I am glad to finally post the 10th chapter for Whitelight and the Weaving Princess. I already had some ideas written down for this chapter, but after seeing the reviews for the 9th one, I realized that I had focused on the plot a bit too much and left out the interactions between Byakuya and Orihime… Alas, I scrapped that chapter for this one, which is mainly focused on ByaHime moments.
Enjoy.
"The only easy day was yesterday."
. . .
Orihime snapped back to her senses at the sound of a knock on the wooden door and the worried sound of her maid's voice.
"I'm fine… I'm fine. Just… taking a bit longer than usual."
She had fallen asleep in the warm water that filled the bathtub, despite this being her morning soak. Sleep was something she had been heavily depraved of ever since the attack on Soul Society. Night time would be spent tossing and turning in her bed, between strange and frightening dreams that made no sense to her. It wasn't something that she told anyone, given how everybody was preoccupied with the coming war. In truth, since the day of the trial she had been left alone, almost to the point of being ignored, not only by the Kuchiki dragons, but the rest of Soul Society as well. Against all her expectations, the only one who didn't seem to be consumed with the war preparations every moment of the day was the White Avatar himself. The girl had started to greatly enjoy his company, which seemed to be a mutual feeling, given how Byakuya would juggle his busy schedule, in order to make time for them to spend together. Alas, it usually would not be much more than a quiet walk around the 6th Squad's training grounds, but it came to be highlight of her day. He wasn't very talkative – not at all - but that had stopped bothering her, when she understood the kind of person he really was. Orihime had even started to admire the serene way with which he carried himself, and secretly enjoyed how the dragon's overall apathetic behavior would slowly melt away when they were together, but came back with full force when he would interact with anybody other than her.
"Orihime-sama…"
"Ugh… I'm coming. Just give me a few more moments."
Against the wishes of her body, she left the embrace of the hot water, wrapping herself quickly in a large towel. Before sliding open the door to her bathroom and greeting her overly active maid, she stopped in front of the mirror, and took a moment to analyze the blurry shape that was her reflection. With a wide swipe, she partially removed the steam that lingered on the surface of it. She was different... Everything was different since that day when she drank his blood. Despite her sleeping problems, she felt more alive than ever – she felt strong… healthy… focused. Leaning forward a bit, her eyes could now catch the tiny imperfections of her skin, the tiny veins on the corner of her eyes and the slight contraction of her pupil adapting to the light in the room. And it wasn't just her eyesight that improved. All her senses were in overdrive. She could hear the sound of water droplets hitting the floor after sliding down her wet hair as if they were thundering drums, or the worried breathing of the dragon on the other side of her bathroom door. Despite the variety of oils combined in preparation of her bath, every breath of air allowed her to clearly pinpoint each particular scent and associate it with ones she had previously experienced while walking through the flower gardens of the Kuchiki mansion. Even the flavor of the meals she was eating –which were now in larger quantities- was different, with the textures of each dish becoming more delectable.
The passing thought of a meal made her stomach growl and she remembered Byakuya's words during one of their walks together, when she had decided to deliver him lunch at his office in the barracks.
(…)
"A-are you sure you don't want it?" the last piece of rice cake was beckoning her.
"I am certain, yes."
"It's completely fine if you do want it. Really… I brought this little meal for you." Orihime's hand was already halfway to delivering the slice to her mouth. "I just don't think it's a good thing to waste any food if you don't want it." She quickly finished it after just a second's pause, making sure he would not change his mind, stopping only to release a heavy, satisfied sigh when the deed was done.
Byakuya seemed content with drinking his tea in small sips.
"W-what?" she noticed that he was amused, despite the lack of an actual smile on his features.
"The sudden increase in appetite that you are experiencing is due to the dragon blood you drank."
Orihime suddenly turned red when hearing his words. She was hoping nobody would notice how much she had started eating, especially him, of all people – but then again, how could he not notice when she had just finished wolfing down the better part of a meal she had initially brought for him?
"Your body is going through physiological chances that require large amounts of energy. It is nothing short of normal for you to want more food during this phase."
"So, this will pass?"
"Eventually, it will… Overall, however, you will still need more food than before. The regenerative attribute of humans is quite weak in its natural state; augmented by dragon blood, your body will not only heal wounds much faster than before, if you are injured…but also constantly try to replace dead cells that a normal human body would not. Your life span will significantly increase as a result of this, but so will your body's need for energy… hence, an increased appetite."
The girl seemed to be lost in through for a moment.
"Inoue, is everything alright?"
"I was just thinking… Pregnant women always have to eat more and have all kind of strange cravings, so if I am already eating this much now, then…" her hands moved to cover her cheeks "Oh no! I'm going eat all the food in Soul Society when I do carry your-" she stopped, mouth open, having just realized what she was about to say out loud. After a few seconds of uncomfortable silence, Inoue sheepishly turned to her side and saw the look of surprise on Byakuya's face.
(…)
"Orihime-sama… why are you blushing?" the maid's hands continued to work towards getting her dressed but her eyes were affixed directly on the girl's face.
"What? I-I'm not blushing. I'm just… I'm just… This dress is a bit too tight, is all. No. No blushing here." the copper dragon seemed clueless to her obvious lie.
"Orihime-sama was the one who chose this dress. If it is uncomfortable, we can swap it for another."
"Err… No. That's ok. I'll just have to bear with it."
"As you wish. Although, if you plan on visiting Kuchiki-sama's office later during the day, an uncomfortable attire would prove to be quite troublesome.
"Actually, I will not be going to the 6th Squad Barracks today. Byakuya-sama asked me to wait for him in the southern part of the Kuchiki gardens after I attend breakfast."
[…]
"Sir… a day off?"
"That is correct, Renji. Do you not understand the concept?"
"N-no. It's not that, but… a whole day off? You, sir?"
"Is there a problem?"
"Not at all. It's perfectly normal to take a day off… even if you never took one before." Renji muttered the last part under his breath.
"Very well - I had the reports that need to be completed for today moved onto your desk. I trust you will give them proper attention. "
"Yes, sir." Renji's tone denoted defeat, when Byakuya mentioned filling out papers. It was something the red dragon thoroughly hated.
"We are also expecting a group of new recruits to be coming in today. With the decision taken yesterday, all squads are trying to draft as many warriors as possible, including those who are fresh out of the Academy."
"I will make sure that they are up to our standards, sir."
[…]
"The southern Kuchiki garden is where I have spent my youth training, before becoming the White Avatar."
This was by far the wildest part of the gardens, and while the northern, western and eastern sides were orderly arranged and looked after, the types of plants and layout of this particular area made it seem as if one can get lost in the vegetation that gave the impression to stretch for miles. Built into the side of the hill atop which the Kuchiki mansion was visible, were only several concentric walls. At a closer inspection, this part was nestled into what resembled an amphitheater with layers upon layers of differently colored flowers, while lively green moss partially covered the walls. Massive willow trees stood guard on both sides of the serpentine path that took them from the entrance of the garden to the arena at the base of the hill.
"So, we are here because you wish to train some more?"
"No." Byakuya almost scoffed at the girl's question. "We are here to train you."
"Me?!"
"Nobody must know of what we are doing here. You are to prepare different reasons for your absence, if asked in the future."
"What do I need training for? I know there is the threat of an attack on Soul Society but I'm not a soldier or-"
"Inoue… I am not doing this so you could fight for the sake of Sereitei. You will train so you can defend yourself."
"But I-"
"It has already been decided. Soul Society will gather all of its military force and attack the newly born order of the Quincy. We will be assaulting the human world…"
"You can't… If you fight in the human world, thousands of innocent people will be caught up in it."
"Millions, actually… by our calculations. The cold truth is that Soul Society cannot survive another attack. A preemptive strike in the human world, on the armies of Juha Bach is the only option if we are to have a chance at winning. When taking into consideration collateral damage, considering the number of dragons alive, compared to that of humans… losing millions of humans is preferable to losing the non-military population of dragons, which would happen if the war took place in Soul Society."
"I will not return to my world just to see it destroyed by a war between dragons and humans!"
"You're not returning. That is the reason why we are here. Only the military body of Sereitei will take part in the attack, but at the same time, we are bringing all our warriors into the operation. This means that during our campaign in the human world, Sereitei is left defenseless. If by any chance, a group of Quincy were to disengage from the war and attack us here, on their own… suffice it to say that I wish you safe."
"Life was finally getting better… After everything that happened, life was starting to get just a little bit better…" Orihime clenched her fists "I don't want to learn how to defend myself. I don't want dragons to go to the human world and kill people… Quincy or otherwise. I… I don't want you to go."
"I am the reason why you are part of this whole conflict. Even before I gave you my blood, I brought you to our world… and if there is somebody who I want to see getting out of this alive, it is you. If that means teaching you how to use your new gifts, then it is what I shall do."
She opened her mouth to reply but no words came out. Instead she took a few steps towards him, and before he could react she rose on her toes and kisses his cheek.
"Thank you… for caring… for everything." She took a step back, but did not look him in the eyes, afraid that her heavy blush would be too obvious "I don't blame you anymore about what happened. I really don't - and haven't for a long time… ever since I understood the reasons why it all happened. I owe you my life now, and it is a debt that I need to repay more than once, even though I'm not sure I'll ever get the chance." She shook her head, as if to remove the redness in her cheeks and then finally looked up "I don't want you to go, but I know you will, anyway, so I guess the only thing I can hope for is that you will return - and if this will help you put your mind at ease, so you can focus on doing that, then I'm ready."
"Owww that was so sweet! Bya-kun and Boobies… sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G!"
"Yachiru!" Orihime immediately darted away from Byakuya.
"Yachiru Kusajishi what are you doing on Kuchiki family grounds?"
"Uhmm… noooothing!" by the time the pink haired girl finished her sentence a loud splashing was heard nearby "There is nothing there… Nothing but koy fish splashing in your pond, that's all!" she panicked when seeing Byakuya move towards the sound.
The natural pond in the amphitheater had been completely removed and replaced with a huge pool. Byakuya immediately recognized most of the members in the Sereitei's Women Association either basking in the sun, swimming in the pool or enjoying a drink.
"Well, what did you expect after you destroyed the one we built in your front yard?" Yachiru placed both her hands behind the back of her head.
Byakuya released a drawn out sigh.
"Scatter, Senbonzakura."
[…]
"What do you mean Nii-sama took a day off?"
"What? Ya suddenly lost your sense of hearing?" Renji seemed completely annoyed with the amount of reports and forms he needed to deal with. "Damn it! Where did I put that damn pencil again?"
"It's… right behind your ear."
"Oh yeah, right. You're a life saver. If I don't get these done by the end of my shift, he's gonna have my hide."
"And do you know where he went?"
"I'm his lieutenant, not his mom, Rukia."
"The strange thing is that he did not go back to the Kuchiki Mansion either. I came from there, and would have met him on my way here."
"Yeah… mhmm…" The red dragon was quickly trying to scribble his signature on several pieces of paper.
"Hey, are you even listening to me?"
"Yes, of course…"
"You want to know something else that seems a bit strange? I haven't seen Inoue at the mansion either. Usually she almost never leaves the grounds, except when she comes to meet Nii-sama – and now they are both missing. Don't you think that's a bit odd?"
"Yes, of course…"
"Renji Abarai has the brain of a monkey and funny eyebrows."
"Yes, of cour- Hey wait a minute! What's funny about my tattoos?"
"You'd think the monkey part would bother you first…"
"Ugh. Look, Rukia… I dunno what got into your brother to take a day off at such a time, but let's hope he doesn't make a habit out of it. I was supposed to be giving the new recruits a hard time right now, and instead I am stuck filling out papers. Clearly not the way I wanted to spend my day, and by the way things are going I'll have to work overtime so I can get this done." His hand made a wide arc, pointing at all the sheets and documents spread across his desk.
"So Squad 6 is also doing heavy recruiting?"
"Yeah, just like every other squad. We are putting absolutely everything we got into this attack."
"Which means you'll be going in the human world too."
"That goes without question."
"Aren't you worried?"
"It's not my place to worry. My place is to fight, and fight I will. Those bastards almost took out Sereitei and almost killed you as well - I'm gonna make them pay for that."
"My knight in shining armor…" Rukia rolled her eyes.
"I'm serious, damn it!" He got up from his desk and moved to the small girl, placing his hands on both her shoulders. "I saw so many of my subordinates and friends die that day, during the attack, but the worst moment by far was when I saw your body in the rubble, with that Quincy, ready to execute you."
Rukia remembered the dread feeling she had at that exact moment, when she stared death in the eyes, and then the warmth of Renji's body as the dragon was carrying her after having killed the Quincy. A wound on his neck was bleeding heavily, but that did not seem to hinder him as he incinerated several lower ranked enemies while taking her to safety. She saw the scar left behind by the wound on his human form how, as he leaned downwards to look her in the eyes.
"I've lost too many of the people I cared about during my life, Rukia." The faces of his friends from the beggar's districts flashed through Renji's mind "Those assholes didn't give a damn if you were a dragon or a human. Anything that wasn't wearing their uniform got attacked." he released his grip on her shoulders and slowly moved back to his desk "Ever since then, I've had this raging feeling built up inside of me, and it will not go away until I see those responsible for that day reduced to a pile of smoldering ash."
"Renji…"
"Now, if you don't mind, I have a lot of work to do."
Rukia paused for a moment, looking at him with worry in her eyes, but taking in a deep breath, she started picking up some of the sheets that fell of the redhead's desk, putting them in order.
"What are you doing?"
"We have a lot of work to do." She analyzed Renji's confused look "Or do you want to be 'till morning?"
"Heh… You can start by asking the courier outside to deliver these to the 4th Squad's barracks."
[…]
Orihime had been running for the better part of the last three hours. The training exercise Byakuya had her go through was extremely simple, yet seemingly impossible from her perspective. All she needed to do to complete it would be to touch him - something much easier to say than to actually accomplish, given how the dragon could teleport away whenever she got even remotely close.
"No way… Just no way to do it." She let herself drop on the soft grass, panting heavily.
"Are you tired already?" the dragon materialized in front of her.
"Uh… I feel like I can't take another step, but I guess we must continue…"
She reached with her arm forward, waiting for him to help her get back up, but as soon as he made a step to get closer, the girl darted from off the ground, wrapping both her arms tightly around his upper body.
"Ha! I've got you-" she felt the fabric in her arms go limp "- now?" the girl almost fell to her knees from the momentum.
Just a second afterwards, Byakuya appeared several feet behind her, with a mildly amused look betrayed by his eyes.
"Ok, this isn't really fair at all. When do I get to teleport? Actually… when do I get to have my own Zanpakuto… or… or… to breathe fire?" she exhaled the air in her lungs, making several attempts at creating flames.
"You will not be getting to do any of those. Zanpakutos , Shunpo and breath attacks are something that are unique to dragons."
"Then what do I get?" the orange-head seemed genuinely disappointed with his answer.
"I do not know."
"Huh?"
"With very few exceptions, all Dragon Knights created in the past were given Copper Dragon blood to drink – several others were given blood from other types as well, but mostly as experimentation. In all cases, it seemed that the humans would obtain increased strength, speed and stamina from the copper dragons, but were never able to produce the Chlorine Gas Breath attack specific for that specie. In the other cases, with time, the subject seemed to develop abilities inherited from the dragon species he got the blood from. Dragon Knights sired by Golden Dragons would develop monstrous strength, clearly superior to those sired by Copper Dragons. Those created by Green Dragons turned out to develop acidic blood coursing through their veins, and due to their increased regeneration, they would often be seen purposefully harming themselves on the battlefield in order to spray hollows with the highly corrosive substance. The most skilled Red Dragon Knights were even able to display a control over the element of fire, although never being able to produce flames themselves in the form of a breath attack."
"And White Dragon Knights?"
"The truth is that you are the only human to have ever drunk white dragon blood…"
"How can that be? Your family is one of the oldest amongst the dragons. "
"Actually, having seen that humans inherited various abilities depending on the type of blood they drink, the Kuchiki family did not wish the Kamishiroen to fall into human hands, despite our allegiance at the time. Agreeing with this decision, the other three noble races never gave their blood either."
And again, Orihime had gotten closer to understanding the gravity of Byakuya's transgressions against Soul Society when he chose to save her.
"The chances have already begun to manifest, as your speed and stamina have increased beyond those of normal humans – and I am certain that you have noticed other chances as well, by now."
Orihime simply nodded, remembering her bath that morning.
"It remains to be seen how much more it will affecting you in the future, if at all. For all we know, this could be your limit."
She smiled widely, slowly getting back up.
"That may be true, but I guess there is only one way to find out for sure…"
Byakuya secured his footing, ready to flash-step away after understanding that the game of tag was just about ready to resume.
"Well?"
And this is the end of this chapter.
I would really like to hear your opinion on the way they interacted. Let me know if you believed it to be unnatural, awkward or out of character, given everything that happened between them until now.
Also, let me know if you did like their moments and found the chapter enjoyable.