A/N I thank all those that reviewed. Much obliged. :D
Isshi Urahara – Zenaku is the greatest. :D And yeah, I gotta agree they're not very… antagonosty, but I kinda like them like this. :D
princess moon shadow – Thank you very much~! :D
FirstMaterShadowNinja – Thank you. :D I didn't think he reacted all out, but I like it . =3
SwirlzSmile – Oh, you're right. D: I showed too many OCs. Man, I apologize. It's just that I've been thinking about the "antagonists" all summer that I already got used to how they act and their names. D: I should have been thinking about how much to show instead of just bundling them up. DX
xSachiRakuLovesSweetsx – I like them. :D I've been thinking about their personalities all summer. X3 And don't worry, someone will confess their undying love soon… hopefully.
blackshadow878 – Thankies. :D And Zaraki will be really pissy. X3
praeses – D: You. Are. Psychic. But yep, it shall all be revealed during the major fight! =D Including the "antagonists" pasts! :D And yeah, instead of making it a quarter of the Seireitei gone I'm making it two hundred, because Lizard Lover pointed it out that people would obviously notice if people weren't on their side. :D And yep, poor Kenpachi. DX And not many people like Nikito. Poor guy. X3 And you're sick? D: And considering how long I updated I'm guessing you're better? :o
Chibi-Onee-Chan – Kaori's your favorite character? :D Yay~! X3 She's awesome. I like all three of 'em.
azure blue espeon – Ah, thank you so much for pointing that out. :D It helped me out, a lot. Because I probably wouldn't have noticed it. :D
dragonrain618 – Glad you're enjoying it~! :D And sadly Riko is not in this chapter. DX
Lizard Lover – Yes~! :D Thank you so much for pointing that out. I made it two hundred people betraying the Seireitei. It's still a high number, but at least it's not a lot as I originally planned. You're right. People would've definitely noticed that a lot of people were traitors. =3 Thank you~! :D You helped out a lot. :D
Queen of Vampires –Great that the new updates made you happy! :D I'm very happy myself. X3
xXxSecretSmilerXxX – Yes, Riko wanting to cry… very out of character. X3 But if I were her, and thankfully I'm not because I don't think I can be as mean as her, I might want to cry, as well. D:
xXLilMissCellist-4Xx – Your review made me smile~! :D And I'm glad my story has gotten your attention. :D
solarfalcon – Thank you so much~! :D Your review made me smile, as well as the others. A lot of them helped me out. :D
jinxedpixie – Ah, you know… they all Nikito because he's a backstabber. X3 And they play a huge part in this story! :D Even though they only just appeared now… Which took a long time. DX
Hi hi~! :D I'm sorry it took so long to update, but I was really busy with all the chapters. If you take a look you can see that I switched everything! :D Like changing Captain to Taicho and whatnot. Man, it took long, but I finally finished. :D And I changed a few things, but not that much. And I may make a few mistakes, like accidentally typing Captains instead of Taichos because I'm used to writing Captains. X3
And man, did I make a lot of mistakes last chapter. Like Nojima's information. He is not 6'9, he is 5'9. Thank you so much for pointing that out azure blue espeon. :D If you hadn't mentioned it I would have probably never seen it. And for the quarter of the forces gone, let's just make it a little over two hundred. Because of course people would notice if people weren't on their side. Thank you Lizard Lover~! :D Of course the Taichos would know if their subordinates weren't on their side. THANK YOU ALL~! =D
And I'm SO sorry that it's taking me long to update my other stories! DX I'm still stuck, even though I've had all summer to think up new chapters. D:
I'm sorry for any mistakes! DX
Disclaimer – I do not own Bleach
Warning – Swearing.
-:-
Yamamoto sat in his office quietly, glaring straight ahead with a sigh leaving his mouth. He turned, seeing all the Taichos standing together and discussing what they had to do. Dark circles were under some of their eyes, all very stressed by this unexpected development. They had no clue where to start looking, except that Nikito went through the South Gate. Though he could have easily went in another direction. What was shocking to know, and all they knew, was that he was able to cross twenty districts… in a matter of minutes.
Clearly the man was hiding his strength.
He turned when he heard a knock on his door, calling whomever it was to come in. Once it opened all the fukutaichos down to fifth seats walked in, all bowing towards the Taichos. Kaori peered inside before pushing Kayo inside, telling her she was just going to be outside. The small blonde furrowed her eyebrows before reluctantly nodding.
"…I'm scared." Renta said, glancing at the tall man beside him with a raise of his eyebrows.
Kenshin sent him a blank stare. "Be quiet."
Renta scowled before moving away from the man and closer to his sister. He was so mean. They all turned towards the Soutaicho. Yamamoto decided to have this in his office. There was enough room for everyone. All the Taichos walked behind him and formed a line, all of them looking tired from staying up and thinking about this. Yachiru grinned widely and ran towards Kenpachi, reaching into her robes to grab something, before pausing and blinking when she saw Kenpachi shake his head to silently tell her to stay where she was.
She nodded and saluted before staying where she was.
"So what's going on?"
Renta blinked and turned his head, staring at the woman beside him, seeing her arms crossed over her chest and staring up at him. He grinned widely when he saw her.
"Hey, Hanako~!" Renta yelled happily, seeing the woman frown.
"Do you always have to do that?" Hanako asked, looking away with a small blush on her face.
Everyone around the two immediately stopped what they were doing, even yawning, staring at the blush on the woman's face with wide, shocked eyes. Even Yamamoto, who had heard several rumors about the man, stopped when he saw the blush. Renta frowned.
"What'd I do?" Renta asked, crossing his arms over his chest and giving the woman a scowl.
"You always greet me with so much happiness." Hanako said, turning to glare at him. "It embarrasses me." She murmured, pouting and looking away from him.
"What? It's just in my nature." Renta said, sighing and rolling his eyes.
He winced, his eyes growing wide, quickly doubling over when Hanako removed her foot from his crotch. She stood straight and gave a smirk, seeing the man glare up at her with tears gathering in his eyes. Seika laughed and pointed at him, making him stand and snap at her, both soon arguing with each other. They both cringed when Hitsugaya snapped at them, threatening he was going to go over to them and freeze them with his Bankai.
This earned a glare from the Soutaicho.
"So what's up?" Ikkaku murmured, glancing at his friend with a scowl, receiving a light shrug in response.
"You got me."
All the Taichos were looking serious, which made all the subordinates frown when they saw even Kyoraku looking serious. He had found out, when he was in his division, after looking at everyone's files and ordering everyone into the hall in the barracks that he was missing some people. People that weren't on any kind of mission. Every single division had people missing.
"So what's going on, Taicho?" Haku asked, giving a wide grin. "All we know is that Nikito went rogue. Anything else that is important?"
Soi Fon stepped forward. "On Wednesday midday in district fifty-six in the west Rukon district, both Funika Renta and Funika Seika were attacked by Yamato Nikito. The reason he attacked them is because he was after Hisako Riko."
The crowd in the room frowned and talked quietly among themselves, some questioning why Nikito even went rogue to get someone like the girl from the eleventh division.
"Yesterday Yamato Nikito managed to escape." That had people widening their eyes and gasping, some even stepping forward to ask why didn't they have anybody watching them. "What has us puzzled is that Yamato Nikito is not the one who has taken Hisako Riko while she was on a mission."
"We need people to investigate." Ukitake said, glancing at the crowd with a serious look on his face. "Most likely everyone in this room has to go and investigate in the Rukongai."
Everyone in the room instantly stared at the man like he was crazy. Haku stepped forward, a determined look on his face.
"Okay!" Haku yelled, gaining everyone's attention, all staring at him with mild shock. He held up his fist and cried comically. "But only because my beloved was taken!"
Kenshin's foot smashed down on his head, kicking him into the floor.
"Shut up!"
"But why would anyone even take her?" Renji asked, taking a step forward with a frown. "What would they even gain from taking someone from the eleventh division?"
"We have found several traitors in the Seireitei." Yamamoto announced, seeing all the people's eyes harden at the news. "According the Shigeko Kayo the three men that were talking to Hisako Riko seemed to know her. And from what she heard they were they ones that taught her how to fight."
"Whoa!" Ikkaku yelled, taking a step forward with a frown. "You're saying that idiot learned how to fight from people in the Rukon? I even asked her once where she learned to fight and she said in the academy."
"Well, obviously she was lying." Kenshin murmured, his arms crossed over his chest with a frown on his face.
Ikkaku turned and narrowed his eyes. "You make it sound like she's a fucking traitor." He said, glaring at the man with his hands clenched into fists.
"Maybe I am." Kenshin said, turning to glare back. "They probably took her because they thought she would be found out eventually."
Ikkaku took a step towards the man, people stepping between the two while they glared at each other. Soon the room erupted with half the people yelling and accusing the woman a traitor while the other half was yelling there might be a more logical explanation. Yamamoto stood and yelled for everyone to be quiet.
"No! Riko's not a traitor!"
Renta and Seika stopped and turned, both glaring at Kenshin for even accusing Kayo's friend for being called a traitor. They stared at the small blonde, seeing her shake her head with tears flowing from her eyes, her lips trembling while she heard people quiet down in the room.
"T-That man…" Kayo said, her hands shaking from being nervous. "That tall man… he used a kido on her to keep her from moving… but I never heard of a kido preventing people from moving."
Ukitake narrowed his eyes slightly and looked to the side, thinking for a moment.
"Neither have I." Ukitake said, turning to see some of the Taichos nod in agreement.
"Then he said that he wanted Riko to go with them, but she said, "No!" Then he said… they would have to use force… then," Kayo said, seeing everyone's attention on her. "The other two walked towards me… and then they… attacked me." She said, closing her eyes tightly and holding herself.
Renta's expression instantly darkened. He didn't hear anything about this.
"They were strong… stronger than me and Riko… and before I could even try to do anything… they knocked me down and broke my ribs." Kayo said, grabbing her side from the memory. "After Riko finally… finally yelled, "Okay" that tall man told the others to get away and… healed me."
"Healed?" Isane murmured, frowning slightly. "But the only kind of people that can heal are from the fourth division."
"Yeah, and these guys are from the Rukon, right?" Iba asked, turning to see some people nod.
"I want to you all to go to the West Rukon and find out who these three men are!" Yamamoto ordered, seeing all the people turn towards him, all looking serious, Kayo standing off to the side and muttering that Riko wasn't a traitor. "I want to know who these men are and where our forces went! I want to know why they went through all the trouble to get Zaraki Taicho's subordinate!"
All the people in the room stared at him.
"I want to know if these three men will kill!"
-:-
"DUMBASSES!"
Zenaku stomped down on the twins repeatedly, his eyes wide with rage while the twins yelled out in pain and cried comically, reaching out for Nojima. The man stared at them blankly before holding up his book and going back to reading. All the others watched with bored looks on their faces, watching as the tall man stepped back and huffed.
"See if ya'll pour water on me again, dumbasses!" Zenaku yelled, shaking his head, droplets flying everywhere in the process.
Nojima frowned when water splashed onto his book. He sighed and closed it, setting it down. He looked up, seeing the people in the large room go quiet once more. He glanced at Zenaku, seeing him sit down and grab a small box and a knife, going back to carving. He turned to see the twins lay against the large, plush pillows against the wall. Shiko yawned loudly and leaned back against the pillows, as well. Ichirou glared outside, resting his cheek on his knuckles while his elbow rested on the table beside him.
"…I'm guessing you are all, as you say, "pissed off" is because Riko refuses to see anyone." Nojima said bluntly, seeing everyone in the room cringe.
"AGH, DON'T SAY THAT!" Shiko yelled, falling to his hands while crying comically. "She's so mad that she doesn't want to eat, sleep, or see us!" He yelled, letting out comical sobs.
"Shuddap, dumbass!" Zenaku yelled, glaring at the man, seeing him flinch. "I'd get why she doesn't want ta see ya! Yer so damn annoyin'!"
"Stop calling me that!" Shiko yelled, turning to glare at the man.
"Callin' ya what?" Zenaku asked, giving a wide demonic grin while standing up, towering over the shorter man. They both moved towards each other and glared right in each others' faces, both narrowing their eyes. "A dumbass?"
"That's it!" Shiko yelled, his eye twitching before he jumped the larger man, both punching, kicking, and… well, fighting.
Ichirou's eyes were closed, his teeth gritted and his eyebrows pulled together. The more he heard them hit each other and break things the more his anger grew. Nojima turned and stared at him, opening his mouth to warn the two fighting, when Ichirou stood up and stomped towards the two. He grabbed the backs of their robes and wrenched them apart, his eyes wide with rage and his upper lip curled.
"SHUT UP, YOU ASSHOLES!" Ichirou roared, glaring at them both while growling warningly.
Shiko blinked before smirking. "Well, someone's mad."
"Yeah, no shit, dumbass." Zenaku said, giving the man a glare, receiving a flinch.
Shiko reached out towards him to try and hurt him for calling him a name once more. Ichirou quickly released him and punched his head, hard, watching when he hit the floor with a groggy look in his eyes. Everyone in the room blinked before bursting out into laughter, Nojima chuckling with his eyes closed. Shiko groaned and pushed himself up, rubbing the top of his head and glaring at the taller man.
"What the hell? What did I even do?" Shiko asked, standing up at the same time the second tallest man was released.
"Clearly he's upset that Riko's not happy about being back here." Nojima said, going back to reading his book with a blank look on his face.
Ichirou's foot smashed down and broke the table Nojima was sitting at. The man stared over the rim of his book, staring at the table before looking up, seeing Ichirou give him a scowl before leaning down and glaring at him, everyone in the room watching with slightly wide eyes.
"What was that?" Ichirou hissed, giving a demonic grin.
"Whoa, why is it so tense in here?"
Ichirou narrowed his eyes and curled his upper lip, growling when he turned his head towards the entrance. That woman had the worse timing. Rina smiled at them before walking into the room, ignoring Shiko when he whistled at the way she swayed her hips while walking towards Ichirou. The man widened his eyes slightly and stiffened, looking a little pale when she walked towards him. He let out a loud curse when he tried taking his foot out of the broken table, falling backwards, glaring at anyone that even snickered.
He froze when Rina bent down, kneeling between his legs. He almost wanted to groan out of annoyance, but knowing these idiots they would take it the wrong way. His eyes grew wide when Rina leaned in towards him, her lips close to his.
"You're too tense." Rina said, giving a wide grin, suddenly standing and two feet away from the man.
Ichirou stood and glared at the woman, shaking in anger while everyone in the room snickered and laughed.
"What do you want!" Ichirou growled, sitting down and glaring at the woman.
"I just came to tell you all… that I went to see Riko." Rina said, turning her head and giving a dark smile.
"What~?" Renzo and Reizo whined, standing up and heading for the door, along with everyone else.
"But she doesn't want to see any of you." Rina said, making everyone cringe while she grinned widely.
They all turned and glared at her. "You evil woman." Shiko said, glaring at the woman.
"Well, because of you she ran away." Rina said, narrowing her eyes and turning to face them, crossing her arms over her chest, her expression turning dark at the same time she raised her head.
All the men widened their eyes and gulped, feeling smaller than the woman, even though they were all obviously taller than her. They all blinked when they heard the door slide open, turning when they heard a chuckle. They all widened their eyes slightly when they saw Nikito standing at the door, giving them a cool smile.
"Nikito." Ichirou growled, standing up and giving a wide smirk. "What're you doing back so early?"
"I'd think you would have heard already." Nikito said, walking into the room calmly. "After all, most of the Boss' subordinates have already made it back."
They all stared at him for a long time before Nojima narrowed his eyes and smiled.
"So you've been discovered." Nojima said, seeing the man cringe.
"Ouch. You're always spot on." Nikito said, covering his heart and giving a small frown.
Shiko, Zenaku, Renzo, and Reizo pointed at him and laughed hysterically. Rina narrowed her eyes and gave a smirk, turning to walk towards Ichirou, sitting down beside him while giving him a smile, fluttering her eyelashes at the tall man. Ichirou stared at her with unease, turning to look at Nikito. They both stared at one another, the tension rising in the room.
"Oh, stop it!" Shiko said, waving his hands at the two with a wide smirk on his face. "Save those looks for the bedroom~!"
One hit came after the next, all on his head, everyone hitting him besides Nikito. The gray haired man stared at him blankly. It's comments like that that gets him hit everyday. He narrowed his eyes and smirked before turning, sliding the door behind himself. Ah, it felt horrible to be hated by so many people. He smiled. Oh, well.
-:-
Yachiru stared at Kenpachi, hanging onto his shoulder and looking at the angry look on the man's face. She held on with one arm, digging inside her robes and pulling an envelope out. She waved it in front of his face, pouting when he pushed her arm out of his way, not really thinking about anything except that he was going to kill whoever took that idiot.
"Ken-chan!" Yachiru yelled, grabbing onto his hair and began pulling, waving the envelope in front of his face once more.
"What!" Kenpachi snapped, cringing when she pushed the envelope against his face.
He grabbed her small arm and pulled it away, frowning when he saw the envelope. He sighed out of irritation before he grabbed it, opening it and taking out a piece of paper. It was most likely that old fart demanding for the paperwork he was supposed to work on. He stopped and frowned in confusion when he saw Riko's name on top the page.
"What's this?" Kenpachi asked, holding it out towards the small pink haired girl, seeing her glaring at him cutely.
"It's from Red-chan!" Yachiru yelled, pulling his hair out of frustration.
He wasn't the only one mad.
"Yeah, stop that!" Kenpachi growled, trying to get her to let go of his hair. "I meant where it came from?"
Yachiru kept pouting. "It was before she left!"
Two Days Before
Yachiru blinked, smiling brightly when she heard the third seat outside with Riko and Yumichika. She ran down the hallway and slid open the door, making all three people outside jump. Ikkaku scowled while Yumichika smiled at her and Riko put a hand over her beating heart, looking pale.
"You're leaving?" Yachiru asked, giving the woman a wide smile.
"Yep." Riko said, giving a nod.
"Then you should write Ken-chan a goodbye!" Yachiru exclaimed, jumping excitedly at the idea.
Riko blinked and raised an eyebrow. Write a goodbye? She widened her eyes when Yachiru jumped onto her shoulder and stuck a piece of paper and brush in her hands, already having the ink ready. Ikkaku and Yumichika leaned over her, trying to see what she was going to write. Riko scowled and moved away from them, rubbing the back of her neck before writing something down.
When she handed it to Yachiru she blinked and widened her eyes when she jumped and hugged her.
"Come back, okay?" Yachiru asked, giving her a bright smile. "Come back and make Ken-chan happy, hm?" She tilted her head and grinned.
Riko blinked and grinned widely, closing her eyes and rubbing Yachiru's head.
"It's a promise."
Present
Kenpachi frowned and narrowed his eyes when he heard Yachiru, holding the note in his hands. Ah, he'll read it later. He was about to stick it inside his robes when Yachiru grabbed his hair and began pulling, hard. He growled and grabbed her arm once again.
"Okay!"
When she let go he raised the paper and held it up, still frowning.
Riko
I'll be back before you know it, Taicho. And when I do get back I'm gonna beat Ikkaku, I'll assure you.
He couldn't help but smirk, highly doubting that. She wasn't that strong yet.
Don't tell him I called him by his first name. He'll be teasing me. When I get back I'm going to try kissing you, and I mean it! You better not tease me, either, or I will try and beat you.
He stared at the brief letter, frowning and turning to stare at Yachiru, seeing her give him a wide smile. He snorted before stuffing it inside his robes, walking down the street with a scowl, trying to ignore the fact that they were lost. Once he found that woman and asked her who took her he was going to kill them.
-:-
Kayo sat in chair, sitting in the twelfth division, giving them descriptions of the three men she saw. But once they put the pictures in the master computers it ran all the faces it knew in the Rukongai, but nothing turned up. Most of the people in the lab frowned in frustration, asking her for anything about the three that stood out.
"Um…" Kayo looked down and furrowed her eyebrows. She looked up. "Oh, that man had a scar on his face. From here to here." She pointed just above her left eye to across her cheek.
The person talking to her, which was Akon, nodded and wrote it down. They all turned, frowning when hundreds of pictures streamed across the large screen. Kayo sighed when they asked her to look through them all. She turned around in her seat and looked at each and every picture closely.
"Are any of these men him?" Akon asked, glancing at the small woman curiously.
"No." Kayo murmured, shaking her head.
He nodded, her cigarette sticking out of his mouth, typing quickly, another hundred pictures streaming by. It took several minutes to look at ten pictures alone. After an hour Akon sighed and rubbed his eyes, glancing at the woman and seeing her shake her head.
"Okay, we're just going to take a ten minutes break." Akon said, seeing the small blonde look at him and nod.
Before leaving he typed once more, waiting for the hundred pictures to show up before he stood up and walked towards the exit. This was going to take a long process. Kayo looked at the large screen, her eyebrows furrowed with worry.
"How is it going?"
Kayo jumped and turned, seeing Hitsugaya walk into the room. She held her hands, looking down and shaking her head. The Taicho frowned and looked up, staring at the pictures. He scowled. This was going to take a while just to do.
He glanced at the small blonde, seeing her yawn and rub her eyes. They had her there since early in the morning. He hesitated, raising his hand, leaving it just above her shoulder. He kept it there for a while before dropping it onto her shoulder, seeing her jump out of surprise. She glanced at his hand with wide eyes, glancing at him with large, curious eyes.
"…It'll be alright." Hitsugaya said, seeing her blink. "We'll find your friend."
Kayo lowered her gaze to the floor. "Thank you, Hitsugaya Taicho."
Hitsugaya squeezed her shoulder in a comforting way before stepping back. He froze when he suddenly remembered kissing her when they were on vacation. He pulled his hair and scowled. Damn those twins! He suddenly stopped moving, seeing Kayo staring up at him with slightly wide eyes, staring at his hand, which was still pulling his hair.
"Okay, let's get started." Akon said, walking into the room. He blinked. "Hitsugaya Taicho? Here to observe?"
"Ah… yes." Hitsugaya said, standing straight and narrowing his eyes, giving a curt nod to the man.
Akon nodded, walking over to the machine, asking Kayo if one of the men on the screen looked familiar. She shook her head in response. The day went by quickly, and before they knew it, it was dark outside. Akon sighed and shut off the machine, turning towards the small woman.
"We'll pick this up tomorrow." Akon said, seeing the small woman nod. "There are thousands of people in the Rukongai, so this will take a couple days at most. Probably even five."
Kayo widened her eyes slightly in shock before nodding, standing up and bowing towards the man. Akon nodded at her, turning his head to look at the screen. This was going to take a while. He turned his head, seeing both Hitsugaya and Kayo walking out of the room. He's surprised he was still in the room with them.
He shrugged. It wasn't any of his business anyway.
He was as shocked as any to find out that Hiroto was a traitor, but what can he do? Complain? He turned, seeing the Taicho walk in. He nodded at him in a greeting, receiving a lazy wave of a hand. Kurotsuchi sat down in his chair, staring at the hundred of pictures, letting out a scoff before pressing in several keys and the pictures disappeared.
Several people were traitors in his division.
A total of two hundred and thirty-seven people were traitors.
He rolled his eyes and sighed. At least Akon was still loyal. And if Nemu even though about betraying him, then she was going to get another thing coming to her. He tapped his fingers on the desk, narrowing his eyes and frowning. He had better things than traitors. He didn't even care when that fool Aizen betrayed the Soul Society to do a foolish thing like becoming a god.
"Taicho, is there anything you need before you retire for the night?" Akon asked, heading for the door, turning to glance at the scientist.
"No. That will be all for tonight." Kurotsuchi said, waving his hand dismissively.
Akon nodded before walking out of the room. Knowing that they were on lockdown was tiring. No one could leave their divisions except for the Taichos and the people that were given permission to leave. Darn those idiots for even betraying the Soul Society. He would like to go for a walk.
-:-
"…You look nice." Kaori said, sitting on her futon with a book in her hand, seeing the Taicho walk into the room, wearing a blue kimono with light blue streams going across it.
She had to stretch her arm out because the Taicho said he had to go in the other room. It had hurt because he must have bent over or moved farther into the other room because he dragged her for a bit. She looked at his kimono, raising her eyes to his, her eyebrows raised in curiosity.
"We are going out for dinner." Byakuya said, seeing the woman widen her eyes slightly.
"…Huh?"
"This is our last night together." Byakuya said, seeing the woman blink before looking down and slowly nodded. "I have ordered a kimono to be delivered for you." He said, seeing the redhead snap her head up and stare up at him.
"…A kimono for me?" Kaori asked, raising an eyebrow curiously and standing up.
"…Consider it a gift from me." Byakuya said, fixing the front of his kimono.
Kaori blinked before letting a smile grace her face, walking over to the Taicho and straightening his sash, stepping back and looking him over to see if anything else was out of order. She clapped her hands and grinned, seeing the Taicho roll his eyes and shake his head. He didn't do anything like that when anyone else was in the room. He only relaxed, a little, when they were together.
She smirked.
She kind of felt happy to know that.
They turned when they heard someone knock on the door. The maid outside slid the door open and placed the kimono inside and shut the door. Byakuya turned and walked towards the door, the redhead following him, bending down to grab the kimono. He stood and turned, handing it to the woman.
"Are we eating here?" Kaori asked, raising an eyebrow curiously.
"I said we are going out." Byakuya said, holding his arm out towards the room he changed in.
Kaori blinked before walking towards the door, glancing back at the Taicho before opening the door and stepping inside. Byakuya looked outside, staying silent. He lowered his head, the sides of his mouth curling upwards slightly. He was sure Hisana would forgive him. After all, like him, she would have wanted him to be happy like he would have wanted her to be happy.
He looked up when he heard a curse and a thump, narrowing his eyes slightly before walking towards the door. He grabbed the handle, about to open before stopping himself. She was dressing. Inappropriate.
"Are you alright?" Byakuya asked, listening for anything else.
"I'm, uh… I'm stuck." Kaori said, sounding embarrassed.
Byakuya opened the door, blinking when he saw Kaori sitting on the floor, the sash tied around her legs and around her neck. He raised an eyebrow. How on earth did she manage to do that? Kaori gave him a sheepish grin, trying to explain what happened, but she seemed just as confused. He bent down and grabbed the sash that was tied into a neat bow. Now he was really confused how she did this.
Once he untied her he heard her give a loud sigh of relief, standing up and tying the sash properly.
"Y'know, Taicho, you're an okay guy." Kaori said, giving the man a smirk. "Just for today, call me Kaori."
Byakuya paused and narrowed his eyes, thinking it over.
"…And I'll," Kaori said, holding her hands out towards herself, like she was explaining to a child. "Call you Byakuya. Maybe... Or, I can call you Kuchiki-sama, huh? Or maybe-"
"Byakuya will be fine." He said, seeing the redhead blink before she grinned.
"Great!" Kaori yelled, holding up her hand, waiting for the man to high-five.
Byakuya stared at her hand before raising his hand and clapping hers. Her grin brightened. He high-fived her. If possible her grin grew, making the Taicho blink before a small smile crossed his face. After she made sure her kimono was on right, they were both walking out of the manor, the redhead thankful that the Taicho was able to walk around the Seireitei.
"…Taicho…" Kaori murmured, seeing the man turn his head to stare at her. "…I don't wanna get separated~!" She whined, tears running down her face comically. "I'm getting too used to being around you~!"
Byakuya stopped and turned, hesitating before raising his hand and placing it on her shoulder, like he seen Renji do several times, patting her shoulder in what he hoped was a comforting way. Kaori leaned into his touch, raising her hand and patting his head. Byakuya frowned before he grabbed her hand to remove her hand from his head to prevent her from messing his hair, seeing that she was still crying in a comical way. He held her hand, seeing the redhead shake her head and clear her throat to stop crying.
"Uh… yeah." Kaori said, looking to the side and patting the man's hand. "Gonna miss you."
She frowned when the man didn't step back and make an insult on her crying, looking up to see him staring at her intently. She blushed and narrowed her eyes, frowning when he kept staring. Why was he staring at her like that? Oh, god. Was there something on her face? She was about to reach towards her face to brush anything off when Byakuya started leaning towards her.
Her eyes grew wide.
What was he…?
Just when his lips were a centimeter from hers he smirked and stepped back, making the redhead blink before she narrowed her eyes and hunched up her shoulders, her face bright red.
"That was mean!"
"You are the one that fell for it." Byakuya said, turning and walking away.
"But still… it was… mean!" Kaori growled, pointing at the man threateningly. "If you weren't my Taicho, I'd beat you!" She yelled, punching her own hand and wincing.
She shook her hand with a scowl. She shouldn't have even hit her own hand. She jumped when she bumped into the Taicho, stepping back and apologizing. She blinked and stared at the scarf the Taicho held, raising an eyebrow and glancing at him. Byakuya held out his scarf with a serious look on his face.
"Uh…"
"I am giving it to you." Byakuya said, seeing the redhead widen her eyes with shock. "You said that when you make me smile that I should give you my scarf." He said, seeing recognition shine in her eyes.
Kaori looked down and stared at the scarf, reaching out and grabbing it, holding it in her hands. Her eyes remained wide. Holy… She didn't think he would actually hand over his scarf. She meant it as a joke. She lowered her head until her bangs covered her eyes. Byakuya stared at her, narrowing his eyes slightly when he saw her shoulders shaking. When she looked up he widened his eyes slightly when he saw tears running down her face, a small smile gracing her lips.
"…Idiot." Kaori said, wiping her eyes with a grin. "I meant it as a joke. I also didn't think I would make you smile."
Byakuya blinked before the sides of his mouth curled upwards, his eyes softening just the slightest. This may be the wrong time, with her friend being kidnapped and whatnot, but…
Kaori had her eyes closed, still grinning. Her eyes then snapped open at the same time her breath caught in her throat, feeling the Taicho kissing her forehead. He stepped back, turning around and walking forward, telling her to follow. Kaori's eyes remained wide, her entire face red, her jaw hanging open.
Byakuya jumped slightly when he heard a loud thump, turning and widening his eyes slightly when he saw Kaori lying on the ground.
He rushed towards her and picked her up, fanning her face with his hand, trying to get her to regain consciousness before someone walked by them and saw them. He frowned and rolled his eyes, letting out a sigh.
Perhaps he shouldn't have kissed her.
If her reaction was this.
