Chapter 3: Little Reminders

Byakuya signed the last of the forms on his desk and glanced at the time, trying to brush off the little flicker of annoyance at the fact that Ichigo had neither arrived, nor sent a hell butterfly to explain why he was late.

Not like I need his assistance. And anyway, there is something private I probably wouldn't have included him in. He would have just been leading physical training and overseeing work that I've now already done.

He considered for a moment, then summoned a hell butterfly to leave in case the Shiba heir arrived after he left.

"Ichigo," he began.

The door slammed open suddenly and Ichigo burst into the room. Byakuya gave him a reproving look and sighed, allowing the hell butterfly to flit away.

"Ichigo," he said again, this time addressing the suddenly present Shiba heir.

"Hey," Ichigo said breathlessly, "sorry I'm late. I got caught up in a last minute meeting with the elders. They wanted me to look at a bunch of girls."

"Look at a bunch of girls?" Byakuya repeated, "I assume you mean that you were asked to attend a meeting to consider potential wives?"

"That's what I said," Ichigo mused, frowning, "Is there something wrong?"

"Not really, I suppose," Byakuya said more quietly, "I was just a little surprised that you would refer to those young women that way. Just like you, they are probably anxious about being married to someone they don't know. You might consider how they feel, being held up in front of you for you to judge without ever even speaking to them. It is not their fault they are there, threatening your carefree existence, Ichigo. They are preparing to give up their freedom, if not to you, then to another noble lord. At least you are being given pictures and information. All they know about you is what is already publicly known. And for them, there is no choice at all."

"Huh," Ichigo said, a troubled look overtaking his face, "and I thought I had it bad. I really didn't think about that."

"Well, I suppose you would have come to it, sooner or later, when you slowed down to think."

"Hey," Ichigo objected, "what's that supposed to mean?"

"Nothing," Byakuya said off-handedly, "and do not worry about being late. I have already completed what I was going to have you do, so you are dismissed."

"I'm…dismissed?" Ichigo repeated, looking confused.

"Well, this is a military division. When you are done, I dismiss you. It's nothing to take personally. I will have more for you to do tomorrow, if you are still planning to come."

"Byakuya, don't be mad. I said I was sorry. You're a noble lord. You know things come up and I have to do them right then."

"My apologies," Byakuya said shortly, wondering inwardly at why he suddenly felt so annoyed by the man he felt so attracted to, "the stick up my ass must be interfering with my ability to reason. Now, if you are done taking up my time, I have something to see to in the Rukongai."

"What the heck?" Ichigo steamed, "Byakuya, wait!"

Byakuya disappeared out the front door of the office and flash stepped away. A moment later, he heard Ichigo's flash step and sensed the Shiba heir was following.

"Wait up!" Ichigo yelled at him, "Byakuya, wait!"

Byakuya paused in front of a noodle shop and vaguely registered that Renji and Rukia were inside and had noticed them. He arched an eyebrow and gazed back at Ichigo silently as the two picked up their things and started towards them.

"Byakuya, I'm sorry," Ichigo apologized again, "about being late and about what Renji and I were saying yesterday. It wasn't serious. We were just joking around."

"It is fine," Byakuya sighed, "But I really do have to go, and you have friends who will probably wish to steal you away in a moment. Do not worry about me. I have enough to keep me occupied."

"Hey Ichigo," Rukia and Renji greeted the Shiba heir.

"Hello, Nii-sama," Rukia added respectfully.

"Hi Byakuya," Renji said, nodding, but his eyes betraying a bit of discomfort.

"Rukia, Renji," he answered politely, "I assume you want to speak to Ichigo, and I have something to see to. I will see you later, at home, perhaps?"

"Oh…" Rukia said awkwardly, "W-well…"

"I was just going to go out with some of the upper seats in my division to get to know them better and…" Renji began.

"I was going to go also…because we're going to be coordinating a living world mission."

"Then, I will see you, as they say, when I see you," Byakuya said easily, "but I really must go now. Rukia, Renji, Ichigo."

He turned and started to walk away, then he heard Ichigo mutter a few words to Rukia and Renji, then hasten to follow.

"Byakuya, wait up!" he called after the Kuchiki leader, "Come on, I'm getting tired of chasing you."

"Then, perhaps you should have stayed with your friends," Byakuya suggested.

"I said I was going to help you," Ichigo insisted, "so I'm going to help you."

"I do not need your help, thank you," Byakuya said, turning and beginning to engage his flash step.

He inhaled in surprise as Ichigo's warm, restraining hand wrapped around his wrist and he was forced to turn back to face the younger man.

"Let go of me, unless you want to lose that hand," Byakuya warned him, his reiatsu darkening ominously.

Ichigo's eyes narrowed stubbornly.

"Stop trying to run away from me," he said, releasing Byakuya's wrist, "I know your pissed at me and I guess I deserve it. But you don't need to stomp off…"

"I wasn't stomping. I never stomp," Byakuya said shortly.

"Fine," Ichigo said, rolling his eyes, "Look, can we just start this over again. I know I inconvenienced you, yesterday by running off to celebrate with Renji, and today by being late, but I'm here now and I want to help. What's the mission?"

"The mission?" Byakuya repeated, looking at him blankly.

"The mission," Ichigo repeated, the thing you're going to do without backup. I mean, it's not a great idea, going on a mission without backup. Not that you need it. Most of the time, you take pretty good care of yourself."

"It is extremely unkind of you to bring that up," Byakuya said, looking offended, "I was not the only taicho who suffered a loss in the opening battles of the quincy war, and I was…"

"I know…sorry," Ichigo stammered, "Look, I'm doing this all wrong. I didn't mean to insult you. I was just…"

"Ichigo," Byakuya said quietly, "It is…really all right. You are a noble lord, and busy with the higher expectations everyone has for you. You are also young and you have a lot of friends. You should be enjoying their company, not tagging along with me unnecessarily on missions I can handle on my own. You do not have to feel obligated to me."

Ichigo looked him squarely in the eye.

"I want to back you up on this," he insisted, "Let me come along. I could be some help to you. That's what I offered to do, and I haven't really done anything."

"Then, join me if that is truly what you want," Byakuya said, turning, "Just be warned, we will be facing something that strikes fear deep into the hearts of young men like you."

"Oh yeah?" Ichigo said, his smile returning, "What kind of monster does that?"

Byakuya glanced back at Ichigo over his shoulder.

"Children."

He flash stepped away, ignoring Ichigo's further attempts at conversation as he led the flustered Shiba heir out the west gate of the Seireitei and into the Rukongai. He kept the pace purposely swift, secretly enjoying Ichigo intermittent objections and complaints as they made their way through the upper districts, then headed down into the poorer region. Ichigo quieted as they passed through the lower districts, his eyes taking on a weight at the signs of suffering and poverty he witnessed. He moved closer to Byakuya, who eased the pace to allow him to catch up.

"Have you ever been to the lower districts?" Byakuya asked.

"N-no," Ichigo answered, looking around with a discomfited expression, "I've only been to the upper Rukongai, and only when I was trying to get into the Seireitei. But I've always been curious. I mean, I know that shinigamis send souls here…and I have sent souls here. I wondered if shinigamis know where the people they're sending are going to end up. I mean, I don't know. Do you, when you send someone, using konso?"

"No," Byakuya informed him, "Central 46 has listings of all souls and sorts them. They are supposed to give consideration to whom they are sending where, but…sometimes there are anomalies. Sometimes souls that one would think deserve better, are, nonetheless, sent to the poorer regions. I do not know why. It just happens sometimes."

Ichigo's troubled look intensified.

"Kinda makes me feel bad for telling them it's a good place," he said, looking around as they passed a dilapidated sign, "Hey, did that say Inuzuri?"

"It did."

"You're…going to see children here?" Ichigo asked, his eyes growing sad.

"Yes."

"Why? Because of Hisana coming from here?"

Byakuya studied him quietly for a moment.

"I never forget that my wife lived here and that she suffered terribly, just as all souls living here do. And I also never forget that while Hisana was here, she carried a weight of guilt for leaving Rukia and running away. She abandoned her sister, and she felt the guilt for that every time she looked at an Inuzuri child. I come here sometimes to honor her heartfelt attempts to right what she did wrong, and to help any child who she saw suffering."

They rounded a corner and came to a stop in front of a newer, although somewhat plain-looking building. Ichigo read the sign on the front.

"Hisana's home for Children."

Byakuya looked quietly at the front door.

"The building was completed a year ago, and the staff has since taken in more than a hundred street children. The staff were all street children, who were trained by people I hired, in all areas of child care as well as physical, psychological, academic and shingami power development. Children who are accepted here are trained by the elder children and staff, and they serve as mentors and staff later, as they grow up. Every child here learns survival skills and social skills, and they are tested when appropriate, for entrance into the shinigami academy."

"Byakuya…that's amazing! You did all of this to honor Hisana?"

Ichigo's eyes softened.

"Man, when you love someone, you give everything, don't you?" he said sadly, "I know you miss her, but you were really lucky. I mean, I'm going to have to choose someone, not really knowing if we'll ever fall in love. I don't know if I'll ever feel anything like what you felt for her."

"Leadership of any kind exacts a price," Byakuya said solemnly, "I was younger, like you…impulsive and I chose to defy the elders and marry a woman I chose. It was a harder path than you think. The elders of the clan found plenty of ways to punish me over the years."

"Like?" Ichigo asked warily.

"They insisted that Hisana should bear me a child," Byakuya said softly, studying the sign in front of them, "The healers told them repeatedly that she was not strong enough and I pleaded with her not to go along with them, but Hisana did not want me to fall any farther from their graces. She felt guilty for accepting my proposal, and even more so when she had to struggle just to become pregnant. She miscarried several times, the last being just before she died."

"Oh my god…" Ichigo whispered, "Byakuya, I had no idea. Rukia never said anything about any of this."

"Rukia does not know," Byakuya confessed, "I bear guilt of my own because even if I did not put my wife in that grave, I hastened her departure from life. When she died and the elders came to realize the weight that guilt placed on my heart, they stopped urging me to marry. They have waited a long time, but when I fell in the opening battle of the quincy war, they decided to renew their efforts to convince me to marry."

"So, they're trying to make you choose a wife too?"

"Or a husband," Byakuya interjected quietly, "Some noble males of sufficient power are able to either impregnate or be impregnated by another male."

"Whoa, how does that work?" Ichigo mused, "I mean, they've only offered me girls. My dad's been kind of in charge of them, which explains why they're all on the busty side and good fighters, like my mom."

"Are you interested in a male partner?" Byakuya asked, "One could be arranged for you."

"You wanna know the funny thing?" Ichigo said, lowering his voice and looking around, "I don't feel attracted at all to the girls they've been showing me. Sure, they're pretty, but, I don't know. I just…I don't know."

"Have you ever kissed a man before?" Byakuya inquired, carefully showing no reaction at the instant blush it brought to the younger man's face.

"I've never kissed anyone before," Ichigo confessed, his blush deepening.

"Then, how do you know which gender partner to choose?"

"I don't," Ichigo said unhappily, "I really just don't wanna get married at all."

"Haven't you ever felt attracted to anyone?" Byakuya asked.

"I don't know, maybe," Ichigo answered in a flustered tone.

"It is a light feeling," Byakuya said, half to himself, "something that lifts weight from your shoulders, whenever you see that person. You might feel weak, but it actually makes you stronger. It makes you fight harder. It makes you willing to die to protect it. But you would already die to protect your friends, would you not? So, knowing when you are in love is more difficult. It is hard to describe, but when in love, that person steals your attention away from everything. It can make you clumsy or unintentionally careless. But when you touch that person, when you kiss him, the feeling is electric."

"Ahem," Ichigo coughed, arching an eyebrow, "him?"

"Or her," Byakuya said blithely.

"Sounds like someone has a little crush on a guy."

"You're delusional," Byakuya sighed, moving towards the door.

"Naw, I'd say I just got you to admit something!" Ichigo chuckled, "So, who's the lucky guy?"

"We are not having this conversation," Byakuya said sternly, pushing the door open.

"Come on," Ichigo pleaded, "You can't just drop a hint like that and refuse to tell me. We're friends, aren't we?"

"Are we?" Byakuya asked, pointedly.

"Aw, that's cold," Ichigo complained, "Of course we're friends. So, you can tell me. I promise I won't tell anyone. Is it Tetsuya?"

"What?" Byakuya asked in a flustered tone, "Tetsuya?"

"Well, you work out together every day and you swim naked with him," Ichigo pointed out.

"We have been doing that since we were teens. Tetsuya is family, and he seems interested in your cousin, Kurushimi."

"He does? He is?" Ichigo mused, blinking, "He kinda brushed Kuri off."

"Well, he did trespass on private property and see Tetsuya and me, sans clothing. That would make things awkward."

"Is it Renji?"

"Absolutely not."

"Oh come on!" Ichigo teased him playfully, "You work out with him too, and he's a taicho now."

"Renji is being dominated by that equally loud mouthed quincy," Byakuya said dryly.

"I know, I know," Ichigo giggled, "It's me. You like me. Wanna kiss me? You could be my first."

"Well, as much as I am flattered at the dubious honor of being the first heart you break, I think I will pass."

"Come on, who's left? Eh, not Kenpachi?"

"Do not make me hurt you…"

"Eh, Shunsui?"

"He is old enough to be my father, and do not suggest his sidekick, Juushiro either. The two live for each other."

"But…Shunsui always hits on girls, doesn't he?"

"It is reverse psychology, meant to repel them."

"Toshiro! He's old enough now that the bankai aged him.

"I am not going there…"

"Kuri?"

"Now you are just being insulting."

"Hey, I'm gonna figure it out eventually."

If only that was true.

"Ichigo, I hate to stop you when you are having so much fun with this, but we did come here to do something. If you will cease playing matchmaker, I will show you what we are here to do."

He led Ichigo to the front desk, where a young woman greeted them eagerly.

"Kuchiki taicho, thank you so much for coming! And you have brought Shiba-sama as well?"

"He wanted to meet the children," Byakuya explained.

"I did?" Ichigo whispered.

"Shh…" Byakuya shushed him.

"Oh, they will be so excited. Go on in, then."

Byakuya led Ichigo to a large classroom, where groups of children of all ages sat, reading with older children. They looked up as the two men entered the room and their eyes lit instantly.

"Kuchiki taicho! Shiba Ichigo!" they exclaimed.

"Sit down. Sit down. It's time to begin," an older woman urged the children.

Byakuya moved to a pile of pillows that had been placed on the floor and sat down, immediately having his lap claimed by a very young, violet eyed girl who looked to be about four.

"Hello Gia," Byakuya greeted her.

"You know all of these guys? All of them?"

"Yes. Go and read a story to some of them," Byakuya directed them.

The teacher herded groups of children to gather around each of them, and Byakuya began to read the book he had brought along, watching out of the corner of one dark eye as Ichigo laughed and talked with the children all around him, ruffling the hair of one little boy and patting several on the head or shoulder, before settling with a book and starting to read. A little flutter touched Byakuya's insides as a little boy plopped down on Ichigo's lap, and he didn't even pause, but laid his chin on the boy's head and kept reading. The afternoon seemed to fly by after that, and Byakuya was hardly ready to say his goodbyes when it was time to go.

It felt so good to be here with him like this. Ichigo is very good with little children. I know he has two sisters. That is probably why. He will make a wonderful father.

Byakuya heard a little sob and looked down at the girl on his lap.

"Don't go?" she pleaded, looking up at him through teary eyes.

"Gia," he said softly, touching the girl's cheek, "I will come back."

The uncertain look she gave him made his heart skip.

"My mom and dad didn't come back. They died, Kuchiki taicho. Maybe you'll die too."

"No way," Ichigo said from behind her, making the girl turn and look at him in surprise, "There's no way that I'm going to let anyone hurt Byakuya."

"You promise?" Gia asked, crossing her arms and scowling at him.

"I swear," Ichigo chuckled, "Now, come on. I have to get my friend home safe, okay?"

"Okay!" the little girl laughed, jumping up from Byakuya's lap and kissing him on the cheek, "Bye Daddy…erm, I mean, Kuchiki taicho!"

Byakuya watched silently as she followed the other children out of the room.

"You're really good with kids," Ichigo complimented him.

"So are you."

"Yeah, well I had sisters."

"I had younger cousins."

"Ah, right. But you were the heir. You didn't need to be taking care of other kids."

"A future leader needs to be in touch with those he will protect," Byakuya said calmly, "I was encouraged to care about the well being of my relatives."

"Right," Ichigo agreed, "Okay…so, are we done here?"

Byakuya nodded.

"You are free to go. Thank you for your help."

"Hey, I'm not going to leave you here. I just promised that little girl…"

"Gia."

"I just promised Gia that I wouldn't let anything bad happen to you."

"Now, you are being ridiculous."

"No, I'd really like to have dinner with you."

"Very well."

"Okay," said Ichigo, "where do you wanna go?"

There is food in the commissary here," Byakuya suggested, "Or any number of pubs that should be to your liking."

"Ouch, rough play!" Ichigo complained, "I was thinking of this place that serves curry that's supposed to be pretty lethal."

"And that feeds your death wish. I understand."

"You like spicy food, right?" Ichigo asked.

Byakuya frowned.

"How did you know that You did not seem to know before, when you were offering me sweets."

"Eh, Rukia told me," he answered sheepishly.

"Rukia was discussing my tastes with you?" Byakuya asked, looking surprised.

"Uh, yeah, well, it just sorta came up while we were all having dinner at Renji's celebration. I don't know. Anyway, do you wanna go?"

"How do you even know about this place?" Byakuya asked skeptically, "You admitted you don't even know the Rukongai."

"Well, I sort of asked Renji and Rukia about good places to take you, because I felt bad for abandoning you yesterday."

"I said it was fine."

"Will you just let me make it up to you?

"Are you sure that you want to be seen out with me twice in two days?" Byakuya asked, leading him out onto the street, "People might think we are intimate."

"Are you kidding me?" Ichigo laughed, "Bring it on. Maybe if they think you and I are interested in each other, they'll lay off and stop shoving girls in my face. It could get them to leave you alone too, huh?"

"Or we could simply be honest and say we are not ready for marriage. It could work for you. You are younger than me and you seem good at defying death."

"You're pretty good at defying death yourself," Ichigo chuckled, following him down the darkening street, "You really think people will think we're dating?"

"No."

"You're not nice."

"No, I am not."