Reaching out in a lazily elegant way, he laced his fingers around a champagne flute on a passing waiter's tray. As he felt the slight mist from the rapidly exploding bubbles on his top lip, he allowed his gaze to follow the progress of a certain young woman as she floated across the dance floor. Lowering the glass after sipping at the liquid inside, he unconsciously extended his tongue to taste the remnants of brightly flavored alcohol on his lips while grinning ever so slightly. It was not a predatory leer or a malicious sneer, but rather a charming, if somewhat devilish, smirk.
Orihime Inoue was as angelic as she had ever been. Actually, she had become even more so in his absence. Brilliant costuming aside, Aizen could see that Orihime had grown up. She held herself differently and her eyes…he couldn't be sure until he saw her up close, but there was something different in her expression.
Everyone seemed to be doing very well since Aizen's 'death' so far as he could tell. Their production of Lucia had been a resounding success if the musical sounds followed by the roar of approval from the audience that Aizen had heard from his new abode beneath the opera house were anything to go by. The casting had been spot on in terms of singing ability as far as Aizen could tell, but since he had no visual reference to go off of, he couldn't be sure of the sets, costumes or acting. The orchestra had also contributed their fair share to the production, so Aizen had no qualms there. However, it had come as something of a surprise to Aizen when he heard Ulquiorra's audition to take over the principal seat in the cello section.
That was fine with him though. Let the rest of the opera house forget about him as he had no use for them either. The only one he had any desire to reconnect with was the young woman who was dancing with another man…but that would be rectified soon as well.
Finishing off the last of his champagne and setting the glass down on another tray, Aizen automatically placed a hand on his mask to make sure it was firmly in place, before carefully maneuvering his way through the crowd so that he was closer to the dance floor and yet would not be noticed or approached by anyone else.
As he waited for the music to finish, Aizen smiled to himself as he allowed his gaze to briefly sweep across the room and take in the sight of familiar faces hidden behind masks. Touching his own mask again, Aizen thought about how the very wound that had marked him for life and forced him into hiding had also brought about the chance for him to devote all his time to formulating his plan and composing his music, so that now, both were ready to be revealed to the world. And after the new year, they would be.
As she allowed Ichigo to guide her across the dance floor and in between other dancing couples, Orihime couldn't help but smile and blush at the situation. If anyone had told her six months ago that she was going to be reunited with her childhood friend and secret love, she probably would have laughed pleasantly and said, "Wouldn't that be something?" while not really believing it to be possible. And yet, here she was, dancing not with a boy, but with a grown man. A man she loved dearly.
She and Rukia had often begged Hisana to tell them the story of how she had met Byakuya. She would often decline at first, but if they persisted (and sometimes offered to help Hisana with some extra chores) she would smile indulgently, sit down on a couch, pat the space on either side of her for them to occupy and then begin her story.
"I was sixteen when I came to work at the opera house as a seamstress. Before that, I had been working as a washerwoman for several places, one of which was a middle-class boarding house.
"One day, one of the lodgers came to me once with a badly stained and torn dress coat and offered me a bit of extra money if I could try and do what I could with it. When I returned it to him looking almost as good as new, he strongly recommended me to his sister, who was the head of the costuming department at the time. She hired me for an initial month long probationary period, just to see what I could do and then offered me a full-time position at the end of that month."
At this point, usually Rukia would protest, "We know all this already! Skip to the part when you first meet Big Brother!"
Hisana's usual response was to give Rukia a look that said 'you're-the-one-who-begged-for-this-story-aren't-you' as she said aloud, "Good stories are like a road. No matter how many times you travel down them, you always have to take the same steps if you want your destination to be the same every time."
When she was satisfied that she had her listener's full attention once again, Hisana would continue.
"Because my position required me to be away from home for most of the day and sometimes into the night, I was in something of a predicament as to what to do with Rukia."
Here, Hisana would stroke Rukia's face and hair as she said, "You were such a reserved child, completely content to play quietly as I worked or even lay down and fall asleep when you were tired. The only time you ever came to me for assistance was when you needed to be fed, and even then, most of the time I would have to come and get you at mealtimes. All that was easy to monitor at the boardinghouse or in our own little rooms when I had to wash clothes, but now I had to work all the way across town and there was no way I would leave you on your own for that long.
"After considering all possible options for leaving you with someone during that time and rejecting every one because either I couldn't afford to pay them or I didn't trust them, I decided to bring you with me as I worked. On my first day, I arrived extra early so that I could explain my predicament to the mistress and allow her time to dismiss me without a big fuss if that is how things must be."
With a wry smile, Hisana would say, "When I arrived with you in tow, I'm sure the mistress thought you were my child born out of wedlock and was torn between indignation and pity for my situation. However, she was kind enough to listen attentively to my story while switching her gaze between Rukia and me. In the end, for reasons she never revealed to me, she allowed Rukia to stay under the strict understanding that she under no circumstances bothered anyone as they were working. The first offense would result in my immediate termination, which I agreed to."
At this point, Orihime would often frown slightly and say, "That was very strict of her. Why would she allow you to work if your job relied on Rukia not causing any trouble?"
Hisana's usual response would be, "She knew I had great potential as a seamstress, but if I was having to mind an unruly child when I was supposed to be working, then I would never get anything done and they would be paying me to look after a child which is not fair for them.
"Anyway, that entire day I couldn't have been more proud of little Rukia. She sat on the floor near where I was working and was simply content to either watch me work or play with a rag doll I had made for her a few months previously. The same held true day after day and the mistress seemed to grow fond of Rukia and showed affection towards her in her own stern way whether it was asking Rukia to help her pick out the prettiest buttons for a costume or asking her to sort out a pile of scraps into colored piles.
"The other women who worked there spent most of their time gossiping about different things as they worked and so paid Rukia little heed, but I sensed that they had made up their minds to dislike both of us. They thought Rukia was my child and that I shouldn't be allowed to mix in their 'polite' society and possibly taint their reputations through association."
Here, Hisana would usually pause before continuing, "Anyway, it all began when the opera house was in the final weeks of rehearsals for Bizet's opera Carmen. We seamstresses had our hands completely full trying to put the finishing touches on costumes as well as starting to do fittings with the singers. I stayed at my machine and worked quietly while the other seamstresses fussed over the singers or flirted with them, depending on if they were female or male.
"Up until then, everything had gone very smoothly with only minor adjustments needing to be made to costumes. Then, during one of the fittings, I couldn't help but be distracted from my work when the other two seamstresses both cried out in alarm and started racing about the room. It took a few moments before I was able to comprehend that the singer playing the role of Escamillo, the Toreador, was here for his fitting that the other two seamstresses had somehow misplaced his hat.
"Just as I was about to rise and help them search, I froze when I saw Rukia toddling over to where the singer was standing stoically. To my amazement, Rukia held out the missing hat to the tall man and said simply, 'You take,' and waited for him to take it.
"One of the seamstresses snapped out of her stupor, marched over to Rukia, plastered a fake smile on her face as she said, 'How clever of you to find this,' and then snatched the hat from Rukia. In her haste and anger, though, she ripped one of the sewn-on baubles off. As soon as she realized what she had done, she immediately let the entire thing fall to the floor.
"A second or two passed before Rukia bent down to pick up the hat and bauble, then she tilted her head back to look up at the singer and say, 'Sissy fix,' and brought everything to me. Laying the pieces in my lap, Rukia smiled and patted my leg before going back over to her little area where she sat down and looked at me expectantly.
"Unsure what to do, I suddenly heard a low voice ask, 'If it is possible, I would like to see how the hat fits,' and when I looked up I saw that the singer had come closer and I had to tilt my head back to look him in the eyes. Not able to trust my voice, I simply nodded and tried to force my hands to stop shaking as I reached for needle and thread. While the process of reattaching the bauble probably took less than two minutes, to me, it seemed like an age since everyone's eyes were fixed on me. I could feel the pride and admiration coming from Rukia, while the other two seamstresses looked on in anger and jealousy. The head seamstress was not in the room at this time, so that merely left the tall singer's gaze and he made me feel most disconcerted simply because he was observing me as I worked.
"Finally, I finished and handed the hat back to the singer and said breathlessly, 'Here you are,' while trying my best to make eye-contact and yet utterly failing. There was a moment of silence before he replied, 'Thank you,' and then Rukia said brightly, 'See? Sissy fix good,' to which he answered, 'You were right, miss…'
"Hearing Rukia stand up again, I looked over as she gave her best imitation of a curtsey as she said, 'Ruki,' then pointed at me and said, 'Sissy Sana.'
"The man acknowledged Rukia with a polite nod of his head before looking back at me. While I couldn't be entirely sure from his expression, I sensed that he wanted to learn our true names, so I stood up and said in as steady a voice as I could manage, 'My name is Hisana and she is my sister, Rukia.'
"A few moments passed before he replied, 'And I am Byakuya Kuchiki,' and extended his hand to me, palm up. Acting automatically, I placed my hand in his and before I knew it, Byakuya had bent over it and ever so lightly brushed the skin of my hand with his lips then straightened again and said in a completely serious tone, 'A pleasure to meet you both.'
"Right then, there was a knock on the door and one of the stage hands informed Byakuya that he was needed to rehearse the bar scene. Just as he looked about ready to turn and leave, his eyes fell on Rukia yet he addressed me as he said, 'If I am not mistaken, the little girl who was supposed to sell paper flowers in the opening scene fell and broke her leg earlier this week,' then he looked at me as he asked, 'Would it be too much of an imposition to ask if Rukia might step in as a replacement?'
"I simply stared at him blankly before looking over at Rukia. Not entirely sure what was going on, Rukia looked up at Byakuya and asked seriously, 'Mr. Kuku-icki need Ruki's help?' and at his solemn nod, looked over at me and asked, 'Can help Mr. Kuku-icki?'
"Finally able to use my voice, I looked back at Byakuya and said rather lamely, 'I don't want her to be a bother…' to which, Byakuya looked down at Rukia and asked, 'Are you a good girl, Rukia?' Rukia nodded somberly and said in a matter-of-fact tone, 'Sissy teach Ruki alla good things. Like no picka nose,' after which she shuddered and added, 'Might pull outta brains.'
"I felt my face flush as I heard her pick the one lesson I had taught her in jest out of all the other, more proper, ones, but Byakuya merely nodded and replied, 'That is a good lesson for all proper young ladies to learn,' then turned back to me and said, 'It is plain that she is a well-behaved child for her age and the opera house would indeed be grateful and fortunate for her contribution to this performance,' to which I merely nodded in consent.
"After Rukia left with Byakuya, the sewing room was completely still for a time with all three of us staring at the closed door and wondering if we had really witnessed the event or if it was just imagination. The rest of the afternoon passed quietly enough because both other seamstresses continued to work in subdued silence.
"When it was time for lunch, I warily made my way towards the stage to find Rukia. From the wings, I watched as the company rehearsed the Toreador song at which point I became completely distracted by Byakuya's singing. Gone was the reserved young man of few words and in his place was a brash, bold and arrogant popinjay strutting about the stage, sometimes addressing the audience and other times giving the women on stage meaningful glances. It was all so bizarre that it was a little while before I realized that my mouth had popped open in shock.
"However, just as I closed it, it snapped back open in panic as I noticed a tiny and very familiar figure toddling her way across the stage and making a beeline towards the swaggering Toreador. Completely frozen in horror, I watched as Rukia waited patiently behind Byakuya as he sang to one of the women before he turned in her direction. Then, I saw her hold something up in her tiny fists and offer it to Byakuya, which he took and then reached into his pocket to take out what I assumed to be a fake gold coin and give it to Rukia before turning back to the woman and handing her the paper flowers he had just 'bought'.
"Her part being done, Rukia turned and toddled back into the crowd after which the music went on for several more measures before the conductor stopped the music and said, 'All right everyone, I expect you back here promptly after lunch and ready to rehearse the middle of Act III with the bandits and Micaela entering.'
"While most people started shuffling off stage, a few of the female cast members gathered in a circle around Rukia and started 'Oohing' and 'Aahing' over how adorable she was and asking Byakuya where had he found such a precious thing as her.
"Walking hesitantly onto the stage, I couldn't help but smile slightly at Rukia's patient and yet delighted expression at being the center of attention. Then, she caught sight of me, beamed brightly and called out, 'Sissy!' before charging over to me with her arms spread wide.
"Scooping up Rukia and giving her a hug, I had just opened my mouth to address Byakuya when those same female cast members swooped across the stage and surrounded me. Immediately, they all began chattering about how they recognized me from the costumes department, but they had never realized I had such a precious little sister with me the whole time.
"When the chatter ceased, Rukia held out her hands and said, 'Look, Sissy! Mr. Kuku-icki give Ruki money for flower!'
"Fully expecting to look down and have to explain gently that Rukia was not holding real money, but rather a prop that she needed to return, my mouth dropped open for a third time when I saw that Rukia was actually holding real money in her hand. Just as I was about to protest, Byakuya stepped through the ring and females and said matter-of-factly, 'They are Rukia's wages. She's an official cast member and should be paid as such.'
"Then, before I could say anything else, Kirio Hikifune, who was playing Carmen in the opera, said, 'We need to get moving if we're going to get anything to eat before we have to come back here and sing our hearts out again,' and then looked at me and said sincerely, 'I hope you have no objection to joining us, Miss Hisana.'
"Looking over at Byakuya with a bemused expression asking how she had possibly known my name, he said instead, 'My sentiments are the same as Kirio's. Would you care to join us for lunch?'"
Here, Hisana would usually pause and Orihime would say in a dreamy sigh, "And that's when you fell in love with Byakuya."
Chuckling softly, Hisana would reply, "No, Orihime. I wouldn't say that. Rather, I would say that was the moment I started to understand the kind of person Byakuya was and he earned my respect."
Raising a hand to halt any protests, Hisana would continue, "I didn't say that I wasn't attracted to Byakuya, because I certainly was at first sight. He was tall, dark, handsome with eyes that I wanted to stare into all day long and yet couldn't for more than a few seconds at a time. Talking with him made my heart race and my imagination went into overdrive analyzing every move I made and word I said asking myself over and over if I was doing everything right in order to make him feel the same way about me.
"However, attraction is not love. What I was feeling at that time was not true love. To feel love does not necessarily mean that your body physically reacts whenever they are in your presence. To love someone means that you are there for them at all times. That you give of yourself in order to help them regardless of your feelings. While you may not agree with all of their decisions, as long as it is not illegal or immoral, you stand by them through the good times and bad.
"The respect I had for Byakuya was the foundation on which my love for Byakuya was built. Later, Byakuya said it was his respect for my grace under pressure and kindness that made him want to spend time with me."
Looking at each girl in turn, Hisana would finish with, "My beautiful girls. I hope that one day you find a man who is able to see and appreciate your inner as well as your outer beauty. Someone who is your helpmeet."
"Don't you mean 'helpmate'?" Orihime would inquire.
Hisana would look thoughtful before replying, "I suppose either term would be accurate, but I chose to use 'helpmeet' since it sticks in your mind a little more as it is such an uncommon term. When you find the man who is your 'helpmeet' you are not going to be complete equals. There are going to be certain personality quirks of his or habits which are going to baffle you, but because he is your helpmeet, he will also have personality traits and strengths that will make him a good match for you."
Smiling at each girl in turn, Hisana would say, "For example, I imagine that the man Orihime marries will be someone who listens twice as much as he talks if not more. In Rukia's case, he will need to be someone with a stronger personality than her own as she is rather headstrong and won't respect a man who passively allows her to do whatever she wants."
Then, Hisana would finish by taking both Orihime and Rukia's hands and saying, "I never thought I would find my helpmeet so young or marry him so quickly and the same may hold true for the two of you. However, if you find the man who will be your best partner by the time you are seventeen, have some patience and trust yourself to find the right man in time. When you have found him and Byakuya and I are sure of your certainty to start a life together, we will wholeheartedly accept both him and his family into our lives."
Coming back to the present, Orihime became fully aware of just how close she was to Ichigo and how steadily he was holding her. A few months ago, Orihime might have gone into cardiac arrest as soon as Ichigo extended his hand to hers, but while there was a slight flutter in her chest, she had become mostly used to Ichigo's presence and attention to her. Thinking back to Hisana's words, Orihime compared her initial feelings towards Ichigo to what she currently felt and discovered that she know had a better understanding of what Hisana had said.
In the beginning, she had trusted him completely like she had with Sora. Then, when they had met again after all those years, she had been delighted to discover that he and his family remembered her and wished to spend time with her and her family. Recently, he had come to her and comforted her as she cried. Taking all that into account, she asked herself could she really love Ichigo and be his helpmeet?
As she was about to answer the question for herself, the dance came to an end. With a jolt, Orihime realized that she had spent the entire dance lost in thought and rudely ignoring Ichigo.
Opening her mouth to beg forgiveness, Ichigo seemed to sense what she was about to do and interjected, "Thank you for the dance. It was one of the few things I was looking forward to for quite a while."
With a half grin, Ichigo went on, "While I'm needed elsewhere right now, I certainly hope you can keep at least one more dance open for me."
Looking up at him and smiling happily up at him, Orihime replied without hesitation, "Of course," to which Ichigo responded with a wider grin as he escorted her back to the part of the room where Byakuya, Hisana, Rukia and the others had been previously. Since there was no one else there, Orihime assumed they were all still on the dance floor.
Before Ichigo could say anything, this time Orihime cut him off kindly as she said, "I'll be just fine on my own for a few minutes if you have something else you need to attend to."
Giving her another half grin, Ichigo said, "More like something I'm being coerced into doing," with a sigh, Ichigo continued, "My father's gotten it into his head that I need more practice addressing large crowds, so I'll be helping Shunsui and Jyuushiro toasting the company and passing out their Christmas bonuses."
Giggling softly, Orihime composed herself quickly and said in a mostly steady voice, "Well, break a leg then, Viscount Kurosaki."
Wincing slightly, Ichigo groaned, "That's the last thing I intend to do, I'm thinking," before grinning at her again, kissing the back of her hand and slipping away through the crowd.
Orihime stood looking after him for a few seconds before turning to head over to a couch in order to rest her feet when she found her vision obscured by a tall, well-built man dressed in black with only a red cravat adding any color to his nicely tailored outfit. Looking up, she saw the man's face was almost completely covered by his mask with only his mouth and chin showing. There were eye holes, but with the angle he was standing, Orihime could not see his eyes since they were thrown in shadow.
"Pardon me," said Orihime automatically and started to make her way around the tall figure when she heard the man say in a low voice, "Miss Orihime Inoue," which made her turn back in surprise as she asked in surprise, "I'm sorry, do I know you? I didn't recognize you, mister…"
"You may call me Nemo, Miss Orihime," said the man in a low voice, "Would you do me the honor of being my partner for this next dance?"
Just as she was about to politely refuse, Orihime's sensitive nose picked up on an interesting scent that intrigued her and so she took a deeper breath and another in order to bring more of the fragrant smell into her system so that she could figure out what it was…and this proved to be her undoing. The change was so subtle that Orihime never suspected that her brain and senses and inhibitions were being dulled by the scent tantalizingly wafting past her nostrils every time she breathed it in.
"Well, Miss Orihime…will you be my partner?"
Raising her gaze up to Nemo, Orihime said slowly, "Yes…I will…"
"Good, very good," said Nemo as he gently led her back onto the dance floor.
The angel had no idea she had just agreed to dance with a devil.
Author's Note:
This update was a really, really, really long time in coming...and I apologize profusely for my seeming disinterest in this story for so long. I just had no idea how I was going to get from Ichigo and Orihime dancing to Aizen coming over. Hopefully, this way worked out. The devil has now come onto the scene and things should become a little more interesting.
For my readers who are big Aizen fans (Sari, I'm mostly looking at you) I beg of you to tell me if I got him right in here! From this point on, he should be at least closer to the Aizen we love/despise.
Now, for anyone who might have been upset by my explanation of 'love', 'helpmeet' and not calling men and women equal, let me just say that I don't share the opinion that married couples are equal. If you married someone who was your complete equal or only worked with someone who was exactly like you and no one else, you'd just be working with complete clones of yourself. At least, that's the way I see it. Men can be respected for their qualities, both those that they tend to (not always) share with other men and those that are unique to them. Same goes for women. Hope that helped if anyone was upset. If not, I don't mind reading your criticisms, I might just politely agree to disagree with you. :)
Anyway, expect to see a few more updates within the next week or so for my other stories as well as two Christmas stories! So, I'll go replenish my energy here shortly and then get right back to it! Merry Christmas to all (or I guess Happy Holidays, depending on the different cases).
