Chapter Soundtrack:
Forever Young - Alphaville
Best of You - Foo Fighters
All the Small Things - Blink 182
She was free until lunch with her brother tomorrow. Worrying her lip between her teeth, she thought about what had happened in Captain Ichimaru's office. Looking at the sun, Rin realized it was nearly the end of the work day, and made her way to tenth division. She owed it to Lieutenant Matsumoto to tell her what had happened.
When she got to her office, there was unsurprisingly no one inside, but a hefty amount of paperwork. Instead, she padded to the Captain's office, but before she could knock, she was bid inside. Captain Hitsugaya looked up as she closed the door behind her. Lieutenant Matsumoto was napping on the sofa.
"So you did get into second division." He greeted.
"I did, Captain." Rin smiled. "But still, I came to thank you for the opportunity, and to let you know that I will be trained to join the strategy planning and tactical team."
"Ah, so we'll still be working together, eventually." He nodded and leaned back in his chair.
"I was hoping, Captain…" Rin took a nervous step forward. "Do you have any recommendations on books I could read about strategy?" Captain Hitsugaya's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He wordlessly stood and walked over to his bookshelf, pulling two books into his arms.
"Begin with these two." He handed them to her. "Come see me after you've finished." Rin accepted the heavy tomes and nodded.
"Thank you, Captain!" she smiled.
"Matsumoto!" A grunt and a twitch came with Rangiku's awakening as she sat up. "Go home, your laziness is useless to me."
"Captain!" She whined. "Thy do you have to be so mean? Oh, Rin-chan! What are you wearing?"
"My Second Division uniform!" Rin straightened and smiled proudly. She was immediately pulled into a hug, expertly raising her chin so she wouldn't be suffocated in her friend's chest.
"Oh, I just knew you'd make it!" Rin laughed, despite Captain Hitsugaya's palpable annoyance. "Come, let's celebrate!" Rin allowed herself to be pulled out and to a bar, a little nicer than usual, but not too extravagant. Lieutenant Matsumoto asked for two seats on the main floor, but Rin intervened, asking for a private room. "Hm? Why a private room?"
"I'll tell you inside." Rin's voice lowered, and her friend frowned in concern, but followed silently. They sat and ordered drinks and snacks. "Rangiku, I have something unpleasant to tell you." Rin began. Best to not beat around the bush. Despite her airy and carefree disposition, the taller woman knew when to be serious and listened raptly. Rin paused when the waitress brought their order and poured their first cup, but none of them touched their drinks just yet. "You know I had to go to all the Captain's offices for my punishment form Captain Kuchiki." Rangiku nodded. "Before I go on, I want you to know that I did not invite this behaviour and was extremely uncomfortable, but Captain Ichimaru advanced on me and was...less than professional when I went to retrieve the documents in his office." Rin watched the hurt expression across the Lieutenant's face. "I am so, so sorry, and I hated it, and I specifically told him I was uncomfortable betraying your friendship, and that he should be professional, and hightailed it out of there as soon as he released me." Rin sat quietly as she waited for the other woman to react, to yell, to slap her, anything. "Rangiku, say something?" Rin pleaded.
"Thank you for telling me." The strawberry blonde had her head bowed, her fringe shadowing her eyes. When she raised her head to look at Rin, there were tears in her eyes, but she was smiling. "Thank you for being such a good friend." Rin smiled sadly at her and watched her wipe her eyes with the back of her hand. "We need to go out more so you can find me that halfway decent guy you were talking about." She let out a strangled laugh. Rin nodded eagerly.
"We'll find him, don't worry."
They had an enjoyable time after that, and Rin asked Rangiku to organize the celebration for tomorrow night. She eagerly accepted, and they made their way back to their barracks. Rin decided to spend her last night with her brother, and they sat up well into the night, sipping tea on his porch. After a while, Ikkaku joined them, but declined the tea, instead stretching out on the wooden floor with his head on Rin's lap.
"So how are things with Chinatsu?" Rin asked her brother after switching her cup from her left hand to her right to rest her free hand on Ikkaku's chest after he made himself comfortable on her lap.
"She got into third division, and her parents are thrilled." He said.
"You met her parents?"
"No, but she's been mentioning them a lot." Rin eyed her brother as he sighed. "I suppose it's the normal thing to do, right?" They shared a sad look.
Yumichika and Rin had grown up in Rukongai, but Rin didn't like thinking about that time too much, especially when she remembered the things she and her brother had to go through to survive. They met Ikkaku at the best time possible, when their hairless friend shoved his way into the bathhouse where her brother had gotten himself into a fight, a rare occurrence, but a necessary one, since Rin had been kidnapped and was being forced to become part of the prostitution ring the men ran in that bathhouse. He beat up the thugs who were holding her brother down, and they both all but destroyed the establishment to get Rin out. They have been inseparable since then.
"Hey, you two, lighten up, will ya?" Ikkakku crossed his arms, trapping Rin's hand between his chest and forearms. "Got a note from Matsumoto." He changed the subject. "You sure it was the right idea to let her plan everything?"
"She's not so bad." Rin shrugged as she finished her tea, setting the cup down beside her. She ran her hand over Ikakku's head as he snorted at her dismissal, but closed his eyes to enjoy the attention.
"Before that, we have lunch, remember?" Her brother eyed his friend's relaxed state on his sister's lap, but as usual, didn't comment. "I'd like you to wear something nice."
"You can dress me, Yumi-nii." Rin laughed at his excitement at the prospect.
"I'll go hang the kimono right now so it doesn't wrinkle." He shuffled into his quarters and they heard him rummaging around.
"You're gonna look like a doll after he's done with you." Ikkaku turned his head to bury his nose in her stomach.
"Leave him be, Ikkaku." Rin pulled her hand from under his arm and slipped it under the fabric of his sleeping robe, running her hand over his skin. "You've gotten stronger…" She mused, shamelessly feeling up his chiselled muscles. He grinned, peeking his eye open to look up at her. Unraveling his arms, he wrapped her waist by curling his left arm into a blatant flex. Rin raised her eyebrow at him, but still wrapped her fingers as best she could around his arm and appreciatively squeezed the firm bulges under his sleeve. "Showoff." She mumbled.
"No more than you in that uniform." He let his eye roam down her chest and rearranged himself so his torso was leaning over her legs, his body propped on his left elbow on the other side of her legs as his right hand ghosted up her arm and traced the legs of her spider. "I'm a bit jealous. Now everyone's gonna know about this tattoo." Rin trailed her fingers up his neck, around his ear, where she knew he was sensitive and smirked at his attempt at repressing a shudder, to finally run her nails lightly down his jaw and lowered her head to just barely touch their noses.
"But you're one of the very few people who know about the one on my thigh." Rin smirked at him as he let out a groan through his parted lips. His head tilted, but he was rudely shoved away from her by her brother.
"Seriously? Every. Single. Time. I leave you two alone." Ikkaku let his body fall on Rin's legs and grunted in annoyance. "Come on, Rin. Bedtime." Rin chuckled and tapped Ikkaku's stomach to let her up. He just grunted in annoyance again. Rin started to pull the knot at his waist, making him grab the fabric around his body and shoot up, frowning at her laugh as they rose and he adjusted his robe.
"Fucking tease." He grabbed her chin and bent to growl in her face.
"Bite me, Ikkaku." She playfully growled back, her eyebrow lifting challengingly, before her brother pulled her away and into his quarters, leaving Ikkaku a bit warmer than he'd like to admit.
Rin patiently waited, her arms spread wide, as her brother fussed around her, adjusting her kimono. Ikkaku could be heard yelling at the new recruits, Captain Zaraki cackling in the distance. She watched her brother straighten her sleeve for the eighth time in the last two minutes and sighed.
She did look beautiful, they both did. Possessing natural beauty, they both turned heads when they walked on the street, even in their academy and shinigami uniforms, but Yumichika had really outdone himself this time. They were wearing matching kimonos of deep blue, with golden lotus flowers that shimmered in the light. Her hair was in an elaborate knot, but no ornament was in it. Instead, she had released her shikai and let her brother pin her hair with Chihari's needles.
After what seemed like hours, her brother finally walked out with her on his arm, earning enough catcalls to the both of them until they were tired of rolling their eyes.
Rin looked at the establishment he had brought her to. She had no idea her brother could afford this kind of place. When she quietly voiced her concerns, he shushed her and waved her worries away. He was a fifth seat, after all, and wanted to pamper his sister, or so was his reasoning.
They were sat at a table on the main floor, and Rin suspected it was because Yumichika wanted to be seen, not because he couldn't afford a private room, after what he had assured her. Sure enough, a few people raised their glasses in greeting, some even rising from their seats to greet her brother and be introduced to Rin. They were mostly merchants and lesser nobles.
"I didn't know you had such influential contacts." Rin sipped at the red sakazuki in her hands.
"You know I like to surround myself in beauty." He evaded her question.
"And a beauty she is." A deep voice made them look up to find Captain Kyouraku with his own sakazuki in his fingers. "Isn't that right, Byakuya-kun?"
"Kyouraku-dono! Kuchiki-dono! What brings you here?" Rin snapped her head around to frown in confused shock at how her brother greeted the Captains with the different title.
"Oh, boring noble family business." He sat at their table and rested his elbow on the wood. Rin startled as her brother nudged her leg with his foot. She looked at him still confused, and saw him subtly nod at the sake bottle. Rin took the bottle and offered it to the man sitting next to her.
"More sake, Captain?"
"Always." He held his sakazuki at her. "No need for all the captain formality here, Ayasegawa-chan." He winked at her. Rin was still trying to wrap her head around the situation, but smiled politely as she held her sleeve to pour him the drink. She had been taught manners by her brother, and knew how to use them. Yumichika sipped his drink as he watched his sister bare her wrist delicately at the older man sitting at their table.
"Must I be kept waiting for your senseless frivolities to end, Kyouraku?" Rin looked up at the silver glare Captain Kuchiki was sending their way, not even turning his body towards them.
"Ah, sorry, sorry." He stood. "Ayasegawa-chan it was my pleasure seeing you again. You look radiant." His hand touched her shoulder, running across her back to her other shoulder, before his fingers left her and he followed Captain Kuchiki to a private room.
Rin sat slackjawed, looking at her brother, who just waited and watched the gears turn in her head. She looked around the establishment. No way...I couldn't be!
"Compose yourself, dear." Yumichika picked up his chopsticks and pushed a slice of Ootoro in his mouth. Rin leaned back in her chair, but couldn't stop grinning like a madwoman. She noticed how the patrons seemed older and the few younger ones were dressed to the nines and being pampered. Her brother was a sugar baby!
"Not that I'm complaining, but...why did you bring me here?" She had finally calmed enough to start eating her wagyu beef. It melted spectacularly in her mouth.
"To make you aware of your worth." Yumichika turned serious. "I am so very proud of you for getting into one of the most serious divisions in the Gotei 13." He held her hand, and she saw his words were honest. "But know that it is not all life has to offer." Rin nodded, understanding.
They enjoyed the rest of their lunch, until a waitress discreetly came over to pass them a message under the guise of pouring Rin more sake. Their bill had been paid by a patron. Yumichika kept looking at her, but she shook her head.
"The patron asked not to reveal his name, only to let the beautiful woman from his dreams know she is welcome at any time." The waitress turned to Rin, who widened her eyes in recognition. A blush crept over her cheeks.
"Don't blush. Take a deep breath." Her brother instructed her quietly after the waitress left. Rin nodded and composed herself. "Who is it?" he asked.
"Captain Kyouraku." Rin whispered into her drink. Yumichika raised his eyebrows. She told him of her adventure in his office and he nodded, a sly smile on his face.
"Maybe you should pay him a visit after the celebration tonight."
"Yumi-nii!" Rin shook her head. "That's highly unprofessional." she remembered what she had said to Captain Ichimaru.
"Listen to me, sister." His voice lowered to a seriousness Rin rarely heard. "This," he gestured around them "has nothing to do with the Gotei 13." Rin nodded. She would have to learn to separate these two aspects of her life if she wanted part in it. Did she? Rin was pensive for a few minutes as her brother swept the room with his eyes. "Rin." She looked up at him. "Let's go." He was still serious as he gracefully stood and held his hand out to her. They made their way around the tables, but Rin froze at the voice that called out to them.
"My, what a nice surprise, seein' ya here."
Rin locked eyes with her brother who squeezed her hand and pulled her closer to him, not stopping his strides towards the door.
"Ichimaru-dono, always a pleasure." Yumichika smiled over Rin's head at the man behind her. "I'm so sorry, but we're in a hurry."
"Oh? Such a shame. I hope ta see ya again, Ayasegawa-chan!" Rin squared her shoulders and turned, not letting go of her brother's hand. She smiled politely at the man who cornered her in his office and looked at him straight in the eyes.
"I hope the rest of your day is as pleasant as you are, Ichimaru-dono." She bowed a little and turned back to her brother, who quickly whisked her away as soon as he saw the Captain's face drop to a frown. Once they were a few blocks away, they burst out laughing, holding their sides, Yumichika leaning against a wall.
"Rin, my dear, you might just be a natural at this." He straightened and held her hands. "But please be careful. There are three types of people in this world. Some people prefer to believe that evil doesn't exist in the world, and if it ever darkened their doorstep, they wouldn't know how to protect themselves. Those are the sheep. Then you've got predators who use violence to prey on the weak. They're the wolves. And then there are those blessed with the gift of aggression, an overpowering need to protect the flock. These are the rare breed who live to confront the wolf. They are the sheepdog. Surround yourself with sheepdog. And if you can't, then become a wolf, even if it's just to bite other wolves." He tucked a stray hair behind her ear. "Do you understand what I'm saying?" Rin had tears in her eyes as she was reminded once again of their life in Rukongai.
"I understand, Yumi-nii. Thank you." She nodded.
"Come now!" His tone lightened. "Let's get a bath before the celebration with our friends."