Thinking about all of Jushiro's questions the day before made Byakuya stay up all night. He couldn't answer any of them and it was starting to annoy him. Who could he ask that would actually tell him? His parents were dead, his grandfather wanted nothing to do with him and he had no idea how to find his aunt or uncle. It made the neko frustrated beyond belief. Perhaps he could send a letter to Renji? Would the redhead be willing to help him despite losing his title? He'd always been a good friend even when Byakuya didn't think he needed or deserved one. Perhaps it would be worth it to write a letter.
Then again, the last time he saw Renji had been when his grandfather kidnapped him previously. He gently rubbed his shoulder at the thought. Would he be willing to see him again? Byakuya frowned and sighed as he closed the book he had been reading in the window. It would likely be best to go and talk to Jushiro if possible.
The neko quietly put the book on the nightstand before going to get dressed properly for the rest of the day. As he thought about the day, he frowned. He hadn't seen his lover at all. He had woken up alone and without a note too. So he was at a loss on where to find his fiancé as well.
Once properly dressed, the former prince began his search around the castle. He did not get far when a set of Jushiro's siblings intervened. A set of twins it would seem. They were interesting and rather hyper for teenagers. They insisted on playing games with him despite his request to go and find their brother. Only after completing several of their tiresome games did they finally stop and say that he should be in the library. After that, the two of them ran off, giggling. The pair were certainly strange. Then again, the closest he ever had to siblings were his servants as he grew up. So it was also a learning experience.
After decidingly ignoring the confusion going through his mind, Byakuya made his way to the library. Thankfully it seemed to be unoccupied. That thought quickly disappeared when he remembered that he was searching for Jushiro. Why couldn't he ever be easy to find? After another look around the library, he decided that his lover was obviously not there so he had to continue his search elsewhere.
Just as he went to leave, he heard someone call for him. That alone made him stop and turn only to be confused when he saw another one of Jushiro's siblings. It made him a tad bit disappointed but it was good to get to know the people that would be considered his family. After a brief greeting, several riddles, and a small talk about the library, Byakuya was then directed to the stables. Would Jushiro actually be out there? He frowned in though but quickly made his way out to see if his lover could be found.
Despite the reassurances he had received before, there was no one but the stablehands in the stables. That proved to annoy the neko as he tried to figure out where his prince was hiding and why his siblings insisted on toying with him like this.
After that, Byakuya thought over where his fiance may be. There were still quite a few places he hadn't checked which also bothered him. He had too many places to try and look for him. It was now starting to bother him that Jushiro seemed to completely elude him. After searching for another hour, the neko made his way to the gardens with a defeated air about him. He didn't understand how it was that difficult just to find one person. Despite his familiarity with the castle, he had failed in finding his lover.
Once outside, Byakuya sat down on one of the benches with a loud sigh. How could he not find his fiance after all of this time? After a moment, he heard a soft call of his name. His ears perked up and he looked around carefully. Standing up, he turned curiously towards where the sound came from and blinked in confusion when he saw Jushiro, sitting and waiting for him. "Is this where you've been all this time?"
"Well, yes. I've been waiting for you for quite a while," Jushiro explained from the blanket on the ground. There were several treats spread out around the prince as he moved and got to one knee. "I also realized that I needed to do this properly and give you something that will show my love for you."
"Jushiro...this is...thank you," Byakuya replied with a small smile as he looked over his lover and smiled a bit. It made his heart feel almost like bursting. He took a deep breath and quietly walked over to his fiance. Once he was close enough, the silverette took his hand and gently pulled him to his knees as well. "You truly are amazing my love."
"And I have this for you," the prince replied as he pulled out a necklace with a deep sapphire in the center with several diamonds around the sapphire in a small circle. "It has been passed down in my family for generations."
"You...you truly wish to give me this? I...it's...it is beautiful," the neko said with a smile as he kissed his lover eagerly. Byakuya still felt a little disbelief as he hugged him. "Thank you."
"It is my pleasure and I am truly happy that you are accepting it," the prince replied as he moved and put the necklace around Byakuya's pale neck. Once it was placed properly, he quietly shifted to observe his neko and smiled. "It looks perfect on you."
"Are you attempting to flatter me?" the former prince asked as he gave him a smile.
"Perhaps I am, but it is still the truth," he replied eagerly as he pulled his lover close and pecked his lips. "Now, we must enjoy these snacks before my siblings find out that we are out here. Otherwise we will not have any peace."
"I believe you are correct," Byakuya replied with a laugh as he eagerly grabbed something and tasted it. After a slight face, he fed Jushiro a bite and grabbed a different snack. This one was more to his tastes so he happily finished it. That was allowed to continue for another two snacks before there were eight extra bodies joining them outside. Jushiro was nearly tackled to the ground by three of them while the twins hugged Byakuya and started toying with his hair. "It looks like we were relatively right there, weren't we?"
"Yes, we were," Jushiro agreed as his siblings demolished the snacks. He couldn't help but laugh as he looked over his lover and his siblings. All of them were comfortably laying around the pair of them comfortably. "So, what can we help you all with?"
"You promised that we would get to go to town with you and your fiance later!" One of them spoke up eagerly. At that, Jushiro let out a soft chuckle before he was nodding as he gave Byakuya a soft smile of apology. Truthfully he hadn't been sure if his siblings would do as they'd been told, let alone remember his promise. But he wasn't one to go back on his word, so he would have to organize a trip into the town for everyone.
"Ah yes, a promise is a promise," Jushiro agreed as he gave Byakuya a small, apologetic smile. Hopefully they would all be calm while in town but he was never quite sure with his siblings. They were always so very unpredictable. "However, you all must promise to be on your best behavior as well so I do not need to corral you. Otherwise I will not be able to show Byakuya a good time while we are in town. Can you all do that for me?"
For the first time since they arrived, the younger Ukitakes froze and stared at their brother. After a moment of looking over each other they all nodded together before answering simultaneously. "Yes big brother, we promise to be on our best behavior."
With that, Byakuya looked at all of them vaguely bewildered. How could they answer in such unison like that? He frowned as he looked at his fiancé who was smiling still. "Good, good. Then I will go and get things ready for us as soon as we are done with our small picnic."
"Hurray!" They all shouted before going inside, except the twins. They were contently standing behind Byakuya, braiding his hair still. They used the main braid that went down the middle of his head to make a small bun at the back of his head with two smaller braids as accents from his temples. After that, they giggled and left quickly.
"I am unsure of what I look like now," Byakuya mumbled when the pair was out of sight. He looked at Jushiro who smiled and simply shook his head. "Did they do something silly?"
"You look lovely. If you would like, we can leave it like this. It would make them very happy as well," the prince explained with a small smile. Gently, the neko reached up and touched his hair with a small smile and nodded. It wasn't bad and he did want them to be happy. With a firm nod, he moved close to his fiancé again and leaned against his shoulder. "They like you quite a bit already. It is impressive."
"How can you tell that they like me that much? Simply from the fact that they did my hair?" Byakuya asked as he looked over the other curiously. THe simply nod was all he needed to answer the question. "They do not do these kinds of things if they are not on good terms with someone?"
"Not at all. My siblings usually take time to warm up to people, but they have all warmed up to you nearly instantly. It is very impressive, honestly. I am proud of you Byakuya," the prince offered gently. He kissed the brunet's cheek before moving to kiss him properly. A soft sound of surprise and frustration escaped the neko which made Jushiro frown. "What is it?"
"I nearly forgot why I was even looking for you earlier. I needed to talk to you about the questions you asked me before. I do not know the answers to those questions as you know. But I feel that my family….or what was left of it may know. Otherwise there is a servant under them that was kind to me and he may be able to help us with finding out," Byakuya explained gently. "I had almost forgotten that I wanted to speak with you about that because your siblings sent me on a hunt for you."
"They set up a hunt? For me? Is that why you took so long to come and find me?" The prince asked with a laugh as he shook his head. "They like you very much then. Ordinarily, they do not play games with new people."
"Wonderful. So I have more games and whatnot to look forward to?" the banished prince asked with a slight shake of his head. Truthfully he was happy to have the approval of Jushiro's siblings as well as the knowledge that all of them seemed to like him. It was nice. Not to mention he hadn't had siblings like this in years. After his first failed marriage, he missed having a sibling. "I suppose there are worse things that could happen than small games with your siblings."
"Do be careful with what you say, my love. They can be quite devilish at times," Jushiro warned with a soft chuckle. "I would not want you getting too mixed up in their schemes."
"Are they so ruthless that they will harass me without warning or hesitation?" Byakuya asked with a soft chuckle.
"Actually yes," the silverette answered with a nervous smile and chuckle. "If they are that comfortable with you already then they may actually do so."
"Should I be frightened?" The brunette asked curiously as he looked over Jushiro's. He did seem a bit worried so it was a valid question. Then again, he had experienced worse from his own family, so the children shouldn't be too bad.
"I think you should be on guard but not completely frightened. They do like to play pranks, but they shouldn't do anything too bad to you," the prince answered as he gave his lover an unsure smile. "How about we worry about that later?"
The response made the neko frown before he shook his head and smiled. "Very well. Worry later."
"Good," Jushiro said happily as he kissed his lover and nuzzled into his neck for the time being. "I enjoy staying with you like this."
"Then we may stay for some time longer, but we still have a trip to take," Byakuya reminded as he leaned his chin against Jushiro's head. A please sound escaped the prince as he moved closer to cuddle into the other's neck.