I own NOTHING. Kubo Tite made Bleach. Some ideas from other manga, anime and video games were used.
Wanted: A beta reader. You don't have to be professional. I just need a second eye to go thru my story. English is only my second language.
I don't know japanese. I look up cool names in the internet ;D
Chapter 25 - No rest for the weary. No solace for the guilty.
Byakuya turned around slowly, his eye confirming what his ears told his brain. There was an intruder in his home, in his privet chambers no less. But how could this be? How could someone slip the notice of all the guards and sit waiting in his room? How come he didn't see her when he entered?
The brat was sitting cross-legged on his futon, leaning her elbow on her knee and her cheek on her palm. She was staring at him with a weird, blank expression, her mouth slightly open. He stared back at her, his eyes wide. He opened his mouth but no voice came out. As if reading his mind, she pointed silently to her right, not looking away from him. He looked at the direction she pointed and saw that the door of his closet was slightly opened.
"Were you hiding in my closet?" he asked hoarsely.
"Yeah. All day." She said proudly.
"All day?" he repeated slowly.
"Yeah and it was boiling in there." she complained, pulling on her slightly damp cloths.
"Boiling?" he said quietly.
"Yeah so can you open the door?"
"Open the door?"
The girl frowned at him and stood up, leaving her bag on the futon. He noticed that she was bare-footed. At least she had the courtesy to take off her sandals...
"Err, you're repeating me. That means you're mad at me." she said carefully.
"Mad?"
"Will you stop that? you are freaking me out!" she said sharply, holding her hands in front of her with her palms open, as if to protect herself from his fury, "I'm sorry I broke into your house and hid in your closet but I swear I didn't touch anything.".
She looked at him imploringly, tugging on her collar. He noticed that she was sweating and guessed that it was not only from the heat. He was disturbed to realize that he quiet enjoyed seeing her in such a distressed condition.
He removed the kenseikan from his hair and said nothing, now eying her coldly.
"Please I don't wanna sleep in street again!" she cried helplessly when he moved toward her, his icy gaze piercing her.
"Do I look like care?" he said coldly.
She backed away from him, looking up with a tormented expression. She looked so pitiful like that, her back pressed against the wall, biting on her lower lip, wincing when he raised his hand. He put it on the wall, just above her right ear, and leaned his head close to her left one.
"Turn around." he said quietly.
She swallowed hard but didn't move. She started shaking, her eyes staring fixedly to the front. Sweat was dripping down her face, salty drops sliding between her eyes and on her cheeks. She flinched again when he put his hand on her head, a feeble yelp escaping her lips.
Slightly tightening the grip on her head, he turned her around to face the wall. He looked down her small figure, the uniform sticking to her body, and his eyes fell on her zanpakto. Pulling it out of her obi, he turned and walked toward his closet. After putting the wakizashi in the highest place he could find he took out a pale green yukata with sakura patterns. Taking off the rest of his uniform he put on the yukata and when he finished scratched his head, ruffling his hair in frustration. Now what?
He looked back at her and saw that she was goggling him.
"I thought I told you to turn around." he said stiffly.
"I thought you were going to rape me." she said quietly.
"Why on earth would I do that?" he asked in bewilderment.
"You were half naked! And you pinned me to the wall and told me to turn around!" she bellowed indignantly, again tugging the collar of her cloth.
"Stop shouting." he said warningly, "I was half naked because this is my home. You pinned yourself to the wall and I told you to turn around because I wanted to finish changing.".
"Oh so the thought of telling me to take off my cloths never crossed your mind?" She accused more than asked.
He looked her up and down, noticing the way her cloths stuck to her sweaty body, and then returned his eyes to her indignantly frowning face which was framed with damp hair, feeling a tip of his mouth curling up slightly.
"No." he said airily, quickly arranging his face back into a blank mask.
She gaped at him in shock, obviously didn't miss his little uncharacteristic gesture. She stepped away from the wall and wiped the sweat drenched bangs out of her eyes.
"What the fucking gaywad was that?" she asked, emphasizing each word.
He found her indignation highly amusing and decided to see how things unfold. He was surprised at her display of fear because never did he, or anyone else, manage to intimidate her like that. She was in some sort of plight, of which the loss of her apartment was just a side-effect, and asked him for help. He was planning to help her, seeing as she took the first step in trusting him by seeking aid from him. Her trust is what he needed now, once he got that, answers will soon follow.
"That was me, being struck by a dawning comprehension." he said, closing the closet's door and stepping toward her.
"Please, share." she said sardonically.
"Do you remember that little chat you had with Yoruichi?" he asked slowly, now standing in front of her and gazing down at her.
"Vividly, yeah..." she said slowly, pulling absent-mindedly at her collar, "Could we open the door?".
"No we can't. I just now realized that all the hormones nonsense wasn't about me. It was about you." he said.
"Say what?!" she blurted, trying to back away from him but tripping on herself instead.
She stared up at him in confusion, her face slightly red. He knew she remembered every word that Yoruichi said and was now probably running the whole conversation in her head.
"It's called puberty. When you get to that age that you start... being interested in people from the other gender. You start having amorous impulses that may cause stress and frustration if no relief is found." He said, kneeling in front of her.
She looked at him with a flustered expression, getting up on her elbows. She seemed confused more than embarrassed, despite the fact that he was sitting between her legs and leaning close to her.
"So... What you are saying is..." she said, her voice shaking ever so slightly, "That I need to get a boyfriend and get laid?".
"Exactly." he said, smiling briefly again.
"Okay stop." she said abruptly, pushing him back and sitting up. "You're giving me the creeps when you smile.".
He noticed that her objection was directed at his smile. Her lack of reaction about his rather rude forwardness troubled him slightly. Either she didn't understand his actions, or had no reluctance toward them...
"I just find it amusing... discovering that the source of all of your vexations is... growing up, actually.".
"Well, growing up sucks!" she grunted "And I didn't know you could find anything amusing...". Scratching her ear, she looked worriedly up at him, "Are you going to kick me out now?".
He knew that this course of action would be the most sensible. She should leave before things got too... tense between them. He was slightly worried about the ease in which she took what he told her. It was as if she was already aware or at least suspected that the hormones that were working overtime were hers and not his.
"Well yours are working overtime as well..." Senbonzakura said quietly.
'Stay out of this, please.' he thought.
"Sure. But I wouldn't stand up right now if I were you..." the spirit said teasingly.
'Yes, thank you. I noticed.' he answered in annoyance.
"No, I am not going to kick you out. I can't risk having you seen by one of the guards or servants." he said casually, getting a mental slap from Senbonzakura.
"Oh don't worry. No one saw me when I got in, I can get out unnoticed just as easily." she bragged.
"Do you want me to expel you?" he asked pointedly.
"No!" she said hurriedly, "I was just hoping you would applaud my skills...".
"You expect me to praise you for your burgling expertise?" he said, raising an eyebrow.
She sighed and looked at him apologetically. Then she did the last thing in the world he expected her to do. She rearranged her feet so that she was now sitting seiza-style. True it was a rather sloppy and unrefined seiza, but still.
Before he had the chance to comment she bowed and muttered: "I'm sorry I broke into your home. I had nowhere else to go.".
She straightened up and looked carefully up at him, waiting for his judgment. Byakuya stared at her, not sure how to digest the situation.
"Congratulations master, you have succeeded in teaching her some manners." Senbonzakura said proudly. "Now tell her to get out before you do something you are going to regret.".
"You... you are supposed to sit with your knees together..." he said, much more gently then he had meant.
The girl made a sour face and took her legs from under her, muttering "Well, fuck that.".
Thinking that all is well, he sent her to sleep in the corner. He felt ashamed to admit that he didn't trust himself to let her sleep any nearer to him. She didn't object but said that she needed to change out of her "mangy, slimy uniform" before going to sleep. He told her that he couldn't care less if she decides to sleep naked, as long as she won't leave her cloths lying around and stay in her corner.
"I wasn't planning to sleep naked, you horny bastard! You need to get out while I change into my sleeping things!" she snarled at him as he laid on his futon.
"I have already seen you naked." he said tiredly, wishing morning would come fast.
"Three times!" she bellowed indignantly.
"Well, you have seen me naked twice, so lets balance it out by saying I saw you naked only once." he said and then muttered to himself "Women...".
He immediately regretted doing that because he heard something that sounded like an angry cat followed by loud stomping.
"What the flying crap was that supposed to mean?" she hissed and tried to punch him.
Rolling aside, he sighed, grabbed her under her knee and got up, flipping her on her back.
"What the hell do you know about women?" she snarled, putting her feet on his chest and kicking him back before he could sit on her.
She jumped on him, straddling his waist and tried to punch him again. He caught her punch before it could hit his face and wrenched her hand to the side, unbalancing her and making her fall on top of him.
"I was married once, remember?" he said gently, grabbing her under her thighs.
She gasped in surprise as he pushed with his hips, lifting them both off the floor and threw her off him.
Now he was straddling her, pinning her hands to the floor above her head. He looked down at her with a strange, resigned expression.
"Well sorry if I forgot! It's just hard to believe that a jerk like you could find a woman who loves him!" she yelled, flaring up.
Her anger disappeared immediately when the words left her mouth. She looked up at him carefully, swallowing hard. He stared down at her, his eyes hollowed. He didn't say anything, his expression unchanged.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to say that." she whispered.
"I'm sure you did." he whispered back, his voice blank, "You just didn't plan on being in this position when you say it.".
Her eyes went wide as his traveled down her neck and to her chest. Keeping one hand on her wrists, his other hand moved to hover an inch away from her breast. Using only his fingertips, he gently felt her thru the sweaty garments. She gasped as his hand traveled to her collar and he slipped one finger under the garment. He bent over, his hair falling on her face, their faces almost touching.
"You will stay here tonight but tomorrow you have to find another arrangement." he said quietly.
He didn't expect to wake up until morning, when he would see that the brat was gone, but he found himself awake again in the middle of the night. He sat up and looked at the direction of the corner in which the brat was supposed to be sleeping. He didn't see anything in the darkness but heard a faint noise. It sounded like a sob or a whimper.
"Brat?" he said loudly to the darkness.
No answer. He got up gingerly and slowly made his way toward the wall. Feeling around the wall, he found a candle and lit it up. Squinting from the light, he stared at the corner of the room. The brat was laying there, curled into a ball, one hand gripping her hair and the other wrapped around her knees. She was gasping and moaning, twitching occasionally.
'She is having a nightmare...' he thought, staring at her small figure. He noticed that she changed into the kimono she borrowed from Rukia.
He knelt beside her and was about to shake her awake when the spirit of his zanpakto flashed an alarm.
"No! Don't wake her up!" Senbonzakura warned.
'Why not?' he asked, startled by the spirit's reaction.
"I think... I can feel Hiraishin... It's like he is getting stronger because she is asleep... I don't think you should wake her up right now..." the spirit said hesitatingly.
'If Hiraishin is conscious now, it's all the more reason for me to wake her up.' Byakuya mused as he lifted a hand to shake the small body.
"No!" the spirit's alarm was so powerful this time that Byakuya felt his head spinning slightly. "Master, I'm begging you, please listen to me this one time. I have a strong feeling that something really bad will happen if you wake her up.".
Byakuya didn't replay, his hand hovering over the girl's body. The same hand that touched her earlier... What was he thinking? All he knew was that the closeness of their bodies made him feel a strange warmth deep inside. He didn't really care what she said, having a civilized and reasonable conversation with her when she was angry was almost impossible. He felt a soothing dizziness wash over him when their bodies touched and next thing he knew he was groping her breast. Not that there was much to grope but still, why did he do that?
"All the more reason for you not to wake her up! If she wakes up now from a nightmare and see you hovering over her after you... fingered her earlier, she will go crazy. Again. And then before you know it you will be rolling on the floor again." the spirit said, trying to sound reasonable. "Let her sleep. Serves her right for the way she behaved... By the way, I told you to throw her out before something messed-up happens. Remember?".
'Yes, I remember. Do you want an award?' he thought irritably.
"I want you to go back to sleep and let the stupid girl have her well deserved nightmare before you find yourself in a no less deserved one." the spirit replied tenaciously.
Byakuya stared at the girl, still wriggling and panting. Her face wrinkled in pain or discomfort. He noticed that near her head, laid her zanpakto. He sighed and lowered his hand, thinking that if he wakes her up he will probably get a kick in the face anyway.
Kaya woke up with a start. Her pulse high and her body shaking uncontrollably. She sat up, wiping sweat off her face, and looked up to see a candle burning faintly on the wall not too far from her. She frowned and looked around to find herself in a room that wasn't hers. What's more there was someone else in there. She jumped silently to her feet, picking up her zanpakto, her body tensed, ready to flee. Listening hard, she heard nothing except slow breaths and her own heart beating fast. Holding her breath, she cautiously stepped closer to the sound of breathing. As she drew closer to a futon on the floor, she gripped the handle of her zanpakto and prepared to draw it. Another step and her chest felt like it was about to explode. Another step, and the sleeping figure came into her field of vision. She gasped and her fingers slipped, almost dropping the wakizashi, as she recognized her captain.
"What the fuck?" she mouthed soundlessly, unable to contain her incredulity.
She hurried back to where she woke up and snatched her bag. She was almost at the door when she stopped, looked back at the sleeping man and frowned again. Taking a deep breath she tiptoed again over to the futon. Standing over the man's head, she crouched and took a closer look. Altho the only source of light was a dying candle she recognized the elegant features at once. Even asleep, with his hair ruffled and mouth slightly open, he managed to look so...
"Engaging?" a weary voice echoed in her head.
Kaya jumped in surprise and made her way to the door again. She didn't stop this time, but opened it, careful not to make a sound and got out. Her way out of the Kuchiki manor was quite easy. It was very early in the morning, just before dawn, and most of the guards were drowsy, carelessly waiting for their shift to end. Slipping by them was easier than a walk in the park. Putting only half of her attention on her destination Kaya tried to remember what happened last night. For some reason it seemed kind of blur. She remembered hiding in Byakuya's room the whole day, and then Byakuya walked in... they talked about something... she couldn't recall the details of what happened after her captain walked in... then a picture flashed in her head.
She was pressed against the wall. Byakuya, his chest bare, leaning over her...
"Stop!" she yelled.
She stopped and looked around, noticing she was out of the Kuchiki manor. She rubbed her eyes vigorously, cursing silently.
'Hiraishin!' she called loudly in her mind.
No answer. She called again, straining her whole being into listening for a reply. She could sense him, very faintly, but he was there.
'I know you can hear me, you sloppy ass! If you keep messing with my memory I'll-'
"Kaya?" a surprised voice made her jump.
Kaya's eyes darted around, looking for the source of the voice, as she hunched down raising her hands in a battle stance.
"Relax it's me." Rukia said as she stepped out of the shadow with her hands held up in front of her to show she carried no weapon.
"Rukia." Kaya sighed as she relaxed her limbs, "What does a fair lady like you doing in such a... err.. unfair place like that?".
She smiled and her voice was mocking, but her heart was still beating painfully hard.
Rukia made a sour face and crossed her arms, eying Kaya suspiciously.
"I could ask you the same thing." she said pointedly.
"Nah.. I don't fit in the description of "fair lady". And anyway, answering a question with a question is quite rude..." Kaya said.
"Knock it off, you fool." Rukia snapped. "Let's go to my place, we need to talk.".
She grabbed Kaya by the sleeve and was about to pull when she noticed what she was wearing.
"Hey isn't that-" she brought the sleeve close to her eyes but Kaya snatched it back.
"Yes it's yours. It's really comfy so I sleep in it." Kaya said bitterly and looked away from Rukia, "Look, it's not a good time now so...".
"I have tons of food." Rukia said airily, turning to leave, "I'm not sure I can eat it all, so I'll probably have to throw it away...".
"Wait! I'll come!" Kaya said quickly, grabbing Rukia's arm and pulling her toward the 13th squad's barracks.
"I came back from Renji's place..." Rukia said as she sat and watched Kaya stuffing anything that was in front of her into her mouth.
Kaya gagged and looked sideways at Rukia. "Were you?" she said thickly, her mouth still full.
Rukia didn't answer but gave Kaya a disapproving look. Kaya put down the plate she just emptied and, swallowing, took another one.
"Look." she said, looking slightly abashed, "I didn't really mean to go tell Byakuya about you two.".
"Really?" Rukia said skeptically, "Because Renji got a different impression.".
"Well that's because Renji is an idiot!" Kaya bellowed angrily.
"Renji is an idiot?" Rukia repeated quietly.
"Yes! He was trying to get me into a shitload of troubles!" Kaya said indignantly.
"Troubles?" Rukia said, her eyes narrowing.
"Oh no. You know you're screwed when a Kuchiki is repeating you..." Kaya sighed and then gasped.
Something familiar rang in her head. She froze as fractured recollections flooded her mind.
"Err, you're repeating me. That means you're mad at me." she said carefully.
"Mad?"
"Will you stop that? you are freaking me out!"
He bent toward her, leaning on his hand which was pressed against the wall near her head.
"Turn around." he said quietly.
"..having amorous impulses that may cause stress and frustration if no relief is found." He said, kneeling between her legs.
He straddled her, pinning her hands to the floor. His hand rested on her breast as he leaned, his soft hair tickling her face...
"Holy crapping assgoblin!" Kaya exclaimed, putting down the plate in her hand with a loud bang.
Goosebumps covered her skin as chill ran down her body. She stared blankly at the table, not seeing it. Her head hurt but she tried to remember more of what happened.
"What's wrong?" Rukia asked worriedly as Kaya ran her fingers thru her hair.
"Nothing..." Kaya replied quietly, running her hand in her hair over and over again.
"Don't give me this crap. You spaced out for a second and then yelled your head off!" Rukia said seriously.
"It's nothing." Kaya said, forcing herself to sound casual. She picked up the plate again and said "I thought I got my period, that's all...".
She started eating again and was glad that her hands weren't shaking. After a while she looked at Rukia and saw that she was gazing at her with a restrained grin.
"What?"
"I didn't know you were getting menstruation..." Rukia said with a sly grin.
"Say what?!" Kaya exclaimed, "How old do you think I am?!".
"How should I know? You never told me so I have to judge by your behavior. You don't seem older then twelve. Human years." Rukia said loftily.
"Fuck off! I'm older than that!" Kaya snarled angrily and went back to eating.
"Renji said you stole Hisagi's wallet." Rukia said.
"Well I didn't." Kaya snapped, happy to change the subject.
"Look." Rukia said, taking the plate out of Kaya's hands "I don't know in what kind of troubles you got yourself into, but me and Renji are here to help you. You don't need to steal if you need some money, I can lend you some. And if you are upset about something or you got tangled up in some dirty business you can always come and talk to us or even to captain Unohana. We will do our best to help you but we can't do a thing if you don't tell us what's up.".
Kaya looked at the table all the time. She only looked up when Rukia offered the plate of food. She looked at the plate and then at Rukia, who smiled, and took the plate.
"Thanks... I was just... Hungry, and when I bumped into Shuhei my hands just moved on their own. There was barely anything in it so I thought he wouldn't notice..." she muttered.
"Why didn't you move into your squad's barracks? Then you could have spent money on food instead of paying rent for that disgusting room." Rukia said.
"I don't want to live with those annoying morons from my squad... They all hate me anyway..."
"So where did you sleep tonight?"
"At a friend's place... Until I find a new place to rent... Look I'm fine! I won't steal again, I promise. Where did you get all this food from?"
"Nii-sama is sending leftovers every day..."
"So... Is it okay if I drop by once in a while?"
Rukia eyed Kaya for a while before sighing and nodding.
Kaya looked out of the window and saw that the sun was raising. Soon it will be time to go to the office...
As Rukia entered the washroom Kaya laid on the floor, thinking.
She thought about the flashback she had. It must have been fake. Some sort of trick set by Hiraishin. He was starting to be awfully active lately, slipping snide remarks, messing up with her memories, flashing random pictures. He was probably trying to catch her attention in the only way he knew. Being a jerk.
'Well you got my attention now, you dick. Say something!' she thought furiously.
"A ram awakes the incompetence."
Kaya sat upright at once. 'What?!' She wondered in amazement. The only reply she got was an expression of amusement. She sensed him now, stronger than before. He felt tired and exhausted but highly satisfied.
'Too tired to talk to me? You have enough strength to mess up with my head so you'll excuse me for not buying it.' she thought.
"Sleep..." a faint whisper, followed by a wave of tiredness.
But she just woke up. She didn't need to sleep. Besides, she had to go to her squad soon, the day was about to begin. Why was she so tired all of a sudden? She got up hazily and changed into her shihakusho.
Byakuya sat in his office and signed his paperwork. He has been doing so all day long. Why did he have to do paperwork every day? Why didn't he have a field job? Sometimes he longed to be one of the rank and file soldiers, and get sent on difficult missions. Of course, that longing happened only rarely and passed very quickly. The thought of his noble self being ordered around by some random nobody repulsed him. Still, he yearned for some action, a significant reason to draw his sword, anything...
"You had some action last night..." Senbonzakura noted airily.
'That was not action." he thought, greatly irritated by the casualness in which his companion was regarding last night's events. 'I was...' he found himself at a loss, unable to explain himself.
"Mischievous?" the spirit offered, half consoled, half amused.
'Irresponsible and reckless.' Byakuya thought bitterly.
Renji was out on an errand, leaving his captain alone with his troubled thoughts. He thought his lieutenant might have noticed that there was something weighing on his mind because he kept shooting him worried looks. Having no desire to share his guilty thoughts with Renji, Byakuya ignored the concerned glances. The only good thing about signing papers all day long was that the dull work gave him time to ponder.
He thought back about yesterday night. He remembered the strange serenity he felt when he practically snuggled with her. The comfort her small, warm body gave him. True calmness not only on the surface, but inside, deep down his soul. Never before did he find it so difficult to distance his mind from his body. Many women threw themselves at him, hoping to charm him. Any other man would have not only succumbed and married one of them, but probably ended up with some bastard offspring nine months later.
The guilt he felt was for submitting to the desire of his body. The fact that he almost did unspoken things to the girl wasn't as disturbing as it should have been, which disturbed him greatly. He almost violated a child, an innocent girl, to whom he felt no physical or intellectual attraction. A girl who was his subordinate. A girl that was possibly involved in some criminal activity with a murderous demon. Surely he ought to feel some guilt about that.
But she didn't even resist. She looked shocked and slightly scared but made no effort to ward him off.
The brat didn't show up today. He didn't expect her to...
"Master, you can't keep calling her brat. Not after you admitted you have feelings toward her." Senbonzakura rebuked him.
'I do not have feelings toward her.' Byakuya insisted, wishing he could throw something at the irritating samurai.
The door to his office opened slowly. He glared up, wondering who had the impudence to charge in like that.
"Oh please, is that a tricky question?" Senbonzakura snorted.
And sure enough, at the door stood, slightly wobbly, his havoc-wrecking protegé. Closing the door behind her, she staggered slowly over to his desk, her head bent forward. He watched silently as she dragged herself and a chair and sat down heavily, slumping over his desk. Something was definitely wrong with her. Her reiatsu felt strange. It was being suppressed but from such close distance he could feel that wild, heinous reiatsu that always forebode misery.
Byakuya stared at her, not daring to breathe. It looked as tho she was sleeping.
"Close the window. I'm being tailed." a low rasp startled him.
He frowned but carried out the request. When he turned back he almost jumped when he saw her sitting up, gazing at him, her eyes burning red.
"I don't have much time-"
"Who is following you?" Byakuya interrupted.
"The Onmitsukido, who else?" Hiraishin said in a low voice, grinning. "Don't worry, they didn't follow me yesterday.".
Still grinning, Hiraishin leaned back in the chair and put his legs on the desk.
"As I said, I don't have much time. I need two favors from you." he said hoarsely, speaking quickly. "One, get the stealth force off my ass. Two, make sure Kaya gets lots of sleep. That will hasten my recuperating. Oh and don't worry, she doesn't remember much from yesterday.".
The chair's legs hit the floor as he took his legs off the desk and sat properly.
"How will sleep help you recover?" Byakuya asked.
"Oh, you know... Dreams are the nourishment of the soul." Hiraishin said deviously.
~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~~{-}~
Thanks for reading. Please leave a review :D
And thanks to everyone who left a review :D