not you! Heaven forbid it if he did."
Sojun pouts but draws Rukia into a tight, fatherly hug as well. "It is a pleasure to finally meet the girl, or rather woman, that Hisana-chan has not been able to be silent about for all these years." Sojun pats her head softly and with his fingers still in her hair and smiles blindingly down at her. "Now I won't keep you from your sister any longer dear…if I did I'm afraid she will maul me trying to get to you. Come along Isae, let's go and see how our manor has changed since we were last there. Damn it woman don't hit me and where the hell did you get a rock!" Sojun stalks after the woman who is already gracefully dancing up the steps and into the manor. Her black hair sways with each step and once the pair are inside, despite the raucous of the elders seeing them again, Rukia can hear them arguing with one another and something crashing.
"Perhaps I should make sure Kaa-san doesn't kill Tou-san…how you dealt with them for so many years I will never know." Rukia watches as Byakuya presses a kiss to Hisana's forehead and then smiles brightly as he does the same to her in passing before practically sprinting up the steps as his father starts yelling profanities about shoes and terrible Shiba women.
When Rukia finally turns to meet the gaze of Hisana, the older woman is staring at her with a loving smile on her face. Her eyes are glazed with tears once again and she lunged at Rukia knocking both of them to the ground with the force of her hug. "Kami I never thought I would see you again Rukes! I've missed those pretty violet eyes so very much!" Hisana presses a kiss to each of cheeks before grabbing her cheeks and turning her head this way and that.
"Nee-sama…we're on the ground…anyone could see us like this!" Hisana frowns and flicks Rukia's nose causing her to sneeze. Hisana nearly grins at their position and then rolls her eyes before hopping up and practically dragging Rukia back toward the gardens.
"Rukes don't you dare call me that horrid title. Hisa-nee will be just fine and I'll have you know Byakuya was just fine with having me knock him to the ground in the fourth this morning. Kai and Ichi were even there as well as most of Byakuya's family! I don't know what that baka taught you but formality is sparse with Tou-san and Kaa-san around." Hisana grips her hand tightly as if afraid to let go and Rukia lets her. After Hisana falls silent Rukia simply stares at the older woman for as long as she possibly can. Her violet eyes memorize and rememorize those lovely features that are so like her own.
"I'm glad you're alive, Hisa-nee." Hisana knows that the whisper was scarcely meant for her ears and remains silent as they walk slowly through the massive gardens that somehow grew much larger since her last time in them.
~~CxB~~
Ichigo huffs in annoyance as he falls into his chair for the first time all day. Apparently the sotaicho found it appropriate to make him and Shaolin scout each bantai and research them well into the afternoon and then push several stacks of paperwork at them. Momo opens the door with a tray of tea and what Ichigo believes is lunch for him. "Ichigo I've brought you lunch before your meeting with Ukitake-taicho. Make sure you eat everything since I know you and Soi-fon didn't eat breakfast this morning. Also, the sotaicho sent over more paper work this morning but I took the liberty of finishing it and all they need is your signature. I'm going to put the file on the table right here and then I'm going out to lunch."
"That's alright Momo, just sit everything there and I'll make sure to eat and get you something special for doing work that wasn't yours. Maybe you'd like to accompany Toshiro down to the academy in my place tomorrow?" Momo grins dazzlingly before bowing and scurrying out of the room. Shaking his head Ichigo finishes the last of his paperwork and moves to his sofa. He begins signing paperwork as he eats his lunch and drinks his tea. He falls into an easy routine and doesn't even realize someone is knocking at his door until it slides open. He glances up to see a hesitant Rukia standing with several files in her hands.
"Gomen Shiba-taicho, Ukitake-taicho wasn't feeling very well today and sent me in his place. If you aren't finished with your lunch yet I can come back later or…" Rukia cuts off abruptly when Ichigo holds up his hands and waves her toward a seat. He ignores her trembling as he picks up his now empty tray and places it in his sink to wash later. He washes his hands quickly and them collects the paperwork he had signed to put it in the box of finished work. Honestly the piles were massive he's surprised he got all of it done so quickly.
"Don't worry so much." Ichigo grins easily over his shoulder as he searches for his notes from earlier this morning when he wasn't practically drowning in paperwork. "I figured Ukitake-san would be too sick to meet with me either way and I would have come there but Yama-jii just decided that Shaolin and I had too little paperwork to do."
Rukia watches as Ichigo scratches at his head in confusion for several moments before returning to searching through his office for something while muttering things like 'damn woman' and 'meddlesome organization'. After a few moments he grins in victory and pulls a notepad from underneath a pile of uncompleted paperwork that has a note addressed to him in elegant handwriting. "That's good…Nii-sama passes on his pleasantries…as does Hisa-nee." Ichigo looks up in surprise for a moment before smiling and settling in across from the violet eyed girl.
"Ah um tell them I return them whatever they were…or actually tell Byakuya to stop being stupid and visit. Anyway…I'm sure Ukitake-san briefed you on what we're talking about and since Shaolin couldn't be here either I'm just going to dive right in." Rukia nods and poises her paint brush to begin writing down notes. "We're going to be working with the jusanbantai and the jubantai on Saturday mornings at dawn. The first meeting will be held at the jubantai, as per request from Toshiro, and the second held at the Jusanbantai. You will meet together every other day and on the days that you do not meet you will train individually at the same time each day; dawn."
Ichigo glances up from his notes and watches as Rukia scribbles away furiously and bites her lip in the process. She was still quite pretty but as he stared at her he couldn't find the adoration and love he had once felt for her. He was sure that with time they could be friends once more if not as close friends as they had been before their disastrous relationship but other than that he felt no emotions for the woman. "Ukitake-taicho also would like to know what days we will be visiting the barracks to study your training methods." Ichigo taps his chin and holds up and finger before popping up from his seat and gliding effortlessly toward a large cork board where there are several sheets of paper, rather neat for him, stuck to the board.
"The jusanbantai and the jubantai will be joining us Saturday. You will be the last group to join us before we begin training." Ichigo turns back around and watches as Rukia looks at him for a long moment. He knows from experience that she's trying to decide whether or not she should ask him something. "If you could Rukia…would you tell your family that Kaa-san invited you to dinner tomorrow night? She says that it's been far too long since everyone has gotten together and that she would like to meet all the new additions to the families. She's especially excited to meet the adopted Kuchiki that her Yakuya-kun speaks so highly of."
Ichigo watches as Rukia's eyes widen in awe and surprise before she nods softly and gathers her things quickly. Ichigo watches in dissatisfaction as she prepares to leave without saying what she was thinking about saying. He's pleasantly surprised when she pauses by the unopened doors and turns to look at him over her shoulder. "Um…gomen Ichigo. I was incredibly wrong to treat you the way I did and to go behind your back and against the trust you put in me. I know now that what I did was wrong and that I hurt you a lot. I know that you are happy now and I'm happy for you but I hope that one day you will forgive me for what I have done." Ichigo grins softly at her and she tilts her head to the side in surprise.
"Don't worry about it midget I wouldn't have moved on if I hadn't forgiven you. You know I'm not one to hold grudges besides it not like Lin wouldn't kick my ass if I didn't get over myself. Make sure Byakuya gets his face off of Hisana's and comes to dinner or Kaa-san will be really upset alright?" Rukia nods and laughs softly before disappearing out of the office and shutting the doors behind her. Ichigo nearly jump in surprise when thin arms wrap around his waist and a petite chin digs into his back.
"If I didn't know you better I would think you still cared for her." Shaolin slips easily under his arm and hugs him front the front. Grinning Ichigo leans down and presses a lingering kiss to her lips. "Then again I'm secure enough to know that you would never leave me."
The lovers kiss again and Ichigo grins affectionately down at her before brushing a stray piece of hair behind her ear. The rest of the much longer locks were tied back on her head with an expensive leather band he had given her from his own stash in his bed room. He and Byakuya had collected them when they were younger and had several hundred between the two of them. Kaien had made endless fun of their obsession until they brought up his tekkou obsession. The boy had so many that he had some that were almost the same color. "Now we both know you're the only one for me Shaolin." She squeals in surprise when his hands wrap around her legs, right under her bottom, and lift her up. Automatically her lean legs wrap around his waist and he maneuvers them out of his office door and into his private rooms. His lips find perch on her neck as her fingers tangle into his long locks tugging softly and drawing his wandering mouth back to her lips. They fall onto the futon, she with a soft laugh and he with a chuckle, before Ichigo hovers above her with a haughty grin.
In a moment the orangette is laying on his back with the petite woman straddling his hips. "This isn't getting us dressed for dinner with your family…" Ichigo leans up on his elbows and draws her mouth back to giving his attention once more. With a short bubble of defeated laughter Shaolin falls lightly toward the orangette as he rolls again and pins her underneath his advances. She barely even notices that while they twirled he had plucked the bands from her hair forcing it to spill around her.
Pulling away slightly Ichigo traces every curve of his future wife's body as she lies before him breathing deeply and looking at him with dilated grey eyes. Her pupils were blown and a small ring of grey wrapped around the black of her wide eyes. Her silken hair fanned around her upper body like a halo while simultaneously falling across her shoulders to cover parts of her chest and stomach. Her hands were twisting in the sheets as he perused her still clothed body. She watches in anticipation as his fingers deftly untie the unusual knot she kept her obi in before pulling the not at the back of her neck and slowly tugging her top up to expose her flat abdomen to his wandering lips. She nearly groans as he pulls away and sheds both layers of his shirts before affectionately pulling the arm sleeves from her lean arms. "They can do without us for one night, ne?" With a grin she launches at him and rolls them toward the end of the futon.
~~CxB~~
Shaolin Fon, soon to be Shiba, wakes as the early morning light drifts through the bedroom and falls right across her face. Rolling she snuggles back into the sleep warmed chest of her fiancé with a sleepy groan. Subconsciously his arms wrap around her and his hips turn ever so slightly to trap her firmer in his embrace. With a sigh she melts into his hold before groaning when her body begins to wake. With a wiggle she is released from his grasp and plucks one of his discarded haori's from the pile of clothing lying around the room. She pads half-heartedly from his bedroom and into the bathroom to do as her body bids her. After relieving herself, washing her hands and face, and brushing her teeth she walks quietly back to the bedroom to find him sitting up in the bed and rubbing the sleep from his eyes. Distractedly, he runs a hand through his long hair before stretching languidly. His lips part in a catlike yawn before he runs his fingers through his hair once more and turns sleepily toward the bathroom door.
Shaolin watches in amusement as his eyes widen for a brief moment upon seeing her leaning against the door frame in nothing but his thigh length haori tied around her waist with his Shiba sash. Then he stands and stalks forward like predator to prey. "Shiba Shaolin I think you could use a shower this morning…you've been getting a little dirty lately." Shaolin squeals in surprise as she is picked up and thrown over his shoulder exposing her bottom and giving her quiet a nice view of his bottom.
"I'm not a Shiba yet fool...but I would certainly enjoy a shower if it meant you were joining me." Ichigo can practically envision the catlike grin adorning her features as her fingers reach down idly and pinch his left ass cheek.
Shaolin pops up onto the dresser lithely as her counterpart pulls his haori's across his still damp chest. His wet hair sticks messily to his face and neck allowing water droplets to fall down his cheeks and across his chest. With deft ease he tucks his sleeves into his tekkou, tucks his haori into his hakama, ties his hakama closed with the Shiba sash, pulls on his Taicho haori, and toes into his shoes all while stalking toward her. Upon reaching her he swoops in for a delicate kiss before helping her down and taking her hand to lead her out of the barracks and toward the training ground where they would be meeting with the Ichibantai and Taicho." For a few moments while waiting for the groups to begin trickling in they stand side by side on the porch of the barracks watching the Nibantai and Gobantai work cohesively while prepping the training grounds and carrying in the food for preparations of breakfast after training. Momo and Arata step lithely to the side of their respective taicho with their newly decided upon training schedule for the week to come.
"They are transitioning well into the new tasks set forth. The Ichibantai are on the move now and the taicho have been filtering away from their bantai every few minutes." Arata frowns sharply at something that Momo said and Ichigo's chocolate eyes zero in on his childhood friend.
The fukutaicho toys lightly at the hilt of his zanpakuto while looking thoughtfully at the gobantai and nibantai shinigami. After a few moments his eyes turn back to his taicho, his girlfriend, and his friend. "I must admit that they are sporadic and disjointed in their movements. Even when we are not training we move fluidly together. My input would be to force them to see how disjoint they are and ensure that it mends itself before beginning our training. Our separate sectors had already learned the art or stealth and being one while moving before we combined; they only know how to move singularly and not together." Ichigo nods once in agreement before looking out over the gobantai as he feels the approach of the first few Ichibantai shinigami and taicho. The Ichibantai was the smallest of the thirteen bantai and therefore very rarely saw the need for cohesion in a unit from what Arata's report of the bantai told the four. They would certainly have their work cut out for them.
"Momo, Arata; round up everyone and tell them to move to the back training grounds until we send for them." The two fukutaicho nod and disappear in a flash of shunpo leaving the training plans behind with their taicho. Effortlessly the grounds clear within moments of the groups finally beginning to arrive. When the final two taicho, Kurotsuchi and Zaraki, enter the training grounds Arata and Momo shunpo behind them and shut the massive gates with ease before returning to the sides of the taicho. The sotaicho is standing near the front looking at the pair of silent warriors patiently. Other taicho sigh lazily except several few that actually respect the pair such as; Toshiro, Byakuya, Shunsui, and Ukitake.
They watch in annoyance as Ichigo straightens and sheds his taicho haori with care as well as his tekkou, and the sleeves of his haori. All of this was done at an easy and graceful pace that annoys several of the more task oriented taicho present. "I suggest any of you that do not wish to dirty yourselves remove anything on your person that is of importance before we begin. Fujimoto-fukutaicho and Hinamori-fukutaicho; please remove all weapons from our guests and place them where they belong." They watch in shock as Soi-fon follows the lead of Ichigo and sheds her taicho haori and ties her long locks back with a white leather tie. Byakuya recognizes the leather band as one Misaki bought Ichigo for his fifteen birthday. The taicho finally realize that neither the nibantai nor the gobantai taicho have their zanpakuto on their person and realize just as quickly that the fukutaicho had stripped them each of their zanpakuto and placed the various zanpakuto around a tree that felt as if it was warded heavily by kidou. The two fukutaicho stand side by side and grin mischievously at the group of twenty-one of so shinigami and taicho.
"Let's get started shall we?"