A.N. First, I must thank two dear girls: Lalashi for always being there (even if she isn't really here. haha) and Ghellai for always reminding me of my responsibilities (she always tells me to update faster. haha). ^^
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. Please don't strangle me.
Summary: You've got to be kidding me. Chapter thirteen is here.
Rating: M for language, badly-written romance, a dash of angst, horrible humor, and certainty of lemon.
CHAPTER THIRTEEN
The mansion was as silent and solemn as a church when Kisuke and Tessai finally got home. No one was there to welcome him except for the butler. No smiling Ururu ready to give him a hug, or a grouchy Jinta grumbling about one thing or another. Tessai told him that they wouldn't be home until, maybe, tomorrow.
Kisuke went to his study, but not before grabbing a glass, some ice, and an unopened bottle of scotch from the bar. There were a pile of bills and unopened personal letters arranged neatly on his writing desk, and when he opened his laptop and checked his e-mail, his inbox showed a fair amount of mails that required his attention ASAP. But he just got back from a long trip, and even if that trip was a vacation, the last thing he wanted to do now was to answer mails, read bills, or check his Facebook account to see if Isshin had already bested his score in Text Twist.
He would deal with all those things later.
He put some ice cubes into the glass, opened the bottle (The Macallan 1926), and poured a generous amount of scotch into the said glass. Kisuke didn't even bother to smell his drink, as some people would usually do. No sipping, either. He quickly downed half of it, but showed some mercy to himself before drinking the remaining half. Kisuke had never been much of a drinker, but he felt like he could drink the whole bottle all by himself tonight. If that was what it would take to forget the hollow, despairing feeling that pervaded his heart when he walked out of Yoruichi's apartment then so be it.
Kisuke poured himself another shot. How ironic, he thought, that he was using the same expensive scotch that was a birthday gift from a woman he used to date in order to forget another woman. But he decided to save the second shot until he did what he needed to do.
His secretary knew that he would be back in Karakura tonight, and she was expecting to see him early in the office tomorrow. It was the plan they had agreed upon before he left for the island. He had other ideas now, and the first on his list was to get wasted. If only for this one night, he wanted to get drunk until he lost consciousness, and then wake up with a massive hangover later. However, if he planned to ditch work tomorrow, he had to inform his secretary first or risk getting his balls kicked once she got hold of him. He picked up his cell phone and hit her number.
"Hello, Kisuke~chan," a familiar voice answered placidly, right after the second ring. "Welcome back."
Kisuke's brows knitted in confusion. Sarugaki never called him Kisuke~chan before, and he doubted if she ever would.
"…Hirako-san?" he asked tentatively.
"Uh-huh," Hirako affirmed. "But call me Shinji, Kisuke~chan."
Kisuke glanced at the untouched glass of scotch. He'd had only one glass, but was that already one glass too much?
"Sorry to bother you, Shinji-chan," he apologized, absently scratching his head. "I was trying to call Sarugaki-san. Guess I dialed the wrong number."
"No," Shinji said. "You got the right number, baka Kisuke. Hiyori's still in the shower."
"Oh, you're already in the first name ba-" Kisuke's mouth suddenly gaped open, and he stared wildly around him. Either he was suffering from a bad case of jet lag, or the world just lost its sanity.
Hirako Shinji and Sarugaki Hiyori?
If someone told Kisuke that the world was doomed to end in the year 2012, and he had to pay a billion dollars in order to survive... Well, he could probably believe something like that (he did love science, even if it was fiction). But his easy-going lawyer banging his hell-tempered secretary?
"You've got to be kidding me."
"Nope," was Shinji's confident answer, and Kisuke could almost imagine the smug smile that went with it. "She's in my apartment, and she's using my shower. I can tell that under oath if you want."
Kisuke felt like he was already having a headache, and he wasn't even drunk yet. "Weren't you the one who told me that sleeping with Yoruichi was a bad idea?"
"Well, I am your lawyer."
"Have you lost your mind, Shinji?"
"It's fine, Kisuke~chan. It's not like I forced Hiyori into anything. If you must know, the new Armani shirt I was wearing got ripped into shreds five minutes after we entered my apart-"
"WHAT THE HELL DO YOU THINK YOU'RE DOING BAKA SHINJI?" Kisuke heard someone screamed from the background.
Oh, boy. Even from the phone, it was not hard to recognize Hiyori's super-pissed-off voice, and Kisuke suddenly wondered if Shinji was secretly into BDSM, because Sarugaki Hiyori made one hell of a perfect dominatrix. He heard Shinji muttered something about female fiends before his crazy lawyer shouted "OWW! THAT HURTS!" into the phone, making his own ears hurt badly.
"You're not supposed to call me, Kisuke," Hiyori's voice growled on the phone. "Today is my day off."
"Not even a 'hello' Hiyori~chan?"
"What do you want?" his secretary said impatiently. "And stop calling me Hiyori-chan."
Kisuke sighed at this coldness then said, "I want you to cancel all my appointments for tomorrow. I want to extend my vacation one more day."
"We're supposed to start working on your presentation for Yamamoto, remember?"
Once again, Kisuke stared at the untouched glass. "I know. Just one more day."
"Are you sure you went on vacation?" Hiyori asked gruffly. "You don't sound too good."
"I'm okay, Hiyori-chan. I just need to catch some sleep."
"Fine. Go to sleep, baka Kisuke." And then she hung up.
Kisuke smiled a little. Dominatrix or not, Hiyori was the best secretary he ever had. Despite her vicious temper, she was a demon of efficiency, and the only secretary who managed to work for him longer than a year. When it came to work, she always knew what he needed even before he asked for it, and her filing system was incredible, too.
Kisuke placed his phone on the table and exchanged it for the glass. The rain that had greeted him when he got back from his vacation had already stopped even before he reached the mansion. At the moment, the most distinct sound in the room was the heavy, monotonous ticking of the antique grandfather clock standing on one corner. Seven days ago, this kind of deafening silence was as welcome to him as a kiss was to a missed lover... but not tonight. Now, not even a day separated from her, and he already missed his lover. His princess. And Kisuke found himself wishing she was there with him.
It was not a welcome feeling, but for the first time in a very long while, Kisuke felt very much alone.
...baka Kisuke...
Kisuke drank his drink, and this time, he drank it all in one go. After tomorrow, he would get back to his office and bury himself in his work. The seat in Seretei Inc.'s board of directors would not wait for him forever, not when he had a lot of equally-qualified business big shots for competition. Anyway, Yoruichi promised to call him after two weeks.
"Guess I really am an idiot." No longer interested in good table manners, he neglected the glass, grabbed the bottle and drank directly from it.
Two weeks just seemed so very long.
The bottle was nearly empty when Kisuke lost himself to oblivion.
Yoruichi was up as early as six forty-five am. It was funny how her body slipped back into old habits with such ease. However, the same could not be said of her mind. The sense of loss she felt when Kisuke walked out of her apartment last night, she felt it again when she woke up alone on her king-size bed today. Sunlight flooded her bedroom through the glass windows as it had been in MIzutori, but this time, there was no drop dead sexy blond to greet her a good morning followed by a chaste (or not-so-chaste) kiss.
Yoruichi groaned and shook her head.
It's not like you'll never see him again.
True. Very true. Of course, she would see him again. Besides, she'd been given a chance to carry the child of the man she loved. She should be happy with that. And if she wasn't? Well, she would try!
Yoruichi got out of bed. Before heading to her office and burying herself behind her desk, she would do some jogging first. Kon Park was a walking distance away from her apartment, and it had always been a part of her ritual to circle this small park twice during weekdays and thrice every weekends. Aside from keeping her trim, jogging had always helped her clear her head.
She sure needed to do some head-clearing today.
Her secretary was already in her designated desk when Yoruichi stepped into her office. Yanagi had always managed to arrive earlier than her, and it was one of the many things that Yoruichi liked about her secretary. When she paused by Yanagi's desk, the young lady stopped whatever it was that she was typing and smiled up at her.
"Morning, Yanagi-san," Yoruichi greeted. "It's been a while."
Yanagi stood up from her chair and offered a small bow. "Good morning, Yoruichi-san. It's nice to see you again, ma'am."
"Always so polite."
"Your coffee's already on your desk, Yoruichi-san."
"Glad to hear it." Yoruichi looked at her watch. "Come in after ten minutes. Okay?"
"Got it. Umm... Are you all right, Yoruichi-san?"
Yoruichi didn't see that coming. "Yes, I'm fine," she answered, "I just didn't get much sleep last night."
Yanagi smiled. "You've been working so hard. I'm glad you allowed yourself to have a vacation."
Of course, her secretary had no idea that Yoruichi spent all those seven days conceiving a baby with one of her business partners, and that, she had lost her heart to said business partner in the process. All Yoruichi ever told Yanagi was that she wanted to take a break, get away from work for a while to enjoy the sun and the beach.
"Yeah," she replied with a small smile. "I'm glad I did, too."
"These are all the documents that you need to review and sign for today," Yanagi said, ten minutes later, when she entered Yoruichi's office carrying a stack of folders. She dumped the stack on her boss' desk with sadistic relish.
Yoruichi looked helplessly at the stack and let out a groan. "For today? You mean there's more for tomorrow?"
"One week is a pretty long time to ditch work, Yoruichi-san."
"Aside from torturing me with this paperwork, what else is there to do today?" Yoruichi asked hopefully.
"Well, Shiba-san called before you arrived. She promised to steal you for a lunch date."
"I love that woman. How about my sister? Did she call?"
Yoruichi tried to contact Soi Fon earlier, but her stubborn little sister didn't pick up the phone. Yanagi replied in the negative. Tough luck.
"And my cousin?"
"Kuchiki-san called to remind me about the documents you needed to sign for him, but that was all."
Typical workaholic cousin, Yoruichi thought. "Anything else?"
"One more thing," Yanagi said, handing her a piece of paper. "That guy dropped by three days ago. He said he wanted to see you as soon as you get back."
It turned out to be a calling card. And as Yoruichi read the name printed on it, one of her brows quirked up. "Now, this is a surprise."
"It certainly was," Yanagi said with an emphatic nod. "I almost choked on my coffee when he walked in here and introduced himself to me."
Yoruichi observed that a blush rose from Yanagi's cheeks as she related this information. It intrigued her a bit, but she decided not to tease her secretary about it. Instead, what she said was, "Always expect the unexpected. Isn't that what people always say?"
"I don't always listen to what people say."
"Good." Yoruichi handed the paper back to her secretary and smiled. "Now, listen. I want you to find out as much as you can about him and have it at my desk before five o'clock today. Then I want you to arrange a meeting with him, tomorrow if possible."
"Yes ma'am," was Yanagi's reply, and then she was out of the room.
Yoruichi stared at the pile of paperwork she had to deal with and heaved out a sigh. The stack was at least eight inches high (and she was being optimistic). Yanagi was right. One week was a pretty long time to ditch work, even for someone like her. But enough about whining and sulking. If she wanted this finished today, she'd better start working. Yoruichi picked up her pen, took the topmost folder from the stack and began reading it.
More than three hours later, Shiba Kukkaku and Unohana Retsu showed up and asked her to lunch, and Yoruichi, with more than eighty percent of her document reviewing and signing already done, was more than happy to say yes.
East Cafe was the unanimous choice. After being gone for three weeks, it was Unohana Retsu who requested they had lunch there, and Yoruichi and Kukkaku readily agreed. It was past lunch time when they got there. The place was no longer crowded, and it was easy for them to secure a table.
After ordering up, it was Retsu who first attacked Yoruichi with questions. "Are you all right?"
Yoruichi was not in the mood to discuss about her feelings concerning Kisuke. Not yet. So she gave her friend the same answer she gave her secretary: she just didn't get much sleep last night. Retsu didn't push, for which Yoruichi was grateful.
It was Kukkaku's turn to ask. "So, did Kisuke live up to his reputation?"
Yoruichi's face flushed at this, but boldly answered, "Yes, he did."
Kukkaku grinned. "Lucky woman. You should give us a play-by-play."
It was a good thing they had a corner table, and no one was occupying the other table nearest to them.
"We don't need to hear how good it all was, Kukkaku," Retsu said primly.
"Yes, I do," was Kukkaku's firm reply, and she gave Retsu a suspicious look. "You wanna hear it, too."
"Well, I am a bit curious," she conceded, finally smiling.
Kukkaku snorted then pointed a finger at Yoruichi. "Spill it, woman."
"I should've taken lunch in my office," Yoruichi muttered under her breath. Good heavens. She loved her friends but sometimes they could give her a migraine.
Retsu placed a hand over hers, and said, "You don't have to tell us anything if you don't feel like it."
Kukkaku groaned. "Don't be a spoil sport, Retsu." But she seemed to give it a thought. "Fine, Yoruichi can spare us some of the gory details but not all. I love horror movies."
"How considerate of you."
"No need to thank me. Now tell us."
Sometimes, it was best to relent than be tortured. So Yoruichi told them what she could.
"I haven't tried it on a sailboat," Kukkaku said thoughtfully after Yoruichi finished her story. "I envy you...a little."
"Elevator sex," Retsu murmured. "That's not exactly easy."
Yoruichi and Kukkaku's eyes met. They heard that one, all right.
"Guess you have your own story to tell, my prissy friend," Kukkaku said with an evil smirk.
"I – I just read that somewhere," was the defensive reply. Retsu's face went brick red, and she quickly changed the topic. She turned to Yoruichi, who was laughing quietly, and asked, "Are you pregnant already?"
"I haven't taken a test yet, but I'm pretty sure that I already am."
"I'm pretty sure Kisuke never left her alone in that island," Kukkaku interjected.
"Enough about me," Yoruichi said, with a dismissive wave of her hand. She was not that keen on hearing the name Kisuke, and the words left and alone in a single sentence. "It's your turn to 'fess up, Kukkaku."
Upon hearing this, her friend suddenly looked away and pretended not to hear her. Yoruichi crossed her arms under her ample chest and glared at Kukkaku. "Don't you dare play dumb with me, woman."
Retsu smiled a knowing smile. Four days after Yoruichi left for her vacation, Unohana Retsu returned from whatever it was that she had to do in her three-week-trip to London. So it was only natural that Kukkaku had already told her who she was dating. This not knowing annoyed the hell out of Yoruichi.
"Out with it, Kukkaku," she growled. "Don't make me beat it out of you."
"Fine." Kukkaku glared back at her. "Do you even know who owns Mizutori?"
One of Yoruichi's brows went up. "I do," she answered. "I researched so I know who to sue if things went wrong. But what does that have to do with anything?"
"It's him," Kukkaku said grudgingly, and it was her face that turned brick red now. "And don't you dare sue him."
"Excuse me?"
"I told you. He's the one I'm dating."
Yoruichi looked skeptically at Kukkaku. "You mean...Zaraki Kenpachi?"
Not unlike her or Kukkaku, Zaraki Kenpachi came from old money. Yoruichi remembered reading that the Zarakis were actually into shipping, until Kenpachi started investing on real estates and developing them into resorts, hotels, and other recreational facilities his pointed, black hair could conceive of. One article even said that Mizutori was only one of the many islands that the man owned all over the world.
"She isn't joking, Yoruichi," Retsu assured her. "I've already been introduced to him."
Yoruichi had seen pictures of Kenpachi on the Internet when she researched about Mizutori, and if what Retsu said was true then she now understood what made Kukkaku do something like having an awesome desk sex inside her own office, even if someone might walk in on them while they're doing it. Zaraki Kenpachi may not be as handsome as her Kisuke, but he had that badass, daredevil attitude that suggested desk sex could happen with him as elevator sex could happen with Kisuke.
But, man, does she really have to relate everything with Kisuke?
"It does make sense," Yoruichi admitted. "Is Zaraki one of your clients?"
Kukkaku nodded. "He's going to open a hotel in Hokkaido, and he wanted us to handle the pyrotechnics. That's how I met him."
Although the Shibas had their hand on different business investments, the clan was most famous for their unmatched skill of creating world-class fireworks. When it came to pyrotechnics, the Shiba clan was at the top of the list of the hotels, resorts, event planners, and amusement parks in Japan.
"So when will I meet him?" Yoruichi asked.
"He's in Sapporo right now. I'll introduce him to you once he's back."
Yoruichi nodded, a little excited at the idea. It was not everday that she meets a six-foot, seven-and-a-half inches worth of man who had long, dangerous spikes for a hair. She then turned to Retsu. "How about you? How was your trip?"
"Oh, I had a great time," her friend answered with a smile. "London was..."
The rest of their lunch was spent talking about Retsu's trip, and once that was over, her friends began a debate on the possible names Yoruichi could give her baby. She smiled as they gave her tips on what she must and must not do once she was confirmed pregnant. And as her mind drifted back on the conversation she had with Kisuke, about her giving him a call when she took the test, Yoruichi again thought that two weeks just seemed so very long.
A.N. It seems to me that Kukkaku gets paired up with Kenpachi a lot. I read a few good fics about them and it didn't seem like a bad idea so I decided to go for it.