A Diamond In The Rough
"You must follow all of your duties in that squad and not slack off" Byakuya instructed her sharply and she kicked at the perfectly trimmed grass to pent out frustration to being lectured as they walked around his estate. The quiet dinner at the Kuchiki household had ended with no surprising accidents and the two had decided to take a brief walk around the estate while Rukia went off in search an item she wanted to show her friend. Byakuya was certain it was related to that popular Chappy rabbit or something feminine that he'd never comprehend . . . why didn't he receive a brother instead? It was best not to ponder about alternate realities and advised Ruka with a no-nonsense attitude, "You have been brought up to be respectable and a role model for others- don't waste your skills. Otherwise, you will bring disappointment to those around you."
"Aw, I already got this lecture from Sajin five times already" she mumbled miserably to the never-ending lectures that seemed to be piling up since she started her new position and stuffed her hands into her sleeves. If this was going to be a constant occurrence, she might have to rethink staying in the Seireitei. Honestly, Byakuya would always be the little bothersome shoulder spirit while Rangiku served as the devilish spirit to guide her decisions; making conversations with them didn't help either. She directed a knowing stare in his direction and pointed out, "You've spent most of your life in division six just like I've been in seventh, living with them far longer than you. If you'd been told to go elsewhere, I doubt you would be telling me this."
"Life isn't fair, both of us know that for a fact and you must learn to adapt to it" he said firmly to instill that idea into her head since life wasn't a fragrant bed of flowers and she frowned with disapproval. She tried to keep optimistic about most happenings in life since shinigami duties usually kept one from enjoying a civilian lifestyle but she wouldn't complain; she was proud to serve the Gotei 13. Of course, that pride was often poked by Byakuya's strict principles as he stated aloofly, "You're a lieutenant now and you must act as such or you might give the Kyōraku name a different image. Every aristocratic family has an image they have to uphold, especially when ties to the Seireitei are involved, and we cannot falter. We must always play our part in public, sometimes even in private, whether we like it or not."
"We Kyōraku's are a friendly and non-violent bunch so that's the way I'm keeping it" she pointed out with a peppy smile about her clan, which she had no qualms with, and he gave her an incredulous look. If she decided to take after her uncle, the last thing he wanted to witness was Ruka drinking sake nonstop and chasing men with lusty 'come hither' looks. He might have to lock her in a room and recondition her mind to a blank slate to make her normal. On the other hand, she was prone to violence when pushed unlike the eight division captain and wondered whether that was a good thing as well. She scoffed dismissively to his disapproving expression (he looked like he'd unwillingly swallowed a lemon) and rolled her eyes to add in her faults hastily, "All right, but I only hit people who I cannot withstand and smother the ones I love. Except you, you're not fun anymore. I treat people with a 'let's have explosive fun' mask while you treat them with an 'icicle stuck up your ass' mask-"
"Ruka!" he warned sternly to her choice of words, disliking vulgar speech, and she glanced down to make sure he wasn't about to pull out his zanpakuto to kill her. It was usually the first thing that came to mind after decades of familiarity but it was more of a conditioned habit since he never actually tried. She took a little pride in that since many would've probably been cut down a second after speaking to him like that.
"I love you too, sir" she replied cheekily to simmer his rage but sometimes, she didn't know whether it would help or not. Oh well, she could always bring him a food basket or an old book as a present to call it even.
He wasn't going to be swayed by sentimental words and with a serious face, he pointed out clearly, "You and I are the same age, Ruka. You should be a captain like me by now-"
"I don't know if I can handle that heavy responsibility but my lack of a high rank doesn't mean I'm weak, Byakuya" she interjected earnestly and slumped her shoulders to the unfathomable idea. Yes, she'd trained alongside him throughout the years but her ambition varied greatly from his. She was more than qualified for lieutenancy, a rank that she was carefully wielding due to the responsibility of monitoring all of the division's squads rather than her own group. Her hand swept over her figure for emphasis as she piped up mischievously, "I show off that image to keep enemies off-guard, I mean, look at me! I'm a petite woman with burned shaggy hair and uses loads of sarcasm- I look pretty easy to decapitate. However, I've trained over the years just as you have. I've only fought here during state of emergencies or mandatory training sessions due my time abroad."
"So those surveillance images of you eating bags of 'junk food' in bed while hearing unsavory music in the human real were protecting the Seireitei?" Byakuya questioned dryly about her particular quirks when she visited the realm and her face fell to being pinned with the facts. So she liked eating the strange addicting foods of the humans, was it so wrong?
Her brow furrowed as a legit question popped into her scientific mind and she crossed her arms to demand curiously, "And just how do you know this information, captain? Sereitei law indicates that investigations cannot be conducted unless concrete evidence is presented. May I ask what crime I've committed?"
The sixth captain cursed her thorough knowledge of the law and tried to back track his slip of the tongue by evading the question by stating coldly, "Where I received the information is none of your concern."
"It is if you managed to get it within my bedroom, that's trespassing" she disproved easily with an impish grin because she knew if anyone hired or dispatched people to follow her, it would be him. Maybe Komamura for protective reasons but Byakuya would always be number one. Sometimes, she wondered if he was a little paranoid by keeping tabs on her but maybe it was a pastime of his when Rukia slipped away from his brotherly surveillance. Byakuya Kuchiki was shrewdly perceptive in deciphering others, after all, so she'd have to carefully inspect her lodgings whenever she traveled from now on. She wagged a reprimanding finger in circles and grinned amusingly to remark cockily, "You're lucky I know you so well or I'd report you to my captain. I will, however, act as if I heard nothing when I open my office door to find a basket of delicious swan food and other goodies-"
"You're not dismissing this, are you?" he questioned flatly to her cryptic demands, or plain blackmail as he called it, and her lips widened in a smug cheshire smile.
"Not on your life, Kuchiki" she chuckled evilly to the sudden power she held in her hands and tapped her fingers together in what she called 'the pyramid of evil contemplation'. To the sixth captain, she appeared like a clichéd villain from children's stories and cursed her strange behavior. Either way, he was now expected to do something to forget the entire matter or have it brought up continuously over his shoulder. Gritting his teeth for what he was about to do, he informed calmly with great restraint, "I hear there will be a basket of items in your office by tomorrow afternoon."
Ruka smiled approvingly since her dear swans were her pride and rejoiced, "I will have to thank the sender accordingly. Although, I will have to test the food myself to make sure it is up to my expectations and safe for my babies."
This broke Byakuya's stoic façade as one eyebrow rose in bewilderment to her remark and a tone in his voice that hadn't been heard in ages reached her ears when he questioned with faint surprise, "You eat swan food?"
"They're plants" she answered easily with strange calm as she eyed him suspiciously for the sudden hitch in his voice, a small smile crossing over her lips when she caught the reason behind it. Realizing that he assumed she literally ate the food, she shook her head with an amused laugh to clarify further, "I'm a scientist, Byakuya, so I test chlorophyll levels and nutritional data gathered from food samples. My swans must receive the best food I can offer and my studies assure that."
Pausing for a moment, she decided to tease him a little more to make him squirm within the ice fortress of his mind and asked nonchalantly, "Wait, you thought I ate plants like a grazing animal? How little must you think of me?"
"Now you're just teasing me" he stated distastefully with a low voice and she nodded amusingly to end the charade.
"Somebody has to bring a little excitement in your life, I can't imagine leading a clan brings you never-ending fun of epic proportions" she stated sardonically since his clan required perfectionism and that told her there was absolutely no fun in that. True, her professional side demanded such but off-duty, she was as free as a bird to roam the Seireitei. Unfortunately, her friend was not one to partake in her taste of humor but that wouldn't deter her in the slightest and teased playfully, "Unless you find fun on the battlefield, then you might have a little bit of Captain Zaraki in you."
His upper lip curled in distaste for such an unsavory comparison and he stated curtly, "Not your best joke, Ruka."
"It was worth a try, I'm still zoning in on your current taste of humor" she replied simply with a witty smile as she tried to find a dent in his impenetrable armor that contained a funny bone within. It was there ages ago but transformed over the years into a pillar of ice.
"So, have been practicing to achieve bankai?" he asked nonchalantly, not expecting an answer from his friend since she was rather private about her abilities. Even as one of her closest friends, he wasn't privy to such information and wondered what else she could be hiding in that mind of hers. Of course, she'd never bring harm to the Seiretei they were sworn to protect but that left her in that range of acceptable collateral.
"I'm not telling you, you have a tendency to blab" she answered defensively to his casual question, knowing he was analyzing her reply shrewdly, and smirked, "You tell uncle Shunsui everything I do. . .it's not very manly of you."
(112 years ago)
"And experiments #122 and #46 are ready for the final trials" Ruka told her superior cheerfully as she finished her day's work, sighing with relief for her accomplishments since none of the batches had been failures. She handed him both folders as her superior worked on his own project alongside her and awaited any last orders. As quick as he was shifting through moods, he was the same with orders.
"Good work, Kyōraku" Kurotsuchi nodded approvingly as he read over the reports with a quick eye to make sure everything was in place. His subordinate wrote down every note possible, from minute changes to possible explanations on each so he was assured her skillful hand wouldn't ruin their projects. If it wasn't, he'd smack her over the head with them until he deemed her punishment worthy and allowed her to gaze at her mistake to rectify it. His brow rose as he gazed at her smiling face (how eerie) and questioned simply, "Are you leaving now?"
Ruka nodded once since she had plans for later and answered politely, "Yes, sir, I promised-"
"Oi, are you ready to go or will I wait till its tomorrow?" Byakuya's impatient voice popped in through the doorway of the building and Ruka turned around to shush the thirteenth division member. Somehow, he'd managed to nab everyone's attention with his voice alone and she fought the dismayed expression trying to surface onto her face.
"I promised to go eat with Ponytail over there" Ruka flatly told her vice-president in regards to their current visitor and smirked when her friend scowled to the nickname. He was adamant to be called by his last name alone but until he managed to control his impatience and short fuse, she refused to do so.
"Apparently, they let just about anyone enter here without supervision" Kurotsuchi mumbled dryly under his breath since he didn't appreciate little snot nosed nobles wandering into his building and Byakuya let out a surprised yell. The scientist pointed to him with a placid stare because only test subjects were allowed shouting and asked her distastefully, "Is he broken?"
Ruka glared at her friend for embarrassing her with his reaction to Kurotsuchi and he shot back defensively with a scowl, "I thought he was a test dummy, he wasn't talking when I got here. C'mon, he's wearing paint! Ruka, you can find better friends."
She grit her teeth to the point of breakage because she wasn't about to be kicked out of the research division for having a friend without a brain for science. Byakuya didn't seem to care he'd intruded the sanctuary of knowledge in the Seireitei and Ruka pointed out firmly, "He's my lieutenant and I'd appreciate if you didn't embarrass me in front of him with a lack for respect."
"Why? You're off-duty and time is wasting" he explained matter-of-factly about their plans for the day since being off-duty meant they could wreak havoc on an isolated field for practice and nobody would care. Well, he would while Ruka read to increase her intellect. Nonetheless, he was more than ready to get going and tapped his foot impatiently like an angry nanny.
Ruka's face brightened to an immediate idea and she asked Kurotsuchi amicably, "Would you like to join us? I usually get bored once he starts training on his own."
The scientist merely issued a small glare at the young Kuchiki since he wasn't fond of the elite and replied simply, "Invitation declined, I have other projects to work on-"
"That's good enough for me!" Byakuya called out immediately and hastily yanked on Ruka's wrist to get her moving but the girl wasn't budging. His shoulders squared with disillusion that she'd try to get the strange man to join them and that was one thing the Kuchiki heir didn't want. He'd come here for her, not to drag away an entourage.
"I'd be more than happy to come back and help you" she offered helpfully because she truly wanted to see the fruits of her labor and although Kurotsuchi remained impassive on positive results, she beamed with pride. Byakuya realized he'd stepped into 'science time' and knew that Ruka would be hard to budge away from her work. It was times like these that he kicked himself for encouraging her to flourish her taste for knowledge and wished he'd told her to stick to history rather than science.
"Hey, whatever freaky thing you two have going, it isn't happening here with me" he stated grimly because time was being wasted, his time, but Ruka's hand smacked his head to quell his boiling impatience. Quickly, he held his throbbing head between his hands for her unforeseen strike and exclaimed indignantly, "Ow! Ruka!"
"You are impossible sometimes, Byakuya Kuchiki!" she chastised with offense to his insinuation and felt nothing short of embarrassed before her superior, fighting back the rosy hue threatening to blossom on her cheeks. She bowed to him to show respect after that shameful comment because a subordinate would never undermine their superior in such a way. Her friend, meanwhile, grumbled under his breath as he felt like the outsider in the quiet lab and she added in quickly, "I apologize for my friend's brash words."
"Keep your personal life out of the workplace, Kyōraku" Kurotsuchi told her bluntly because he had no time to witness quarrels between friends or whatever those two were and was only concerned with his work. Ruka quickly nodded with shame tinting her cheeks because she always remained objective in the military life she'd chosen, keeping all emotional ties outside the workplace. Nonetheless, the girl was valuable to their research as she tended to their experiments with the care of a mother bear and he informed simply with a dismissive wave of the hand, "I will be here for three more hours if you wish to return."
"Great!" she smiled happily to the prospect of returning later on to continue overtime work and dragged her friend away from the building. Byakuya could only sigh in disbelief because a minute ago, he was doing the exact same thing to the dead weight that was Ruka.
"You have the weirdest friends!" Byakuya scoffed distastefully since she could do much better, given her ranking, and smacked her head in retaliation to her previous strike. Ruka didn't react at all, merely stepping over his left foot for her own subtle revenge and heard him yelp painfully, "I'm telling your uncle you hit the next 28th head of the Kuch-"
"Enough, I get it- you want to be a clan leader!" Ruka broke in with an exasperated sigh to his claim for the 'clan throne'- she'd been hearing it a lot lately- and pulled his long ponytail before flash stepping away.
(End)
"Wow, we really switched personalities drastically" Ruka laughed out loud with amusement twinkling in her blue eyes as she grinned at him. Time had the uncanny tendency to twist personalities, whether for good or ill, and despite her little jabs at the man before her- she approved of how he'd turned out. He wasn't going to be all smile and giggles as he carried various responsibilities, not to mention that his past wasn't all flowers and sunshine.
"It was a long time ago" he commented simply about his behavior in the past, not wishing to dwell on those unfavorable traits but she felt his reiatsu rise slightly. She chuckled at knowing she'd riled him up with that remark alone and smiled mischievously.
A second later, she found herself taking an unscheduled trip onto the ground.
She spit out grass from between her lips, the sour taste not delighting her tongue in the slightest and glared at her friend to exclaim indignantly, "Byakuya! A joke doesn't mean you can inflict bodily harm."
Standing upright once more, she dusted herself off with a frown because she wasn't keen on having to wash off any grass stains and pinned him with a small glare to state, "You're a lot more cunning than people give you credit for. I hope your hair gets burned by the sun under those metal barrettes of yours."
"You need to act your age, Ruka" he lectured firmly because he was insistent that she remove those child-like traits but she frowned to that idea, wanting to banish the suggestion. There was no way she could imagine herself acting like him on a twenty-four hour basis and almost shivered at the idea of having no facial expressions. It's what gave a Kyōraku their friendly demeanors. His forefingers on the right hand twitched slightly in reflex to the decorations on his short locks and his lips thinned into a straight line as he refuted her insult, "And they're not barrettes."
They are if they're clipped in or held by a pin of sort, she thought amusingly about how those things stayed in his hair without falling out because there was no other possible explanation.
"I have my military manners but my public image isn't going to change" she shrugged noncommittally as she smoothed the front of her kimono because if he'd ruined any inch of it, she'd track him down and force him to have him clean it. Imitating his perfectly straight posture, she tucked her hands behind her back and admitted freely, "I'm satisfied with what I have, I don't crave more. As long as I can help the Seireitei, I'm happy. My life is fully dedicated to the thirteen court guard squads, I would abandon my family duties in a second if the captain-commander asked for it. Why do you think I travel so much?"
"To avoid your problems and occupy your mind elsewhere?" he pointed out easily without hesitation about her tendencies to dodge personal conflict by never engaging it and she cursed the classes they'd taken years ago on criminal psychology. Her fingers fidgeted from within their sleeves as she crossed her arms defensively to nudge that remark aside since it wasn't a critique. She knew that he wanted her to aid the divisions directly rather than forging alliances by quelling the problems of other Seireitei's but it was necessary when war arose in theirs. How else would they attain direct aid when their soldiers fell in battle?
She avoided answering the question directly and retorted with a witty smile at the left side of her lips, "Besides, uncle Shunsui doesn't act his age and he chases women every day despite being a captain. You wouldn't want to see me chasing after men with a lusty gleam in my eye, do you? I am his niece, you know, so the apple doesn't fall far from the tree. . .or so, the human quote goes."
"Those are your private matters and I will cut down anyone that isn't of noble stock" he stated crisply to the shameful concept of seeing her prance around in such a manner and she gulped quietly to the 'you better court in your caste stature and up only' tone in his voice. Good thing he knew nothing about Rukia and Ichigo then.
"You're a grouch and it's because I killed that annoying Hollow that you met Hisana" she reminded playfully to that fateful winter morning where she'd killed a screeching hollow that had grated her nerves as it had been attacking people in that underprivileged district. Shinigami born into high standing clans were usually given the least troubling sectors but Ruka managed to snag problematic districts since Komamura had come from a similar district himself, always telling her to keep an eye out for future Academy students. His eyes narrowed on the subject, the frown on his lips telling her to immediately cease any trips through memory lane and she pointed out gently, "Byakuya, remembering those we've lost shouldn't be painful. Forgetting and denying everything that happened to you is practically spitting at her memory and nobody deserves that, especially her. I like reliving happy moments and I loved spending time with her, she was the only person I could stand on this estate without being tempted to gas them into unconsciousness. The ones you love should always be remembered and never forgotten to honor them."
With a fond smile, she tilted her head to the left as she gazed at a nearby sakura tree that had yet to blossom and reminisced, "We knew nothing about noble dinner parties and picking a wardrobe was disastrous when Rangiku wasn't with me. I burned my hair trying to straighten it while Hisana showed me the simplest way by just steaming it with something hot. Her hair was always so shiny and perfectly combed. Seriously, I spent money trying to find good gadgets and now I have stick straight hair that I hate- talk about a horrible irony. She was soft and genuine, pure and honest, nothing like those little pests from the top clans. I wish I could throttle one right now in her honor."
His left eyebrow rose to her eager request because he certainly wouldn't condone killing in his deceased wife's honor, especially when Ruka's hands were currently choking an invisible enemy. Hisana avoided the condescending nobles of his family whenever she could but Ruka's patience wasn't long when it concerned arrogant people and she'd certainly bitten into a few for their own snarky comments. She turned her gaze towards him, his features almost hidden by the shadows as they passed underneath the tree and continued genuinely, "Please, don't ever marry such banshees like those. She let me rant on and on about them without saying a word and that takes heavy endurance with my yapping mouth."
Byakuya listened quietly to his friend's fond remembrance of his wife and added in, "True, you have that earsplitting tendency."
"Yes, but it wasn't as bad as hearing you rant about courting procedure" she shot back smugly with a mischievous grin to his crazy plans of the past and shook her head. The things she'd done would never leave her memory, remembering how she'd tended to her bruises at home whenever one of his plans went horribly awry for her. Crossing her arms, she lifted her chin to state coolly with that Cheshire grin that threatened to shatter his ice cold fortress, "And people think I'm crazy."
(63 years ago)
A ruffled hair Ruka burst into the sixth lieutenant's office, literally exploding into the room with the force of a missile and fell on all fours as she threw reservations aside with Byakuya. She'd been flash stepping like a maniac all the way from Inuzuri, the seventy-eight Rukongai district, for the past six hours and was almost drained of energy for this favor she was doing out of the goodness in her heart. From her left hand, an open envelope scattered onto the floor and the lieutenant's face fell to seeing it return in her hand as it was obvious the recipient didn't accept it. He leaned down to pick up the fallen envelope, rather than his exhausted and frizzy-haired friend, and asked slowly for an explanation, "She didn't accept it then?"
"Thanks a million for asking about my welfare, I was chased by a pack of rabid dogs through three Rukongai districts this time" she grumbled tiredly with a miserable groan to her luck as she sat up to check her hakama for any tears since sewing her uniform was not on the list for today. If anything, she'd tell her friend to patch them up himself for sending her on the crazy errand. He merely watched her coolly from his standing spot near the rear window as he held the envelope in his hand, tucking it into his sleeve for safekeeping, and she breathed heavily to explain the situation with sarcasm dripping from her words, "The poor thing didn't understand a lick of that letter, neither could I! What's the meaning of dried orchid petals? We're not florists or botanical historians, Byakuya!"
"Beauty, admiration, have you no sense of romance?" he pointed out matter-of-factly to the crystal clear message that nobody but himself understood, his footsteps making no noise as he quickly closed the door of his office before she yelled out anything else. He didn't want his private business to be overheard by anyone which was why he sent her in his stead in the first place. She shook her head to his lack of sense and cleared her throat with an emphasized 'ahem' to remind him that she'd been one of the previously wooed women in his life. He waved her aside with a simple flick of his left wrist as he avoided taking blame for the failure of the mission and stated airily, "Obviously, your memory is faulty and I wouldn't be here at this moment if it had worked."
She laughed softly to his flustered expression but would help him anyway, what else could be worse than rabid dogs? Sometimes, she wondered about the limits of what she'd do for the Kuchiki heir because he was awful at interpersonal skills with the general public. Byakuya frowned to his failure as it was unacceptable because it yielded no results and crossed his arms over his chest to ponder aloud with haste in his voice to correct the plan, "All right, I need two goats, a roll of silk fabric-"
"Whoa, whoa, I'm almost afraid to ask about the goats" Ruka interrupted quickly in protest to his strange request because it made absolutely no sense whatsoever and wasn't about to wrangle in a goat. She was a shinigami, taught to wield a blade and strength to crush stone- not tying up an animal. Besides, once they started making their little 'ba-a-ah' noises, she'd melt like butter and pet them. Despite her lower legs were calling for rest, she stood upright quickly to end this tweak to his plan and used a direct tone to get through to the heart of the issue, "What are you trying to achieve here? I'd rather save you the embarrassment and myself from losing an appendage."
The young lieutenant thinned his lips as he turned around to gaze out of his window, his palms landing on top of the windowsill as he leaned forward and admitted quietly, "I'm fond of Hisana."
Was that all?
Ruka grinned widely to the confession since she'd spotted him talking to the girl whenever they patrolled the area but restrained herself from bouncing all over the room with joy. She'd never had expected the prized golden boy of the Kuchiki clan to fancy a soft-spoken common woman that held beauty on her dusty face that radiated enough to put all others to shame. This could've proceeded much faster if he'd been honest with himself and trusted her, placing her hands on her hips to sigh humorously with a friendly smile, "You could've just said that, it would've helped tremendously in the long run. I'll go meet her now since I'm perfectly free to roam today and chat her up because the company there is not that great. We'll meet you in a restaurant there after your shift, I'll bring her in and you two can have a quiet time-"
"People like me don't wander into such run-down establishments" he stated frankly with a wrinkled nose to the idea of sitting in those dusty chairs and crossed his arms since a person with his social stature would be noticed. He'd much rather bring Hisana to a better area of Rukongai but her shy nature would keep her tied to that filthy district.
"Well, if you want to see somebody like Hisana, suck down your damn pride and realize we're all the same people" Ruka stated sharply to knock sense into him and cast aside preconceptions about the lesser districts since actions spoke louder than what social ranking you were born with. It tired her to see arrogant elites slacking off or ridiculing shinigami that came from less fortunate districts. Her father had always taught her to protect everyone, from the highest to lowest ranking individual, remembering the long walks she took with him when he wasn't on shift to explore what the other districts really looked like. She still visited the small establishment in the west 76th district where she'd eaten many soup lunches with her father as he paid for food for the children who couldn't afford many. Early exposure to their conditions opened her view of the world and Ruka carried it with her through life.
Byakuya, however, merely raised his nose in defiance because his teachings stated otherwise and she grasped his right forearm to whisper softly, "Be grateful that you were born into a family that kept you fed throughout your life and hardships weren't often, I know I am. Not everyone is as lucky as you and they try to survive each day however they can, just like Hisana does. You cannot judge a person by the society they live in, you must look at what makes them who they are- our world should not be in black and white all the time."
The lieutenant remained silent for a few moments because the citizens of all Rukongai shaped the Soul Society just as much as those living within the Seireitei, finally agreeing, "All right, I will do this your way but if I am steered wrong-"
"Yeah, yeah, you'll sic Senbonzakura on me" she scoffed offhandedly to his untold threat since she handled the romance life better than her friend, turning around to exit his office with relief that everything was out in the open. She'd never say it aloud but he'd be eaten alive in the world of courting with his misunderstood complex gifts and wished Hisana the best because Ruka still had a small wooden puzzle box at home that had never been opened. Yeah, his gifts were that mind compellingly difficult to grasp without the use of a historical library.
(End)
"Hmm, I don't think you've ever unleashed the 'pink death' upon me with killing intent" she grinned wittily with triumphant conclusion in regards to their friendship, halting for a moment to dance in place with victory. Byakuya immediately believed she'd lost her mind because hip swaying and waving your arms in the air were not acceptable forms of dancing for a lady of her standing. He'd specifically told her to never adapt any form of human dancing into their cultural dancing routines or randomly break into dance in any setting. The giddy dancing reminded Ruka of an old song she'd heard on the square machine in the human world that spit out music. It had taken her a while to realize that she wasn't picking up random signals or songs from other Seireitei's but simply music, introducing her to the varied genres and languages of the mortals. He closed his eyes for a brief second when she sang gleefully, "I will survive. Oh, as long as I know how to fight, I'll know I'll stay alive. I've got all my life to live- d'oh, I forgot the rest to parody."
"And you come to this conclusion. . .now?" he replied coolly because he could never kill her legally and escape that crime, not that a few captains hadn't done that in the past but he stuck to the laws of the Seireitei. His simple question stopped her silly dancing and her hands clenched into fists as he stopped her little parade, bringing him a little delight that he kept hidden from her.
"Why can't you just agree with me?" she sighed desperately for that agreement that would end their benign discussions and tried to stomp over his foot but he dodged her petty strike with ease. There was no way she'd ever defeat a captain's agility but it didn't stop her from trying it with her friend, knowing that the worst he could do was keep her in the brig for an hour. She held her forefingers in front of her right eye, leaving only a tiny open area between her thumb and index finger as she requested breathlessly, "Just a tiny, microscopic bit?"
"Simple, I am logical and you are insane" he stated indifferently as he resumed their walk down the carved path, Ruka tagging along as she mimicked him sarcastically from behind. The sixth captain never let her walk behind him whenever they were off-duty because she held the tendency to spring a prank on him, turning around quickly as she shut her mouth to prevent being caught. She directed an innocent smile that did nothing to soften the apathetic expression on his face and he concluded with a low but calculating voice, "Therefore, your opinions will never match mine."
"I was right about the position of your old scarf, you wanted that weird priest drape thing and you became super popular with your flashy 'wind flying' scarf" she pointed out about the fashion tip she'd given him decades ago when he'd received the family heirloom. He wore it occasionally, either professionally or for clan matters, but Ruka didn't hesitate to prod him with the hilarious styles he'd tried to use. He didn't give a reply to her remark because he could afford to pay for the best in fashion detailing and merely kept his leisurely pace but Ruka chuckled amusingly to his denial, "You're not bothering to answer me, eh?"
"I'm a captain, I have no need to answer to subordinates" he evaded aloofly and she shook her head to the use of military ranking to keep from answering her. Well, he hadn't reached captaincy by yapping people's ears off and she batted his right arm with a gentle hand as she chuckled.
"We're off-duty and my direct orders come from captain Hisagi" she stated matter-of-factly because yes, shinigami obeyed all of their superiors but their division captain came first. She held soft spots for her uncle, Byakuya, Unohana, and Ukitake as she'd grown up to make them proud and never hesitated to help. Her loyalty to Komamura was unyielding and since Hisagi was her captain now, she would follow his orders above all others (Yamamoto, excluded, of course). She prodded the center of his back to draw a reaction since he was using rank to hide like a wise turtle but he slapped her hand when she didn't relent, leading her to grin mischievously, "I ought to chase you through this field. . .but I forgot to bring my swan minions. I can do this all night, Kuchiki."
Before she could defend herself, Byakuya had her in a headlock and his fingers pressed against a pressure point in her neck. Crap, she forgot about his easiest method for knocking her out cold in the middle of nowhere. The last time he'd done that, she'd ended waking up by the shore of one of the public lakes with ducks pecking at her soaked legs. She struggled in his grip because she didn't want to be knocked unconscious at this hour of the night and snapped sharply, "I said fun stuff, not the deadly arts! I'm not afraid to kick you in the crotch and leave you infertile to piss off your elders. Plus, killing a defenseless lieutenant is against the law unless you hold concrete evidence of plots against the Seireitei and its people."
"Why do I put up with you again, lieutenant?" he asked out of the blue with a small sigh and released the wriggling Ruka from his grasp, watching her regain balance as she stumbled on her first steps. She wasn't a worthy execution anyway. . .and she was right.
"Because you love me deep down in the darkest caverns of your heart and I've saved your ass just as much as you have mine. . .sir" she answered easily with a proud grin as she smoothed the sleeves of her kimono to keep herself presentable through her little scuffles. He nodded lightly with satisfaction to her words, returning to the stroll in the grass but Ruka stayed in her spot as a question poked her endless curious mind. Hesitance and uncertainty laced into her voice as she called out, "Hey, Byakuya?"
"The 'hey' demeans your upbringing" he chastised with a tsk for the uncivilized language but she dismissed it, quickly closing the gap of distance between them.
She stuffed her hands into the sleeves of her kimono to contain the little ball of nerves that arose in her stomach and admitted sheepishly, "Thanks for recommending my name for this position, my uncle let it slip a few days ago during dinner. I. . .It's nice to be at home permanently."
"This is where you belong, you will spill the blood of our Seireitei when you protect our people rather gallivanting abroad" he reminded her of their origins since she was always off fighting another Seireitei's battles rather than their own because there were plenty throughout the decades. Ruka frowned immediately because everything she'd done abroad was for the benefit of their Seireitei and the entire Soul Society itself. Byakuya was different in that aspect of protecting their home, he was more conservative in keeping help among their own rather than relying on others. To Ruka, it didn't matter because they were protecting the Soul Society as a whole as all Seireitei's worked together to keep the intricate balance of their realm with the humans in sync. Her friend never traveled to the human world unless it was deemed necessary and even less to other Seireitei's, usually requiring her prodding touch to move him in the latter direction. The captain and her uncle had once traveled with her to the Brazilian Seireitei that oversaw the entire human continent of the south and while her uncle had been a humongous hit, Byakuya came off as standoffish to the friendly officers. Not even the colorfully pretty paper parasol inside drinks cheered him up.
"Ensuring alliances was for the benefit of the Gotei 13, they give us the advantage over enemies we might not be able to handle" she explained matter-of-factly as she'd sought audiences with all other Seireitei's to forge alliances that would help win the war during Aizen's rebellion when he posed the greatest enemy to their realm. Without scientific help, Kurotsuchi's plan wouldn't have been ready in time and Aizen's forces would've decimated the human town of Karakura upon arrival. It didn't matter to Ruka whether enemies were ex-shinigami, humans, or Quincy; they would all die as their last gaze would be the faces of the protectors of the Seireitei and the fortified stone white walls of their city.
Her palm pressed against the hilt of her blade as she carried it with her at all times, keeping her gaze locked with his as she stated wisely, "We're soldiers and that requires sacrifices from all of us, there isn't a thing I wouldn't do for my home. If anyone dares to breach our walls with killing intent, I will crush them into a million pieces for all to see. You know we've faced countless battles where we've held a disadvantage and outside help- Kurosaki, his human friends, the Vizards, foreign shinigami- has given us that extra edge needed to win. When fire is raining down upon your shoulders with the ashes of the dead, it's not about pride, captain . . . it is basic survival and failure is not an option."
(6 years ago)
"The White Way Gate has been breached! Fifth, sixth, and seventh squads report!"
Sajin Komamura turned to his seated officers as the western gate laid closest to the captain-less fifth division, the sixth, and the seventh. The Northern gate was assigned to the second, third, and fourth divisions while the East laid with eight, ninth, and tenth. The Southern Red Hollow Gate fell to the eleventh, twelfth, and thirteenth for protection. The command over the fifth division fell to the other two captains as Hinamori would relay the orders, the seated officers of all three divisions gathered before their respective captains. Ruka could already see the hairline cracks in the sekkiseki wall that protected the Seireitei, her gaze flickering back to Komamura because he didn't hesitate to issue orders, "Iba, you're with me. Kyōraku, three offense squads to the left. . ."
Captain Kuchiki's voice commanded his officers to their positions and both captains used the fifth division as backup in case both of theirs failed to contain the enemy breach. Once orders were issued, there was no hesitance in assembling and the top shinigami of the divisions were ordered to protect the gate. Of course, the fact that half of the gate had shattered under the enemy's strength strengthened their resolve to protect their base of operations.
"Lieutenant, commandeer two squads on the right" Byakuya Kuchiki ordered simply as he tweaked his organized his plan of attack to the shifting situation, knowing that they were the first line of defense until support from ninth arrived. Taro quickly moved his squad from their original post and set position at the largest gap in the wall as their enemies began to trickle inside by the numbers.
The two captains disappeared within the debris field to attack their enemies as they were the best line of defense with their power alone but that left the rest of the shinigami to defend the area. Although the captains would tackle on the strongest enemies, the weaker followers or 'drones' as Ruka called them would spill inside to complete their objective. She would obliterate them into dust before they stepped any further inside.
Ruka kept her team spread throughout the area to cover any spaces that might allow anyone to breach the line and ordered her teammates, "At my side, do not let anyone through that gate! Shatter them, show them the courage of our division and eradicate them for daring to enter our sanctuary!"
She charged forward with a brave yell to encourage the people serving alongside her to maintain their bravery and slammed into the nearest enemy, slashing their throat open with the sharp double-edged blade of her zanpakuto as her agility exceeded theirs. Their crimson blood bathed the front of her uniform from the inflicted damage and she ripped the gaping wound open with her bare fingers to rip apart their reishi and used her zanpakuto as a parrying weapon, shouting fiercely, "We are the seventh division and you will not take our home!"
(End)
"I am proud of my work, Byakuya, and wear my scars without shame" she pointed out clearly because every battle fought carried their weight as she lived on and other shinigami didn't. She fought to give her people a future free of pain by running headfirst into the fires of battle, never hesitating to protect innocents and defend those under her command. Her parents and his died in the front lines during the war to protect the Royal Palace, instilling the best parts of themselves in the future generation and Ruka wouldn't tarnish their memory, confessing with a firm voice, "I fight so civilians in the Soul Society and humans in their realm don't endure the horrors we witness on a battlefield. In my years of service, I have watched captains and squad leaders sacrifice their lives for their men, children witness the destruction of their districts, seen our realm almost tear into the veil of nonexistence, and countless scenes that will never be erased. I fight for brave fathers, protective mothers, innocent children, unborn souls, and my brothers and sisters in the Gotei 13. They are who I protect and whoever our enemies are throughout time, they will be annihilated without hesitation."
"That is precisely why I recommended you" the captain stated faintly with approval and she smiled gratefully for the prestigious honor- even if she wouldn't be serving alongside the beloved squad she'd grown up in. He didn't need to deliberate further, his message was crystal clear and thanked him for believing in her. Byakuya saw the potential in her, not that he was quiet about it as he was with his sister (the constant berated never ceased) and commented frankly, "For all of your outrageous behavior and keen mind, you hold the core values of what all high-ranking shinigami should have. I have seen you inspire the seventh squad when Lieutenant Iba has been medically unable to perform his duties, this position will test you through the years to determine whether you have what it takes to one day hold a captaincy position or not."
The ninth lieutenant translated 'one day' to equal two hundred years or more into the future. . .or maybe a millennium, she could be sluggish.
Ruka smirked to his subtle scheming as he decided to pull her out from underneath her comfy figurative rock and preened, "Oh, captain, you always have a plan within a plan achieve a goal in that mind of yours."
Rukia appeared before them and presented a large pink banner featuring Chappy in the center, its name capitalized above, and red hearts outlining the edges as a border. She pushed it towards the brunette for a second opinion before they began planning for their new club and asked with an ecstatic grin, "What do you think? Isn't it adorable? This can be the clubhouse banner!"
Ruka squealed along with her over the cute caricature and the two cooed over the sewn banner as Byakuya grew bored of the womanly prattle within seconds. He began to walk off to escape the happy giggles and it was times like this that he yearned to have a brother because then, Rukia wouldn't spend so much time with the ninth lieutenant. The brunette glanced at the captain's retreating back as Rukia cuddled the banner into her arms and called out to him enticingly, "The Seaweed Ambassador can be a sidekick to Chappy. What do you say?"
Byakuya kept walking without pause but his left eyebrow shot up in interest to the idea because everybody else made a mockery of it. Captain Ukitake wanted to make dolls out of it to hand out to the sick ward to encourage recovery while Kurotshuchi had placed statues throughout his division to scare off Yachiru. Even Captain Hitsugaya had advised him to stop drawing the character after his lieutenant kept handing him a coloring book about it. Rukia caught his unannounced departure because she wanted her brother to partake in her hobbies- at least one of them- and asked hesitantly, "Brother, where are you going?"
"Back to the sixth division" he replied simply since dinner was finished and Ruka would keep his sister company while he was away, trusting the brunette not to do anything dangerous. The two would return to their respective squads later after they finished their 'club' business and his regal voice carried over the area, "I expect to hear good things from your meeting with Captain Abarai tomorrow, Kyōraku."
Hearing her last name initiated their work relationship and she stood straight with a respectful posture, nodding confidently to reply evenly, "No less, sir."
Shinigami Extras:
Rukia entered Ruka's private quarters as she dropped her off on her way back to the 13th division to call it a day, her petite hands full with a paper bag containing Chappy charms. Their plans for the club were on schedule but she asked uncertainly with a sheepish smile, "You think Chappy cookies are too much?"
The brunette turned around as she dropped her doggie bag (courtesy of a grumpy Byakuya) onto the nearest table because the clan leader had enough food to spare and she wasn't one to cook everyday with her many duties to the Seireitei. That handy doggie bag would serve for breakfast and lunch tomorrow with enough to share with her captain if he forgot to bring anything. Sometimes, she believed she'd turn into Rangiku since they both reported to younger captains that refused to eat until their duties were done. Ruka waved a hand to wash away any of her second thoughts because she wanted Rukia to roam free with her plans and scoffed dismissively, "Please, it's never enough when it comes to dear ol' Chappy! I should know, I made a bomb with its image."
She looked around her quarters for a piece of paper she'd left out somewhere in there and mumbled under her breath, "I know my little list of Chappy merchandise ideas is here somewhere. Time to dig through this, Rukia!"
The petite woman slouched to the idea of perusing through the stacks of paper on top of desks and the drawers that contained who knew what. Despite the extra space her new quarters provided, Ruka had quickly filled in every crevice with her things. Placing her bag on the floor, along with the 'doggie bag' Ruka ordered her brother to give them both, Rukia groaned miserably, "Oh! But we just ate."
"Yeah, well, running isn't good for digestion either but we did it anyway so c'mon!" she urged with a peppy smile to get things started and jabbed her friend in the ribs so they could find the paper. Rukia chose the easiest job by perusing through the open drawers but fidgeted with the locked ones, using a melting agent that Ruka threw her way to eat its way through the closed lock. She was extremely careful with that because if it left metal as an oozing hole of liquid, she could only wonder what it did to flesh itself.
Fifteen minutes later, papers were strewn all over the main foyer as both women sat on the ground with no list in their hands. Ruka shoved and grabbed papers from any boxes that she could find as the stacks in sight had all been scanned, growling under her breath with conviction, "I know it's here somewhere! I'm a packrat, I never throw anything away."
Her eyes caught glimpse of a list on a pile of papers she'd thrown next to her left leg and she grabbed it into her hands eagerly, ready for a victory dance when her face fell and she muttered flatly, "Damn, just my grocery list from last week. . .hmm, maybe I should throw those out. I lost count after three years ago but there's always something my tongue gets a hankering for."
Rukia burst out laughing as she grabbed an old yellowed paper and Ruka turned to her with hope shining in her blue orbs, piping up optimistically, "Please tell me you found it?"
"No-o-o-o" she drawled out amusingly and her purplish-blue eyes practically glittered at the paper before her as it revealed hints of the brunette's past. Ruka's eyebrow raised curiously to what kind of paper she found and the young Kuchiki began to read it aloud in a dramatically amorous voice, "My dearest Ruka- hey, Kurotsuchi's pretty lovey dovey- I apologize for cutting dinner short last night but my grandfather needed me- oh, he's a family guy. . .that's a little strange- to attend to several Kuchiki matters- whoa, whoa, wait!"
Rukia's eyes widened to their full size to the letter in her hands as the elegant handwriting was definitely one she'd seen before and she scanned the bottom to read the closing with flabbergasted words, "Always yours, Byakuya Kuchiki?. . .Ruka! What the- seriously?"
Ruka only smiled sheepishly to the discovered letter and almost burst into laughter when Rukia exclaimed with shock written over her usually calm face, "You're dating my brother, the most rule abiding and impassive man in the Seireitei. . .and you didn't tell me?"
She scooted over to pat Rukia's back like a mother would to a child who'd received a bad haircut and put her heart at ease by explaining everything, "That letter's over eighty years old. I told you I'm a packrat and I never threw them out. . .actually, I never throw anything out. I'm sure it's bound to become a hazard- both medically and physically- one day but maybe I'll discover a remedy for that."
Rukia blinked with confusion to her detoured rambles but the brunette quickly corrected herself, "Yes, I courted your brother but it ended and he married your sister many years later in a beautiful ceremony where I threw sakura petals at them that somehow lodged in his throat and almost caused poor Hisana to fish it out of him. They lived happily and there's nothing else to it but he's always my bestest buddy in the world. . .even if he won't admit it."
"I thought I was" she pouted humorously since Ichigo had become her dearest friend throughout the years (and more, apparently) and smiled at her mischievously to suggest, "So why not rekindle the romance? No offense but my brother isn't the happiest guy in the Seireitei and I'd rather you run off with him than Kurotsuchi. I think everyone would vote for that."
"Why does nobody root for the maniacal scientist?" she chuckled with amusement to the sixth captain's popularity and the eleventh's widespread fear, shaking her head to answer truthfully, "No, the past is better left buried so gimme the letter."
Rukia held it closer because she found this new discovery fun and disagreed with an impish smile, "No, I want to read it. Hmm. I have the greatest news to tell you, we can take that vacation together, don't ask how I managed it but I did. I expect a romantic dinner- merely a joke, my dear. What the- he called you 'dear'? And he joked? Oh my- We will be visiting Switzerland and I've asked your uncle about renting the home he has there since you love old architecture. Nobody will bother us there and all we will have is each other to- okay, I'm stopping now!"
"I warned you about reading other people's mail, it will rape your mind" Ruka scolded playfully with a jovial laugh and snatched her old love letter back to fold it neatly into a square, tucking it inside her sleeve. She really had to start dumping stuff. Her left foot slipped on a paper as she tried to get up, falling down on her butt as Rukia laughed to the humorous sight. Ruka laughed alongside her as she rubbed her poor tailbone, reaching down to grab the paper for a closer inspection and rejoiced, "Hurrah! I found it!"
A/N: And we catch glimpses of the craziness the two have brought into their lives over the years. We'll have Ruka heading over the third division in the next chapter and her first trip to the SRDI to see Kurotsuchi.
I'd really love a few reviews on the story as it helps me decide whether to continue or not but still, thanks to the last chapter reviews:
atomicvegemite: She's a crafty little swan, weaving herself to create or accidentally cause mayhem. I'm hearing more ByakuyaxRuka favoring so I might just make it that, given how the two are quite interwoven in each other's pasts. Mayuri has that scientific quality while Byakuya has that 'achieve your potential' air about it. I'm glad you love the story's humor since it's the major genre with romance and family lagging behind it.
ReflectiveMoon: Thank you for liking the story!
Next Time:
Ruka withdrew a small paper wrapped package from her sleeve pockets to bestow onto the captain and from outside, Izuru jolted upright with surprise when he heard Renji exclaim in triumph, "The Anzi 70R goggles!"
Izuru was accustomed to outbursts from his friend but when he heard a painful squeak, he burst into the room to remind his captain with a firm voice, "Captain, what did I say about catching loose rabbits for the thirteenth division? They ate Captain Ukitake's bonsai trees last time when you brought five."
Instead of a furry cuddly rabbit, he found the petite lieutenant of ninth with a suffocating arm around the neck as Renji boisterously thanked the woman for his favorite pair of goggles. He'd been saving to buy another pair after his first broke during a battle but this was perfect! Ruka struggled to breathe within his grasp, exhausted of the tall men of the Gotei 13 that kept dangling her off the ground as if she were a stuffed animal. Why couldn't she channel her inner Suì-Fēng and kick them in the head?
Ruka waived her arms helplessly as she caught notice of Izuru inside the office and managed to cry out, "Tell Captain Hisagi I died gloriously- pecked to death by a gang of baby ducks!"