Title: Flawless

Rating: PG

Word Count: 264

Characters: Kuchiki Rukia, Shiba Kaien, mentioned Shiba Miyako

Warnings: Spoilers for the SS arc backstory, rampant speculation, Miyako bashing

Summary: Perfection is an illusion.

A/N: So I'm a big fan of KaienxRukia, and I don't really like Miyako. She's just too good to be true, you know? Sort of like Aizen. Which got me thinking about the Hollow that killed them, and I was like, "Wait...How can I link Miyako and Aizen and somehow turn this into a KaienxRukia fic?" The whole "forbidden fruit" thing came from sharing an apple with my sister.


He never quite understood why they were the forbidden fruit. Apples were nourishing, the perfect blend of tart and sweet, not to mention the ideal snack.

Perhaps that was why they were forbidden. They were just too perfect.

Kaien knew better than most that perfection was not a reality. Perfection, when it happened, was the result of hard work, blood, sweat, and exhaustion. If it happened.

Miyako was, in his eyes, perfect. She was sweet, kind, beautiful, and talented. Everyone agreed that he was lucky to have her. But he couldn't help but wonder why such a goddess would choose him. It made no sense.

He finally understood when Kuukaku informed him, rather spitefully, that Miyako was sleeping with Aizen-taichou.

He wasn't surprised. Actually, he was a bit relieved. But it still hurt to know that she, who had chosen him despite his flaws, was with the male incarnation of perfection.

Then he met someone else. But if Miyako was an apple, Rukia was a lemon. She wasn't particularly beautiful, or sweet, or kind, but she was undeniably talented, even if her brother refused to allow that talent to be given proper acknowledgment.

But she knew that she was flawed, and admitted her weaknesses, often to the extent of belittling herself. She was approachable. She never remarked on his idiocy with scathing words designed to hurt. She had a temper; she saw him as a person, not the genius lieutenant from the noble house.

She was broken, bruised, and more than a little dusty. She was a lemon, harsh and bitter. She was perfect.