Disclaimer: Bleach is rightfully Tite Kubo's

The caveat in Chapter 9 still applies here (and in all chapters actually).

Chapter 10: When Tongues Do Wag

Two captains sitting quietly, focused on sipping their tea. The younger one is the first to place the cup down and looks expectantly at the other.

"Taichou," called the younger one very softly. This caused the other to raise one brow, despite both eyes shut close. Soon enough, he opened these to scrutinize his guest.

It appears old habits tend to diffuse with much difficulty.

"Do you love Rukia?"

The impertinent whelp; he dares question me?

The whelp inhaled deeply before finally explaining. "I just need to be assured, Kuchiki-taichou. That the man who holds the key to Rukia's happiness is right in front of me."

Byakuya's scrutiny grew so serious that Renji begins to grow afraid that his former captain would utter Chire any moment.

"Abarai."

Gaze grows deadlier. Renji can feel droplets of sweat beginning to form on his forehead and on his palms. He thought of drinking tea (gods, what would I give for a bottle of sake right now?), but changed his mind instead; if the teacup were to slip from his shaky, sweaty hold…shitdom will come.

He tries not to quiver in front of his host.

"You are here for her hand, are you not?"

Nod.

"And you think that your education, achievements and…captaincy render you qualified for a Kuchiki family member, do you not?

Nod, nod.

Byakuya closed his eyes and set the teacup to his lips once more. Renji wanted to knock the teacup away with a Hihiou from his host's hands for taking these deliberately slow. Instead, the redhead merely curbed his growing impatience and decided not to speak another thought and wait it all out.

Oh the maddening silence ensues.

Finally, the host and lord of the clan opened his eyes once more and spoke ominously. "Under different circumstances, I would have gone along with your…proposal, to such extent that I personally think that your union with Rukia would be…beneficial; consequently further the clan's position in Soul Society. However-" His expression considerably softened on the next set of phrases he is about to impound on his visitor. "I regret that I could not agree to this because I…"

Renji froze; sweat droplets expanded in anticipation. What the hell?

"…already have her betrothed." Byakuya raised his teacup to his lips with a complementary blank expression as if he and his guest were only talking about the weather.

The redhead hadn't anticipated that last line. Deep inside his bowels, he has an idea who exactly the betrothed is; but shit, he had to ask. He needs to know. And he needs to hear the answer straight from the horse's mouth (Heh, pardon the speech, taichou).

"Sumimasen Kuchiki-taichou. I really must know. With whom?"

Byakuya could see that Renji is killing himself. Secretly, he wished he isn't doing this to the redhead (whelp). He was grateful and still feels concerned for his former lieutenant, who showed character, brute strength, blunt honesty and steadfast loyalty for many years. After all, it was Renji (and Ichigo) who spurred him into re-aligning his priorities when it comes to the clan, Rukia and Soul Society; and definitely, the girl right now, tops the list.

At the very least, he feels that he owes Renji…this. In Byakuya's own way, it is like asking for the latter's blessing. Renji has been - roughly to say the least - Rukia's family from the very beginning and Byakuya silently acknowledges this and has come to respect that unshakable and unbreakable bond between the two.

Byakuya looked at Renji solemnly for several seconds, gauging…studying the young captain before him, before throwing back the question at the latter. "Renji, do you really wish to aggregate what you are feeling right now?"

Byakuya saw the redhead's shoulders relax a little. Was it a sign of acceptance or defeat? The young lord does not wish to further explore the matter on-hand.

"Kuchiki-taichou."

Kami. When will this end?

"Please take good care of Rukia."

Oh? Have I not been taking good care of her well?

"Otherwise…"

Byakuya's brow furrowed.

"I shall truly ensure your defeat, Kuchiki-taichou," Renji said in his most solemn tone, while looking at Byakuya squarely in the eye.

The host – now vividly bemused – slightly tilted his head and allowed the smallest of smiles on his expression. He raised his teacup to the redhead.

"To your health, Renji."

******

Rukia laid down on the dewy soft grassbed, allowing the ache from her bones to seep down to the ground. She is panting very softly. Closing her eyes, she inhaled a lot of air to catch her breath.

Oh she has a lot of catching to do indeed. In a short span of weeks (Or was it months? Has her sense of time gone really warped this time?), she has fallen in love, lost her virginity, becomes sexually active and found herself engaged . All to Kuchiki Byakuya.

How she wanted to laugh madly and flail her arms around like a lunatic right now.

Instead, she opened her eyes to stare at the skies with the color that now took on a deep shade of red that reminded her of Renji's hair. Her hand crawled on the ground, groping for her katana. When her hand couldn't feel her Zanpakutou, she turned her head sideways to check if she had flung it too far from her. What she saw is not her katana, but Byakuya sitting on the ground, trying to catch his breath.

Byakuya? Catching his breath?

Rukia sat up in order to be sure what she saw. Yes it appears that he is seemingly out of breath, but he is also meditating. Senbonzakura is thrust deeply on the ground and Byakuya is leaning with his back against it. She searched for his haori and saw that it is carefully folded and placed atop a rock, along with his scarf and kenseikans too.

Oh Kami, what a beautiful man. She still could not believe that that beautiful man was once her fearsome adopted brother. Well, he is still terrifying to her and to everyone, except that once both of them are in the hallowed confines of his bedroom (or in hers), he becomes this gentle and selfless lover who is quite…ingenious…with his…explorations (oh gods dear dearer dearest, sweetest gods).

"I suggest that you commune with your Zanpakutou, rather than sitting there staring at me," he said even with his eyes closed.

Embarrassed, Rukia had to tear her eyes away to look blankly at the rows of sakura trees that lined the training grounds in the estate. Must that man know (feel) everything about her?

"Sumimasen, Byakuya-sama. B-but I need to ask you something," she said it this time with nervousness clawing at her insides.

She sees those slate gray eyes open and looking directly at her.

"I-it's just that I–" she began to wring her hands and look down. Byakuya supposes that this might be about their impending wedding. He begins to conclude that every bride-to-be experiences twinges of…(what is that human word, again?) cold feet and would seek some form of assurance or comfort. He tries to think of what to say. But what should he say anyway?

"That…I…um–"

"Rukia." Byakuya interrupts. "What is it?" He hopes his voice doesn't sound harsh this time; it usually is when he is beginning to feel impatient. He tries to look at Rukia with the gentlest expression he can muster.

"I'm really, really hungry. Absolutely famished! Can we please have dinner now?"

Byakuya looks at Rukia, incredulous; she reminded him of that troublesome pink-haired lieutenant from the 11th and resisted the impulse to grope for an absent chocolate bun underneath his black hakama.

******

Rangiku is lounging on the sofa in her division, scanning a fashion magazine when Rukia entered the room with folders, envelopes, papers and scrolls that all nearly reach to the tip of her head.

"Rukia-chan. How nice of you to drop by," Rangiku greeted without looking, clearly engrossed in the magazine she is gleaning.

A muffled greeting and a grunt are all the 10th division lieutenant could only hear.

"You know where to place them Rukia-chan, juuuust right there on taichou's table…" the blonde shinigami instructed while flipping a page.

Rukia laboriously placed her burden atop the table, just beside a stack that seems yesterday's deliverables. She shook her head at the reclining lieutenant, smiling, her hands on her hips and shaking her head. Incorrigible, she thought affectionately.

She can see Rangiku's eyes hungrily scour the page that made Rukia think that the magazine could either be about two things: swimsuits or men.

"Hitsugaya-taichou will go Daiguren on you, you know," Rukia murmured, leaning forward to peer into the magazine at the same time.

"I bet they'd looked fabulous on me, don't you think so Rukia-chan?" the blonde pointed to a model wearing the skimpiest yellow-polka-dotted red bikini Rukia has ever seen on a human. The material practically concealed only the nipples and the triangular area underneath. Rukia shudders as she imagines that the back probably would have the same amount of material. Humans are truly shameless.

Rukia suddenly giggled; thinking of taking back the word 'skimpy' she considered earlier. Probably 'sliver' is more appropriate. A mere strip of material, decent enough to cover the more intimate parts of the female anatomy.

"This'll make my breasts jiggle with happiness. More air and space around them, ne?" Rangiku smiled most gleefully, this time, turning to look at Rukia.

The blonde batted her lashes three times, as if trying to process something she sees in the petite shinigami who on her own is busy scratching her nape, while peering down at the magazine.

"Rukia."

"Hmmm?" Rukia absentmindedly responded, still pre-occupied in inspecting the page.

"Is it true? That you are getting married?"

Rukia's head shot-up, taken aback at Rangiku's question. How did she know?

"Do not act and lie that it isn't true. The truth eventually find its way around," the 10th division lieutenant wagged a slim finger. "People talk, you know. Or maybe…servants do. And some bureaucrat could not actually be trusted."

Rukia becomes instantly mystified. "Servants? Bureaucrat?"

Rangiku waved her hand disregarding Rukia's now-rising confusion at this discovery. "If it isn't Renji, then with who?" she asked the younger shinigami seriously this time.

She deliberated for several minutes before exhaling slowly. She might as well tell everything; Rangiku and Momo are the only ones left who she feels most comfortable opening her heart with. If this were the Real World, it would most likely be with Inoue.

"It…is…with…uh…Nii-sama," her voice lowers at two decibels with each word; servants and bureaucrat forgotten, but all mentally tucked away.

Rangiku couldn't believe her ears. "Gomen. Who was that again?"

"Rangiku-san!" cried Rukia indignantly. She wanted to get out of the room and out of this conversation, but she doesn't want to lose another friend. She couldn't afford to lose one more, since her bestfriend has practically stayed away when the latter has probably winded-out from someone that she is engaged.

"It is Byakuya-sama, Rangiku-san," she said very softly.

Rangiku remained motionless, trying to process what she heard. She hasn't expected the groom-to-be would be the stiff and emotionless captain of the sixth, much more the one responsible for the hickey.

Oh…my…lord, Rangiku thought. Kuchiki-taichou can make hickeys?

Now if only "Byakuya-sama" has a fraction of Kyouraku-taichou's gene in him, the Shinigami Women's Association won't have such difficult times with their calendar sales.

Thinking that she has offended the older lieutenant, Rukia started to apologize. "Sumimasen, Rangiku-san. I…I couldn't invite you…nor even tell you th– " Rangiku suddenly waved her hand at her, interrupting her speech.

"Rukia…daaarling. Hush. No need for that. I could never understand how the mind of these nobles work (but I at least know yours) and we must prep you up! Good lord! Have you thought of what to wear already?" she said excitedly as she stood and grabbed Rukia, shaking her.

"I–"

"You must have what Inoue calls a 'body scrub'!"

"Uh–"

"And a facial!"

"I don't thi–"

"Ohmygoodness a massage is really important too!" Rangiku began to frantically search the room for that one (and only) wedding magazine from the Human World. "It says there that you need to–"

"STOP IT!" Rukia screamed, clearly irritated. Tears began to form.

Rangiku stopped and looked at Rukia thoughtfully. "What is this Rukia-chan? That face you have right now, does not belong to a woman who is about to get married." A little cautiously this time, she added, "Are you being forced to do this?"

"What?! No!" she replied forcefully; the idea of being 'forced' to do something which she probably would love to do anyway is simply absurd. Then wiping her eyes with the back of one hand in an effort to control herself, Rukia fumbles for an explanation (why am I crying anyway?).

"No, Rangiku-san. Although the manner of how he proposed was most bizarre because he didn't…uh…ask me."

Rangiku began to smile.

"He…sort of–" Rukia stopped mid-sentence and frowned as Rangiku's smile got wider. Does this woman ever listen?

"Stop that Rangiku-san"

"Stop what?"

"Stop that."

"What?"

"That."

"What to stop?"

"Thaaat! Gaahdammit Rangiku-san!" Rukia shouted, clearly no longer amused. "Don't drive me insane, alright? I am very much in love with Byakuya, but I feel I couldn't move-on because of Renji!"

Rangiku now carries a smug expression; her hands on her waist with a knowing, striking pose.

"I want my bestfriend back!"

"FINALLY!" Rangiku shouted back. "There you have it in the open!" Then suddenly, she giggled, truly pleased at Rukia's admission. "You must be having, what they say – cold feet," she said while clasping her hands dramatically. "Ooooh I just simply love…LOVE complications."

This caused Rukia to frown defensively after her agitation. "What do you mean by 'cold feet'? And what complications are you talking about?" she asked, feeling completely at a loss.

"You…my dear…are also in love with Renji," Rangiku deduced, while shaking an accusatory finger at Rukia.

"What? Of course I love him! He is family!" Rukia said tersely.

"Baka. Rukia, I don't mean LOVE that way. I meant the kind of love that makes you quiver, swoon, sigh and do those silly things one would not be caught dead doing," Rangiku's laughter tinkled with pleasure. "Did his fierceness and tattoos finally got to you? Or…was it the haori? I must admit Renji looks quite sexy with it."

"Gods, Rangiku-san. You are such a perv," Rukia said while rolling her eyes. "And your definition of love is truly shallow."

"Rukia-chan. You little dear. I may be shallow…but I least I know to whom my heart truly belongs. And–" Rangiku suddenly stops, bites her lower lip and looks away.

"Rangiku-san," the other quietly calls-out to the older shinigami. Could what she be saying is true? But...I am not in love with Renji!

Or am I?

"Whatthahell." Rangiku looks at Rukia with a genuine smile and eyes glinting with tears. "C'mere you," said said as she went to the small lieutenant and squeezed a hug. "Rukia-chan, please be happy. "

"Uh, arigatou Rangiku-san. I truly do not know what to say."

"Just sort it out before the big day comes, 'kay?" she said with a tone that is unusually maternal and affectionate. Rukia wanted to protest but decided to let it go. She turned and started to walk towards the door when Rangiku spoke all of a sudden.

"Oh just one more thing before you leave, Rukia-chan."

The little lieutenant whirls around to look quizzically at the taller one. Urgh, what now?

"Stop the snow outside please. It is becoming cold and my poor jigglies might freeze."

Note:

Constructive criticisms will be well-received. Any grammar and spelling errors, please let me know.

Because of DVT, I am able to write this chapter. Big thanks for your help with those grizzly numbers (mean? median? mode? volume? percent index? WTFudge!). With your help, I was able to find a leeway in coming-up with this chap. (groans)

Thank you Nikki-4, MissTeak (what a singsong nom de plume ^^), Icicleriver22, RmfD (hope you didn't bump your head when you flailed around, LOL. love that word - 'flail' ^^) and Sepsis for taking time to leave a review for Chap 9.