A/N: This was kind of inevitable, but this chapter contains Many Cousins. It's really not important that you keep everyone straight, but I definitely do not want anyone straining themselves to figure out who is related to whom, and I already made a family tree while I was writing this chapter, you can find it over on my Tumblr (recurring-polynya). I cannot emphasize enough that there is no quiz at the end, I just did it for people like me who like charts.
It was 5:50pm.
Guests were due to arrive at 6:00.
In most things, Byakuya preferred to be exactly on time, but when he was hosting, he always strove to be early, so that he had a few moments to properly shift into a social mentality.
He had forgotten that his grandfather also liked to be early.
So now, he was trapped in his parlor trying to make small talk with Ginrei.
Hisana had always felt that it cultivated an air of anticipation for a lady to arrive a few minutes late to her own party. Byakuya wasn't sure if it was true, but he had passed on this advice to Rukia without judgment. Lately, he had been quite impressed with his sister's ability to capture a room's attention with her entrances, but he really, really wished she would get out here and save him from this conversation.
"So," Ginrei purred, accepting a glass of sake from a servant. "What do you think of your little cousin?"
"From what I have seen, she seems a respectable young woman. It should prove little trouble to find her a suitable husband, not that I expected it would be."
"'Respectable,' Byakuya?" Ginrei scoffed. "Not only is she beautiful and well-mannered, the girl is brilliant! You saw her play tennis, but she sings and paints as well." Ginrei tipped his head backwards. "Tsukasa! Tell Byakuya how artistic Shizue is!"
There was a grunting noise. Byakuya glanced over his grandfather's shoulder. Aunt Tsukasa was once again, thoroughly asleep.
"She can tell you later," Ginrei excused. "Anyway, the girl has a lot of spirit and a boatload of brains." He gave a knowing nod. "A lot like a young fellow I used to know."
"I do not recall you ever being so enthusiastic about my 'spirit'," Byakuya pointed out dryly.
"You worked out," Ginrei replied vaguely.
"I meant no slight against her, Grandfather," Byakuya tried to be conciliatory. After all, Shizue had done nothing wrong. "Of course she is brilliant and accomplished. She is a Kuchiki. You will forgive me. I have more pressing things on my mind than the elaborate mating rituals of the young."
Ginrei studied Byakuya's face for a long moment. "So, no interest yourself? None whatsoever?"
Byakuya stared back at his grandfather. He blinked. He took a sip of sake. He blinked again. "Absolutely not," he replied. "Goodness, Grandfather. Really."
"It's true, she is quite young," Ginrei excused. "But if she were to become the Lady of the Clan, of course, she would need several more years of training…"
"No, Grandfather." Byakuya made a face at the very idea. "I highly doubt she would enjoy the match, either. Nearly all of my time is taken up between the Division and the administration of the Clan, and my interests are hardly the sorts of things that appeal to young people."
"That's why you need a wife, Byakuya. To help lighten your load and ease your burden. And it's very natural for husbands and wives to have different interests. Healthy, even!"
Perhaps. Perhaps it was. But Byakuya had been married to a woman who was probably the closest thing he had ever had to a best friend. They had tended orchids together and played shogi. Byakuya didn't sing for other people, but he sang with Hisana, and she learned to play all his favorite songs on her shamisen. He went against his principles and wrote silly poems to make her smile. She would paint beautiful, elaborate landscapes, and hide the Wakame Ambassador somewhere, peeking from behind a bush or floating in the sky as a cloud. For five years, Byakuya ate dessert and pretended to like it, even though Hisana could tell when he didn't.
As a child, Byakuya had watched his grandparents orbit in their separate spheres. Ginrei had devoted himself to the Gotei, and Soujun had as well, while Byakuya's lovely, graceful grandmother had busied herself with making beautiful things, her pottery, her paintings, her flower gardens. After being married to Hisana, Byakuya couldn't imagine anything lonelier.
"For some people, that may be true," he acknowledged. He tried to lighten the mood. "It would pain me deeply to dampen the spirit of a vivacious girl like Shizue with my staid, homebody ways."
Ginrei was studying him carefully, eye slightly narrowed. It made Byakuya nervous. Ginrei never laughed at his jokes. He didn't know why he even tried.
"I do think that an internal marriage would be for the best," Byakuya tried to divert the subject. "For Shizue, that is. With her spiritual power, it would be foolish to allow her to marry out of the family, but her line's fortunes are not sufficient to attract anyone worth marrying in."
"My thoughts exactly," Ginrei agreed. "The branch families have grown weak in recent generations. Pulling the Masumizuumi Kuchiki back into the core family should help give some strength to the bloodline."
Byakuya frowned thoughtfully. "I worry, though. The main branches jostle so much for favor. I would prefer they built their own strength by marrying outside of the clan, but they are so stubborn. As crucial as it is to maintain the Kuchiki legacy, we do need new blood, as well."
"Ehh, you don't want them getting too much strength. It's good to keep them dependent on the main branch," Ginrei opined.
Ah, yes. Keep the branch families weak, so they don't get too uppity, an attitude that Ginrei had maintained so well during his own tenure as clan head that now, Byakuya couldn't locate a single person among his relatives who was remotely capable of succeeding him. For as roundly as he had been criticized for adopting Rukia, it was hilariously ironic that she now represented the single greatest addition to the strength of the Kuchiki in the last half-century.
Byakuya quashed the urge to be drawn into this debate five minutes before dinner guests were due to arrive. "As you say, Grandfather," he replied vaguely instead.
"You're right about the new blood, though," Ginrei granted and for the briefest of moments, Byakuya's heart lightened. "And you were right about Shizue, too. If you married her, you'd be passing up a big opportunity to snag a First Daughter from one of the other big clans!"
Byakuya wished, with all his heart, that someone else would get here soon.
"I just wish you had given me a little notice, it's common courtesy," Fifth Seat Kuchiki Takehiko griped for the fourth time as he, Renji and Choei made their way up the winding front walk of Kuchiki Manor.
"I'm telling you, I only got invited an hour ago!" Renji protested.
"And if you had told me then, I probably would have had time to send a message to my Honored Mother. She's going to be furious."
"Captain says she's a big fan of mine."
Takehiko made a long-suffering eyeroll. Renji wasn't sure if it was directed at him, or Lady Azami, or possibly even Byakuya. "Whether my mother likes someone or dislikes them is immaterial. She simply wishes the events of the world to proceed in a manner that she believes to be correct. There is no room in her philosophy for surprise dinner guests."
"I just want to know why we had to be so early," Choei grumbled.
"Captain said to be here by six!" Renji protested. "It's five of, we're perfectly on time!"
"Surely, he said come at six," Takehiko correctly, "which usually means to arrive in the vicinity of and certainly no earlier than six. If you are Choei, it means 'roll in at eight, just in time for dessert.'"
"You don't like getting lectured by your mom, I don't like getting lectured by my mom. We are on the same page here, we just have different methods," Choei sniffed.
Renji wondered what it would be like to have cousins. It seemed kinda fun.
"At least you look respectable for once. Was that your doing, Vice-Captain? Well done, if so." Takehiko gave Renji a brief once-over. "You don't look half-bad yourself. Might go a little lighter on the eye make-up next time, but that's a handsome kimono."
"Thank you, Kuchiki," Renji puffed out his chest, and made a mental note to thank Rukia for insisting that he buy two nice kimono. This one was a dark bluish-grey, dyed in some clever way to leave a pattern of lighter vertical wavy lines. Rukia said they were steam clouds, meant to symbolize rising above one's circumstances. Renji was just glad it didn't have carp on it, like three others she tried to put him in.
"Wait a second!" Choei exclaimed. "Is that why you showed up at my place and asked me a bunch of questions about obi knots? That was a distraction?! I was gonna gel up a pompadour and you made me forget!"
"I am just a simple man who goes to very few dinner parties," Renji replied innocently. "Speaking of obi, I kicked that hideous orange one you were gonna wear under your couch, in case you're looking for it later."
"Betrayal!" Choei wailed. "Treachery!"
"I hope you now see the problem with arriving early," Takehiko gave Renji a steely look. "We're forced to admit that we brought him."
Renji's pal Saejima wasn't on door duty tonight. Instead, it was a very serious fellow in extra-fancy livery who led them to a large room that Rukia had once explained was for "intimate parties."
A second servant immediately appeared and offered them drinks, which the Kuchiki boys accepted enthusiastically. Renji took one, too, since that seemed to be the thing to do, but only sipped at it. He'd been practicing with Rukia, but he found that rich people sake went down far too smoothly, and he certainly didn't need any help embarrassing himself.
Byakuya was here, and Ginrei, as well. An elderly woman, whom Renji assumed was Aunt Tsukasa, had been propped up in a comfy chair where she was very elegantly sawing logs. To be honest, Renji kinda respected that.
"Ah, our Squad Six boys are here, and right on time!" Ginrei boomed, hoisting his own cup at them enthusiastically. "The young ladies are still getting ready," he said in a slightly lowered voice.
"I am sure they will join us shortly," Byakuya put in.
"I would still be getting ready, but Vice-Captain wanted to be punctual," Choei replied.
Ginrei guffawed loudly at this. "Ah, Choei-boy, how's that warhammer of yours? Figured out how to run someone through with it yet?"
Choei opened his mouth and then closed it again. "Ah, well, sort of. You know how I had that concussive force attack that was pretty good for shattering Hollow masks? Assistant Captain's been helping me refine it into more of a concentrated splitting wave."
"Is that so?" Ginrei hummed.
"I've fought a lot of Menos, and I'm pretty sure he could reliably crack a Menos mask with it," Renji added.
"Assistant Captain won't let me hit his bankai in the face with it anymore, which tells you how good it is."
"Hmmm," Ginrei replied.
"Choei and I led a team to Hueco Mundo," Takehiko chipped in.
"Ah, during the war?" Ginrei asked, curious.
"Well… it was war-related," Takehiko hedged.
"We were guarding a Squad Twelve sample collection team," Choei clarified. "It was after the main action. Mostly, we just got sand in our socks."
"I despise Hueco Mundo," Ginrei and Byakuya said at the same time, in the exact same intonation.
Renji sensed that this was not going to be a precursor to bonding over their dislike of the Hollow realm. "I been thinking about making Hollow Combat our Summer Training Theme," he jumped in, before this took a turn.
Takehiko's eye twitched, almost imperceptibly.
"Elaborate, Lieutenant," Byakuya demanded. At first, it had knocked Renji off his guard when Byakuya responded to his ideas with such intensity, but he'd come to realize it was just his captain's way of expressing enthusiasm.
"We focus on dueling too much," Renji explained. "Don't get me wrong, I love dueling as much as anyone. You get to show off all your best moves and look cool and obviously, it's important at the highest levels of combat. But I was thinking about my time in Hueco Mundo, the parts that were just fighting through wave after wave of Menos. Squad Six is primarily domestic defense, we aren't patrol-centered like some of the other squads, and I think we're missing something for it. Endurance. Alertness. Efficiency. These are the fundamentals of Hollow hunting."
"Interesting," Byakuya said slowly.
"I'm still kicking the idea around," Renji reassured him. "I'll write it up nice, like you like, with section headings and stuff."
Takehiko and Choei were trying to look stoic in front of their captain and grandfather, but Renji could see the yearning for death flickering behind their eyes. He was sure they would love it once they got going.
"Stealing ideas from Squad Thirteen again, Lieutenant Abarai?"
Renji's spine snapped straight, his shoulders automatically squaring. Don't make a stupid grin, don't make a stupid grin, don't make a stupid grin, he told himself, and turned.
Rukia was dressed in blue- darker than Squad Six's cobalt, but brighter than his own kimono, a rich, royal blue, like the depths of the ocean. There were creamy-white cranes at the hem and shoulder, their wings stretched in a way that reminded Renji of the Kuchiki crest. Renji was no expert at the subtleties of fancy ladies' kimono, but there was something more sober, more mature in this look than the pictures he'd seen of her in the Seireitei Bulletin social column, out and about with her brother.
Belatedly, Renji realized that Shizue was standing next to her. He honestly wasn't sure how he had missed the girl- her pink flowered kimono looked like something that would make Captain Kyouraku sit up and take notice. She had two enormous peony kanzashi stuck on either side of her head. Also, she had to be a good 30cm taller than Rukia, which hadn't been quite so obvious on the tennis court.
Takehiko and Choei were already bowing, and Renji quickly followed suit. He'd been here for all of five minutes and already looked like a goon. Stupendous.
"Lady Rukia, Lady Shizue, you both look ravishing!" Takehiko announced.
"Thank you, Cousin!" Shizue beamed.
"Who is this beautiful lady, and what has she done with my little cousin Shizue?" Choei teased. He turned a mock-serious face on Rukia and dropped his voice half a register. "Lady Rukia, stunning, as always."
Say something, Renji implored his brain. Say something nice, you great clod! Oh, great. Now he'd started insulting himself with Byakuya insults. Very helpful. "Good evening, Lady Rukia! Lady Shizue! I like your peonies!" Crap.
"Thank you!" Shizue replied, fluffing one.
"You gentlemen are certainly representing the Sixth very well tonight." Rukia leaned over to Shizue and added conspiratorially, "Everyone says the Sixth has the handsomest soldiers in the Gotei."
Why was Rukia so much better at compliments than he was? She was so beautiful and elegant and perfect all the time, and every time he tried to tell her so out loud, his dumb mouth would just blow it.
"Although, to be fair," Rukia added, with a hint of mischief in her eyes, "they've got Brother pushing up their average."
Byakuya gave an almost, but not quite imperceptible eyebrow waggle. Renji could tell that Rukia caught it, too, by the way she smiled. Renji couldn't imagine anyone else getting such a reaction out of his captain.
"Well, I'll get to judge for myself," Shizue announced. "I'm going on a tour of Squad Six tomorrow!"
"Oh!" said Rukia. "Is that so?" The briefest spark of panic flashed through her eyes, but then it was gone again. Renji wondered what that was about. He also wondered when Shizue had gotten added to the tour schedule and why no one had bothered to tell him.
"Yes, Grandfather said I could come along and meet everyone!" Shizue chirped.
Byakuya frowned thoughtfully. "I have been thinking, Grandfather, that by virtue of you showing up three hours ahead of schedule and commandeering my adjutant's valuable working hours, you have already had a tour of the division, and perhaps we might pick a different activity for tomorrow. The art museum, perhaps? Catch up with one of your friends from your old shogi club?"
"No, no," Ginrei disagreed. "I only got an overview of the facilities, which, I might remind you, I know pretty well, since I was in charge of them for over two hundred years. I want to see how the troops are doing!"
"You saw some drills," Byakuya reminded him.
"Drills are drills! I want to see what kind of fighting shape my family's division is in! Little Choei's telling me about this new attack he's been working on, and I don't even get to see it? People keep saying this fellow over here's got bankai, not that you ever mentioned it in your letters-"
"I definitely mentioned it," Byakuya interrupted.
"-well, I haven't seen it! I'd be very interested in seeing what passes for bankai, these days, actually."
"It's a very good bankai, Grandfather," Rukia added sharply, and Renji felt his face getting hot.
"It will be a very good bankai," Byakuya corrected, "if Lieutenant Abarai keeps up his hard work."
"Thank you, sir," Renji managed, because he didn't know what else to say. For possibly the first time ever, he very much wanted to talk about anything else that wasn't his bankai.
Mr. Nobutsune, the old guy whom Renji had gathered was the head of the Kuchiki household staff (which probably made him more important than Renji) appeared at Byakuya's elbow. "Lord Byakuya, pardon the interruption, but you said you wished to be informed when Lady Azami arrived."
"Thank you, Seike," Byakuya replied. "Pardon me, I shall return in a moment."
"I'll come, too, Brother," Rukia scurried after him.
Ginrei took a sip of his drink. "We were talking about bankai! Choei! Takehiko! Which one of you is going to get yours first?"
"Can we go back to talking about Assistant Captain's?" asked Choei, who was clearly very experienced at diverting the subject of the bankai he didn't have. "It's got a snake head."
"Good evening, Aunt," Byakuya said smoothly as Aunt Azami bustled in. "You're looking well this evening."
"Thank you, dear!" Aunt Azami preened. "You must be so happy to have your grandfather back at home. You two were always so close!"
Byakuya imagined pushing great curls of Senbonzakura's petals back and forth. It was a meditative practice that he found very calming.
"Good evening, Aunt," Rukia added with a gentle bow. "It's so nice you were able to make it."
"Ah, my joints ache, as you know, but I wouldn't miss seeing my family for all of Soul Society. I do hope you've been making Great-Aunt Tsukasa and little Shizue feel at home, Lady Rukia."
"I assure you," Rukia smiled winsomely, "that Great-Aunt Tsukasa is feeling very at home, but I'm sure that she would be delighted to see you, if you wanted to wake her up for a chat. Lady Shizue seems to be enjoying herself so far- she's chatting with Takehiko and the other Squad Six boys at the moment."
"Wonderful" Azami exclaimed, and then looked slightly surprised. "Takehiko arrived before me?"
"Indeed, a minor miracle," Byakuya noted, inclining his head slightly towards the knot of conversation going on behind him. "Especially considering he had Choei in tow."
Byakuya watched Azami's gaze drift across the room. His nerves tingled in anticipation. He strongly suspected that Rukia was glaring at him, but he suppressed the urge to look down and confirm it. He understood her concerns for her friend, but the man had agreed to this voluntarily, and there was nothing to be done for it now. One might as well enjoy the show.
Trying to watch a Kuchiki's facial expressions was much like trying to watch a Kuchiki in shunpo- only an eye both practiced and keen would catch anything at all. Nevertheless, Byakuya was an expert. Aunt Azami's face lit with joy at the thought of her precious, empty-headed offspring momentarily basking in the spotlight of not only Grandfather's attention, but the tantalizingly eligible Shizue's as well. Realization hit almost instantaneously- Abarai was nothing if not conspicuous. Confusion, denial, disbelief. Understanding, interleaved with rage. And then, the mask replaced, imperturbable once more. "You've...invited your adjutant," Azami managed, seemingly having some trouble getting her back teeth to unclench, "to an intimate family dinner."
"Grandfather has taken quite a shine to him," Byakuya explained, sounding perplexed by the whole matter himself. "I, too, found the invitation a bit out of place, but if Grandfather wishes an extra dinner guest, who am I to argue?"
"Also, Renji is a delightful dinner companion, it's always lovely to have him, isn't it, Brother?" Rukia added, jamming salt into the wound by the fistful.
Byakuya deserved this, and he knew it. "Indeed," he agreed reluctantly. "He always offers such a unique perspective on things."
"Shall we rejoin the conversation?" Rukia suggested, leading the way. "I'm sure Aunt Azami is dying to greet everyone."
"Azami!" Ginrei thundered. "You look younger every time I see you!"
"You old flatterer!" Azami tittered.
Byakuya did not remember them doing this before and frankly, he did not care for it.
"Good evening, Mother, you look lovely," Takehiko announced.
"Good evening, Aunt, you look radiant," Choei followed a moment later.
"Good evening, Lady Azami, you are positively bewitching," Abarai tacked on, with such rich sincerity that if Byakuya hadn't seen his lieutenant perform this act before, he would have been completely taken in by it.
Takehiko made a face like he'd bitten into an apple and found half a worm; Choei stared dead-ahead, maintaining a straight face like his life depended on it.
Aunt Azami had also experienced Abarai before, though, so she was not entirely unprepared. "Listen to you gentlemen!" she teased. "Making a fuss over an old woman when you've got this pretty thing in front of you! Shizue, darling, you've gotten so grown-up!"
"Oh, Aunt, everyone is being very kind to me! We were just discussing how I'm going to visit Squad Six tomorrow!" Shizue replied. "Everyone's going to show off for Grandfather!"
"Is that so?" Byakuya intoned, raising an eyebrow.
"You were right, Grandson!" Ginrei declared, rare words of which Byakuya was immediately suspicious. "I've seen the mess hall enough times. I think we'll send Shizue over tomorrow morning, if you can designate an appropriate escort. Takehiko and Choei here have both generously volunteered."
Byakuya thought fast. He should have figured this out earlier, but he'd been dragged around town all afternoon and forced to participate in sports. He had to be careful who he put in charge of Shizue's tour- the true purpose of this pageant was to give Shizue an opportunity to observe potential suitors. He would be accused of favoritism if he assigned the task to any of the major candidates, even Choei, who would rather eat a slug than get married, let alone to a woman. Byakuya needed an absolutely neutral party, someone like... Yuki. He was not a Kuchiki, excellent at giving tours, and currently involved with Rukia's little healer friend from the Fourth. No, no, despite some recent improvements, Yuki was still basically spineless. He would just be steamrolled by those tactless boors trying to get a foot in the door. In fact, the worst offenders would likely be the upper seats. There was only one viable option, which Byakuya had known from the start.
"Lady Shizue is a distinguished guest," Byakuya decided, affecting an air of boredom. "Anyone less than the Assistant Captain would be inappropriate. You can clear some time, no, Abarai?"
"Er, sure!" Abarai agreed, looking a bit befuddled.
"Byakuya," Azami said, her voice edging on scandalized. "What about a chaperone?"
Byakuya sputtered. He had forgotten. It had been so long since he was around young ladies. Rukia wasn't a young lady, she was a shinigami, and therefore, not subject to most of the strictures about being alone with men. What a tremendous bother. "I assumed her governess would accompany her," he sniffed, trying to save himself. "Not that it matters, Abarai is eminently trustworthy, on the battlefield and around impressionable young ladies alike."
Now Rukia and Renji were staring at him with horrified looks on their faces. What had he said?
"My governess stayed home with the children," Shizue announced proudly, referring to her siblings, the elder of whom was two entire years younger than herself.
"Well, that was foolish," Byakuya blurted out.
Ginrei clucked at him. "It's her first trip to the city, Grandson. She doesn't want a nanny trailing after her."
Time seemed to slow down. Byakuya could see this playing out before him. Azami, who was a great fan of favoritism, was going to volunteer herself. Byakuya did not relish arranging matches generally, but the process would become exponentially more painful if Azami was involved. She opened her mouth. Byakuya's brain grasped for alternatives, but came up with nothing.
"How about I go along, Brother?" Rukia offered brightly.
Byakuya's heart lifted. That would be perfect, actually. If anyone was an expert on the pathetic mating dances of Kuchiki branch families, it was Rukia. Even he lacked her deep insight on it, as the men tended to put on their most ingratiating face around him. Rukia could observe carefully and help him make a good choice. She was not always thrilled with the more refined and formal Kuchiki activities, but she was usually quite enthusiastic about strategies and her keen insights into… Byakuya inwardly cringed. He was supposed to be making a nice week for her, and here he'd gone, counting on her to help him again.
"It would be much appreciated, Rukia, assuming you don't have any prior engagements..." Despite the fact that he had no alternatives, he willed her to understand that she had no obligation, that he would let her out of this if she wished. Curses! He knew she was skilled at picking up on body language; she and Abarai were constantly communicating with each other through an incomprehensible dialect of raised eyebrows, meaningful sighs, and nose scratches. Unfortunately, Byakuya had yet to become fluent in Inuzuri Weird Face Language.
"Oh, I don't mind," Rukia replied cheerfully. "It will be a good chance to get to know Cousin Shizue better."
"Lady Rukia really ought to have a chaperone herself," Azami commented, although it was clear she knew this line of argument was futile.
"Rukia is a Vice-Captain of the Gotei, it would be impractical even if it were not absurd," Byakuya remarked.
Ginrei looked like he was gearing up to offer some dreadful opinion on this matter, but he was cut off by Shizue's excess of enthusiasm.
"Assistant Captain Abarai says the officers are going to do fight demonstrations in the afternoon," she informed Rukia excitedly. "I'm glad you're coming, you can explain what's happening!"
"Well, Renji can do that, too," Rukia replied gently.
"Oh, I meant when he fights Cousin Byakuya!"
"Pardon?" Byakuya tipped his head to one side.
"Ahhhh," Abarai wheezed. "Your grandfather was sayin' how he wanted to see what our fighting strength looked like these days. I got the idea that maybe we could do a series of bouts, y'know, hakuda, sealed-blade zanjutsu, maybe a Kuchiki-form on Kuchiki-form match…"
"The boys love the idea," Ginrei added, Takehiko and Choei nodding eagerly in confirmation, "and so do I! But the true strength of the squad, Grandson, is in its captain. It's been too long since I've seen you in action."
"Fortunately, Grandfather, my strength is well-known throughout the Gotei. Your approval of it is unnecessary. I have no interest in causing a spectacle with my lieutenant for the sake of assuaging your faithlessness."
"To be fair, sir," Choei pointed out, "everyone really likes it when you and the Assistant Captain cause a spectacle."
"It wouldn't have to be a spectacle," Ginrei grumbled. "Although I'm surprised at you ever turning down an opportunity to show off with that flashy shikai of yours. I was mostly just wondering if you'd been keeping up with your sword form. If anyone was keeping you on your toes without me around."
Byakuya had put up with this nonsense ever since Ginrei retired. What Ginrei really wanted was to fight Byakuya with practice swords, because his own spiritual energy was no longer strong enough to match Byakuya's own. He would keep needling Byakuya until he gave in, which Byakuya planned to do sometime around Friday morning. They would have their fight, Ginrei would criticize him, and it would be another successful family visit.
Byakuya had every intention of letting the taunt lie. He could hear faint noises from the front of the house, and suspected that more guests had arrived.
Except that he couldn't, because a little crease had formed between Rukia's eyebrows. The rest of her face was calm and composed, Rukia was a Kuchiki, after all. That little crease was there, though, the same crease that formed whenever some injustice occurred that Rukia found unacceptable. Abarai was not a Kuchiki, and he was trying to look composed, but the bones of his jaw stuck out sharply. This tended to happen when Abarai ground his back teeth, a thing he did whenever Byakuya ordered him to do things he disagreed with.
Byakuya decided suddenly that if Ginrei wanted to spar, he could ask for it like an adult. If he wanted to play games, they could play games.
"We've never actually fought a full match with sealed steel, have we, Lieutenant?" Byakuya asked, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.
"Ah, no, I don't think so," Abarai agreed, his expression turning from irritation to curiosity.
"Is he actually any good?" Ginrei jerked his chin at Abarai, suddenly aware that his goading was about to backfire on him.
"Abarai was the top zanjutsu student in his graduating class at the Academy," Byakuya pointed out. "As was I, if you will recall." Abarai's eyes widened slightly. Byakuya was mildly surprised, he would have expected Abarai to know something like that. "I assure you, his sword style is nothing you would recognize, but it is devilishly hard to defend against. For most people. I find it sufficient to keep me 'on my toes,' as you say." Seike was hovering in the doorway again. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I have more guests to greet."
Grandfather and Aunt Etsu had been talking about birds for the last twenty minutes.
Rukia didn't recall Aunt Etsu being an avid birdwatcher, and at first she had suspected this was just pandering to Ginrei's interests. Based on her own experience as a grifter, though, Rukia had decided that Aunt Etsu knew far too much about Northern swamp warblers. Either the birdwatching was legit, or she had put enough effort into this that Rukia had to give her some props.
Brother seemed quieter than usual, but Rukia wasn't sure that was necessarily a bad thing. As the family head and host, it was his duty to carry on an appropriate and (questionably) interesting line of conversation, a task he usually carried out with his usual resolve. Byakuya didn't actually like making small talk, though, something Rukia had learned over the past few months. He was as difficult to read as always, but Rukia sensed he was genuinely content to enjoy his meal and let Ginrei dominate the conversation. He did throw in the occasional interested hum, and he'd shared his favorite anecdote about pine grosbeaks, so it's not like he'd totally checked out.
Rukia wondered how everyone else was doing. Ginrei's special diet wasn't nearly as weird as Rukia had feared, just vegetable-heavy and somewhat bland. The vinegared grapefruit was a bit of a choice, but Rukia actually rather liked it.
To Ginrei's side, Aunt Tsukasa was digging into her meal like a bear preparing for hibernation. Further down, Takehiko was trying to flirt with Shizue, but he kept getting interrupted by his mother trying to talk up his finer qualities. Shizue looked happy just to be getting attention.
Trying to be subtle, Rukia glanced down the other way. Byakuya had made a bunch of noise the other day about Renji's social station, but in fact it was, much like her own, ambiguous, and determined mostly by what Byakuya thought it should be, given that there was no actual precedent for Rukongai brats taken in by adoption or by military appointment.
Renji had been parked down with Choei's eldest siblings, which seemed about right, by Rukia's estimation. That's about where she would normally be, before Byakuya had gotten it in his head that making vice-captain somehow elevated Rukia to the equivalent position of natural, rather than adopted sibling (or maybe he just wanted to sit next to her, who could say?). She'd been a little worried that he'd get chucked down to the end of the table with Choei and the children.
Renji appeared to be telling a story- Rukia had a suspicion that if she watched him long enough, she could figure out which one from the hand gestures.
She supposed she ought to be pissed at him. It had taken her decades to figure out how to be more than an awkward embarrassment at these things and still, her best conversational tactic was talking nerd crap with the middle Kuchiki brother, who was in the Kidou Corps. Instead, watching Renji charm half the table, she couldn't help feeling the same weird pangs she'd felt when they visited the tattoo shop. Maybe… maybe she just didn't want to share him. He was her friend, what had these Kuchiki ever done to deserve him? Stop it, she scolded herself. Look at him, handsome and magnetic and mostly well-mannered. Just because he makes it look easy doesn't mean he hasn't worked hard at it. Just be proud of him. That last thought eased her heart a little. Just be proud of him. She could do that.
"Lady Rukia?" a voice from across the table rumbled, and Rukia looked up, surprised.
Uncle Daikoku was talking to her. They called him Uncle, but he was actually Byakuya's father's cousin, the second son of Ginrei's younger brother. He had a bulkier build and squarer face than most Kuchiki, and a prominent scar across one eyebrow. He'd retired as the Third Seat of Squad Six sometime during the period when Byakuya was Assistant Captain, if Rukia recalled correctly. Choei looked a lot like him.
"How are you liking your new position?" he asked.
Rukia almost never got asked about her job and she found it surprisingly easy to answer. "Very much, so far," she replied. "My captain and Third Seats have been very welcoming."
"Darling, that's not an appropriate topic to engage with a young lady," Aunt Etsu scolded him under her breath before returning to her description of a red-crowned crane she had seen at the Blue Stream Conservation Area.
Uncle Daikoku regarded his wife for a moment out of the corner of his eye, his mustache twitching. "Have you met many of the other Assistant Captains? I hear there are a lot of young folks these days."
"Yes, actually," Rukia replied. "It's a very friendly group." She briefly remembered Nemu punching Shuuhei in the head the other night, while Momo attempted to wrestle Akon off of Izuru. "Assistant Captain Abarai has been helping me get to know everyone."
"That's excellent," Uncle Daikoku declared. "Your- ah, Soujun had a great relationship with his fellow lieutenants, we used to see them around a lot. Those were nice times. One of your Third Seats is Kotsubaki's son?"
"Yes, Sentarou," Rukia agreed.
"Champion fellow, Lieutenant Kotsubaki. Never met the man who could outdrink him."
Rukia gave a surprised chuckle. She could definitely outdrink Sentarou, not for lack of practice on his part.
"Excellent friend, too," Uncle Daikoku added, before clearing his throat. "Glad your brother's got young Abarai coming around now. Haven't met him, but he seems solid. He's certainly given our Choei a kick in the rear."
"What are you talking about, dear?" Aunt Etsu had entered the conversation yet again.
"Abarai. Byakuya's adjutant."
"Oh, him. I don't know that name, is he from someone's branch family?"
"He's Rukon-stock," Byakuya put in coolly. "Just like Kotsubaki." Rukia hadn't realized he was even paying attention.
"Oh," Aunt Etsu frowned. "It seems like there are so many of them in the Gotei these days."
"Probably because not enough nobles are sending their own sons," Uncle Daikoku opined.
"We sent two, and Masaharu ruined his leg over it," Aunt Etsu sniffed. Aunt Etsu was actually Uncle Daikoku's second wife, and Rukia was pretty sure the eldest Kuchiki boy was already long discharged from the Gotei by the time she married into the family. On the other hand, Choei and his siblings never treated her as anything less than their mother, so Rukia tried to give the woman a benefit of a doubt whenever she got too dramatic over her fully grown children.
"The Kuchiki and our branch families are still much better represented in the Gotei than any of the other families," Takehiko added. "Not counting the Onmitsukidou." Aunt Azami looked peeved that his attention had veered, but Shizue peered over, interested in the conversation.
"True," Byakuya agreed. "But after the losses of the last few generations, a new vice-captain in the family is certainly grounds for a celebration."
Rukia tried to maintain her serene, Kuchiki-like facial expression, even though it took all that she had not to just stare down at her food. She could feel the words "even though she's not really a Kuchiki" hanging in the air, heavy and choking.
"Well said, Grandson!" Ginrei cried, suddenly, cutting through the tension. "Let's hope this is a sign of many more to follow! Maybe even another captain in the future, eh?"
"Indeed," said Byakuya.
After dinner, the party adjourned to the garden. Renji had just been by the week prior, but the sakura seemed to have exploded over the last few days. There were cherry trees on the Division grounds, too, but they weren't nearly as venerable as these. Presumably, the Kuchiki estate was subject to somewhat less property damage than Squad Six.
Renji found Choei out by the koi pond, still hanging out with his nephews, the older of which seemed to be daring the younger to try to catch one.
"Wouldn't do that, if I were you," Renji pointed out. "Captain's pretty attached to those fish."
The two boys straightened up guiltily. "We were just looking, Assistant Captain Abarai!"
"We weren't doing anything, Assistant Captain Abarai!"
Renji looked at Choei out of the corner of his eye.
Choei shrugged. "I had more faith in the fish than in their ability to catch one."
"Not that! What is this? You been talking me up?"
"Me? Never."
"Can we see your shikai?" the smaller boy asked.
"I don't have my zanpakutou on me right now. Also, you're not supposed to go to shikai at other people's dinner parties, it's not polite."
"We're going to join Squad Six when we're older!" the older nephew announced. "Father says I can take the Academy entrance exams in two years!"
"Oh, yeah?" Renji raised an eyebrow. It didn't seem possible. The kid seemed tiny. "What're your names again?"
"Kuchiki Akihide!"
"Kuchiki Rinshirou!"
"I see." Renji put his hands on his hips sternly. "And why should I let you into the Sixth? What are you good at, besides botherin' fish?"
The older boy, Akihide, colored slightly. "I practice my swordwork everyday!"
"He's good at mathematics, too!" Rinshirou added. "I'm not very good at mathematics, but I am very, very strong! Would you like to see me pick up that rock?"
"Shush, Rinshirou," Akihide hissed. "Shinigami don't have to do math."
Renji shrugged. "If you wanna be a vice-captain someday, you gotta be pretty good at adding up big columns of numbers, I'm sorry to say. And I'll take your word on that rock, I don't think your mom would be too happy with me if you got mud all over your nice outfit."
"Really? You have to do math?" Rinshirou looked mildly disgusted. "Is that why you're not a vice-captain, Uncle Choei?"
"Yes," Choei replied. "That is it exactly."
"Speaking of vice-captains," Renji tipped his head toward Choei, "do you know what happened to Rukia? She disappeared after dinner. Did she have to run off and do hostess stuff? I don't know how these dinner party things work."
"I heard there was going to be music," Choei replied.
"Ugh!" the smaller Kuchiki cousin editorialized.
"There's going to be what, now?" Renji replied.
"Lady Shizue's going to sing, was my impression, but maybe Rukia's going to play her shamisen, too. She does that at these things sometimes."
"Oh," Renji said. "Wh-why?"
Choei stared at him for a moment. "Why do they do it? Or why are we listening to it?"
"Both."
"It's… nice, I guess? Respectable nobles don't go out boozing, you see, they stay at home and drink their own booze. It's one of the roles of a noble daughter to cultivate some talents to entertain her family and well...you know. Attract a husband. I guess."
"Oh," Renji replied.
"It's pretty sexist, in my opinion. I am a great singer, but do I get to show off my lungs for Granddad? Nooooo."
"Do you know any songs that don't include the line 'party all night long'?" Renji, who had been to karaoke with Choei, asked.
"I know some breakup ballads," Choei huffed.
Renji's ears picked up a few twangy notes and he glanced back at the house. Sure enough, Rukia and Shizue had returned. They stood on the engawa, conferring, while Rukia adjusted the tuning on her shamisen.
It occurred to Renji, suddenly, what had struck him about Rukia's outfit. Noble women tended to dress differently depending on if they were married or not, a fact which was more obvious with all of Choei's sisters-in-law milling about. Rukia wasn't wearing black, and her hair was too short to be put up in any of the traditional hairstyles, but she had also eschewed Shizue's fluttery sleeves and bright colors. Her outfit was still perfectly proper for a single woman, but it was distinctly wife-adjacent. It was probably to emphasize Rukia's role as co-host, that Byakuya regarded her, if not as an equal, as a trusted assistant.
There was probably something wrong with Renji, because, for some reason, the idea of Rukia as a noble wife made his head swim. He knew, in his head and in his heart, that the best, truest version of Rukia was one that these overstuffed nobles would never see, a Rukia with sake on her breath and blood on her knuckles. All the same, there was an awful lot to be said for Noble Wife Rukia. Even he was not immune to a little implausible fantasizing, especially not when she was dressed up right in front of him. He had always liked Rukia in a furisode, pretty and flirty, but he was briefly consumed by the idea of her as a partner and companion. Running a noble household with a tiny iron fist. Going to other peoples' dinner parties on his arm. Playing the shamisen in the evenings just for him. Renji swallowed. There had been a number of years where he would wake in a cold sweat over the fear of seeing an engagement announcement in the Bulletin, and at the moment, it defied belief that it hadn't actually happened. Renji was sure Rukia would punch him in the face for having these sorts of thoughts about her, but he couldn't imagine being some rich, fancy bastard and not offering Byakuya his entire fortune and then some for Rukia's hand.
"Does, uh… does Rukia ever sing?" Renji asked Choei gingerly.
"Hmm? I've never heard her," Choei replied thoughtfully. "Does she sing? I would have guessed not, but before I got to know her through you, I thought she was shy, so what do I know?"
Rukia certainly did sing, or at least Inuzuri Rukia sang. Renji felt his heart go a bit soft, thinking about her low, lovely voice blending in with the rush of the water as they did laundry down at the river. Rukia and Kosaburou singing dramatic duets to pass the time on long foot journeys. The five of them belting out bawdy folk songs together around a campfire. Inuzuri Rukia would never sing on command, but she would sing for herself whenever she felt like it, which was easily and often.
"Attention, everyone!" Ginrei announced, holding up his hands. "My beautiful granddaughters are going to grace us with some music!" Conversation died down and everyone began to gather closer to the house.
"You should probably go back to your moms," Renji raised one eyebrow at Choei's nephews.
"Oh, no, please, Assistant Captain Abarai," Rinshirou begged.
"Don't act like a baby," Akihide scolded his cousin, but he didn't look happy about it, either.
"They can run around, it's fine," Choei said. He regarded the boys with a sterner look than he usually unleashed on his subordinates. "As long as you're quiet and don't harass the fish."
"Yes, Uncle Choei!"
"Thank you, Uncle Choei!"
Renji and Choei pulled up near the back of the gathered crowd. "You want to get closer?" Choei offered.
Renji shook his head. He did, but they weren't performing for him. "Nah, we tall guys should stick to the rear." He glanced around. Takehiko had elbowed his way to the front, as expected. Coach Jukou had reappeared and was standing near Ginrei, much to Byakuya's consternation. Next to them stood a middle-aged woman in pointy glasses, probably Ginrei's infamous assistant. Renji supposed that getting to enjoy stuff like this must be one of the perks of working for rich people. That was basically why he was here himself.
Shizue and Rukia tipped their heads together briefly, and then Shizue cleared her throat. Everyone fell silent. Rukia strummed her shamisen, and Shizue sang out an answer. It was not like any singing Renji was used to, that was for sure. It was all sustained notes and some sort of complex interplay between the singer and the shamisen. Renji didn't know very much about music, but he could tell two things: that Shizue was showing off with her entire being, and that Rukia wasn't even breaking a sweat. The song was short, maybe a little past a minute, and then it was over before Renji really had a chance to appreciate what he was listening to.
"Was that good?" Renji hissed to Choei out of the corner of his mouth.
"It was fine," Choei shrugged, "if you're into that 'sensuality of a leaf catching in your lover's hair' sort of thing. Shizue could really nail a song about getting drunk and throwing eggs at your ex, if you ask me."
Ginrei was making a request. Rukia adjusted her tuning, and they sang another, which seemed to Renji to be a lot like the first. He decided he was more interested in watching Rukia play than really listening to the words of the songs.
Renji had seen Rukia play shamisen before, finger picking at top speed while Shuuhei wailed out an overly dramatic tune of his own composition. This was very different. This was precision work. The more closely he paid attention, the more he realized that Shizue was really all over the place with tempo and Rukia was tracking her very closely and holding the song together. It was a feat of concentration and control, things that Inuzuri Rukia had never heard of, but Kuchiki Rukia had in spades. Shizue kept looking out at the audience, making sure everyone's attention was on her. Rukia's eyes were half-lidded; she could have been asleep by her facial expression. Renji was just contemplating how hot that was, right before he realized it was the same face Byakuya made at him whenever he was kicking his butt at swordplay.
After a half dozen songs, Shizue had to take a break to fan herself and drink some water, while Ginrei recapped her performance.
"I'm lucky, aren't I, Grandson, to have such a talented girl living with me? A bit wasted out in the countryside, a voice like that, but it does bring the visitors around."
"Very lovely," Byakuya agreed, although he might as well have been commenting on the weather.
"Absolutely stunning," Aunt Azami added her two cents. "Such a virtuoso!"
"Beautiful," Aunt Etsu added. "We haven't had such delightful singing since our Naoko married into the Gotou!"
"Very skillful on the shamisen, as well, Granddaughter," Ginrei went on, and Byakuya startled at the compliment. "The accompanist is a less glamorous position, but it really gives Shizue's performance an extra sparkle. Thank you."
Byakuya was making roughly the same face he had made the first time he saw Renji's bankai.
"Thank you, Grandfather," Rukia bowed graciously.
"You don't sing yourself?"
"Grandfather," Byakuya interrupted, "Rukia has had a long day and I am sure she is very tired."
"She can answer for herself, I think," Ginrei replied.
"A little," Rukia replied modestly. "My ko-uta wouldn't compare to Shizue's."
"The deep Rukon has a very interesting musical style, you know, Grandfather," Byakuya broke in, "of which I have been making a study. In addition to their own traditions, they are constantly incorporating musical motifs from the World of the Living, resulting in a very novel fusion of styles. I'm writing a paper that I expect to be in publishable condition in a few months."
Renji managed to hold his snort in his nose. Byakuya's "study" mostly consisted of Renji trying to delicately explain various songs he knew while Byakuya made appalled faces. He wrote down notes occasionally, Renji had no idea what. Matsumoto, who had an excellent voice, had come by the offices once and sang an absolutely horrifying assortment of fully uncensored, raunchy pub songs with a completely straight face while Renji and Byakuya turned colors.
"Perhaps Rukia could grace us with an example," Ginrei pressed.
"Rukia doesn't need to-"
"I don't mind," Rukia said softly, adjusting the tuning on her shamisen again.
Byakuya's mouth snapped shut.
"I'm pretty sure this song is from the Living World," Rukia said simply, putting down her bachi, and taking a few experimental plucks at her shamisen with her fingers, before launching into a very different kind of song.
The tune was simple enough, one that could be whistled or hummed, although Rukia's skillful picking added a layer of complexity. It was a song about magpies and the end of summer, about sorrow and joy and appreciating what you had. Renji's throat closed. He had heard this song before. It was what Rukia sang while trying to coax Mameji to sleep through one of his bad turns. He remembered lying on the other side of the squat with Fujimaru, pretending to be asleep, catching snatches of the melody around Mameji's damp coughs.
She had sung the magpie song for Renji exactly once; he had been insensible with pain at the time. For years, he had wished he knew the words to this song, or at least enough of the melody to hum it. If there had ever been a moment in his life that he could convince himself that Rukia had loved him, it would be that one- her cool hand stroking his sweat-soaked hair, her beautiful voice fond and gentle.
"All his songs are stolen anyhow," Rukia sang, now. Just for a moment, she looked up, looked directly at Renji with the faintest of smiles on her lips, and then back down at her instrument again. "He sings them for you special, he knows you're afraid of the dark."
There was probably more of the song. Renji wouldn't have known. The next thing he knew, there was a loud sound ringing in his ears, which turned out to be silence.
"That was beautiful," Byakuya finally said. "Thank you, Rukia. Your voice, as always, is incomparable."
Renji had heard Byakuya say this sort of thing about Rukia before, many times, actually, in the same matter-of-fact tone. It wasn't even a compliment, really, just a statement of fact, part of the World According to Captain Kuchiki. It took a moment, and bewildered stares of the rest of the Kuchiki, for Renji to realize maybe this wasn't normal Byakuya behavior.
"Thank you, Brother," Rukia replied, with a gracious bow. Renji had to admire her composure. He, personally, would probably fall over dead if Byakuya said something like that to him.
"Oh, that was such a pretty song, Cousin Rukia!" Shizue exclaimed. "I hope you'll teach it to me!"
"Hrmm, yes, very interesting musical style," Ginrei agreed. "I'd be very interested in reading that paper of yours, Grandson, when you finish it."
"Not exactly seasonal," Aunt Azami declared. "Shizue, dear, do you know Evening Cherry Blossom Viewing? That would be so appropriate for a lovely spring night, don't you think?"
"Hmm?" Shizue shot a quick glance to Rukia, who nodded. "Oh, yes, we can do that one next!"
Choei tipped his head toward Renji's. "I was not expecting that," he commented under his breath as Rukia adjusted her tuning again. "Did you know she had pipes like that?"
"Kinda," Renji admitted.
"Well, next time we go to karaoke, get her to come with us, okay?"
"Yeah," Renji agreed vaguely. "Sure thing."
Renji looked up at the darkening sky and he started to make his way back up the long front drive. Byakuya had wanted to talk to him before he left (he thought it would be about Shizue's tour of the barracks, but it was actually about the quarterly budget reconciliation, which wasn't due for a week, but apparently Byakuya was having anxiety pangs over it). Choei and Takehiko had already left, and Renji was actually sort of looking forward to a quiet walk home with just the stars and his own thoughts for company.
"Hey! Hey, Renji! Wait up!"
Rukia was waving from the doorway, jumping up and down on one foot as she tried to tug on her shoe.
Renji watched her, amused. "Something I can do for you, Lady Rukia?"
Rukia flapped a hand at him. "Oh, I've had quite enough of that, Lieutenant Stupidbrows. Can I, uh, walk you down to the gate?"
Renji blinked, then grinned. "Is that a thing the lady of the house usually does?"
"Well, you're my guest, and I am an assistant captain of the Gotei, you know," Rukia replied loftily. "It's the least I can do."
Renji felt very tired and to be honest, he was feeling a little out of sorts. It was stupid, of course, but seeing Rukia at home, among her family… he tried to push the feeling to the back of his heart. He was lucky to be here, he reminded himself. The awkwardness was just the price of admission.
"I wanted to talk about tomorrow," Rukia said, trotting up to him, having finally wrestled her shoes on.
"Shizue's tour, you mean? What time you think you might come by?"
"Late morning, ten maybe? Ms. Fukuda warned me that she's a late riser. Is that okay?"
"Sure," Renji agreed. He wasn't exactly delighted with being reduced to tour guide duty, but it seemed important to Byakuya, and also, he didn't want to seem like a complainer in front of Rukia. He was also beginning to get a sense of some of the dynamics here- Byakuya had selected him for this task, not as a slight to his vice-captain, but as a sign of respect to Shizue.
"Look…" Rukia made a face. "You know what this tour business is really about, right?"
Renji rubbed the back of his neck. Shizue was just about the right age to be entering Shin'ou, and of course, if she were to join the Gotei, she'd surely be headed for Squad Six. "I can guess," he replied.
Rukia studied his face for a moment. "It's not… too weird for you?"
Renji shrugged. "I don't agree with everything your brother does, but I know how to pick my battles. If it's something she's interested in, I don't mind helping her make an informed decision."
Rukia was examining his face curiously.
Renji wondered if he'd said something wrong. "Do… do you…disagree?" he asked.
"Ah, uh, no! It's not… uh… I mean, I'm glad Byakuya never pushed me in that direction, but like you said, she seems on board."
Renji frowned. He knew Rukia liked her squad very well, but he could have sworn she'd told him once that her feelings had been a little hurt when Byakuya didn't take her into his own company, all those years ago.
"Eh, nobles, super weird, right?" Rukia tried to laugh it off. "Sorry you had to sit through the singing, too."
"Oh," Renji hemmed. "It was, um. Well, I'm not really used to… er…"
Rukia laughed. "It's an acquired taste, for sure, and you're not obligated to acquire it. I just wanted to thank you for putting up with all this. It doesn't seem like it, but Grandfather does hold back when other people are around. Brother really, really appreciates all this. I just wanted you to know."
Renji's head hurt. He didn't want Rukia to apologize for making him put up with her or her family. He didn't want Byakuya to be grateful to him. "I liked- that song you sang," he blurted out. "I think you might've sang it to me once, back when we were kids. Do you remember? After I broke my arm?" That wasn't what he had meant to say at all, and he froze in his stride, his muscles locked in horror.
Rukia didn't seem to notice his embarrassment. She had also stopped short, eyes wide with surprise. "It wasn't after you broke your arm. It was after you had it rebroken and set by that awful medicine seller we used to go to up in 77. How the Hell did you remember that? You were delirious."
Renji sucked his teeth and looked up at the night sky. "A guy's brain remembers weird stuff, sometimes. Better that than the pain. It's… it's a pretty song. I wish you'd sung it more often. Back then. For us."
Rukia laughed, and Renji's gut twisted. He knew he shouldn't have said anything.
"You know the funny thing about that song?" Rukia grinned.
"What?" he replied, not trying very hard to keep the grumpiness out of his voice.
"I only knew about a quarter of the words. I used to just hum the parts I didn't know."
Renji stared at her blankly. "Then… how did you…?"
"Brother and I figure that Hisana must've sang it to me when I was small, or maybe it was something someone sang to both of us. You wouldn't think I would have been old enough to remember it, but no one really knows why we manage to save a few memories when we cross over, y'know? Hisana had respiratory problems, so she didn't sing publically, but she used to sing it for him, and he knew the rest of the words."
Renji's mouth gaped open a little.
"I never knew how I knew it, just that it's something that would pop into my head when I was sad or scared. Apparently, someone got Brother interested in Rukongai songs, and he asked if I knew that one. It must have been one she knew from when we were alive, I've never heard it anywhere else. Have you?"
Renji shook his head mutely.
"Do you know what it's like to have a song stuck in your head for fifty years and not know most of the words? And he knew them all along and never even thought to mention it!" She jostled him with her elbow good-naturedly. "So thanks for that." Rukia was thoughtful for a moment, then wrinkled her nose. "I'm not sure if I should have done that, actually. I can sing all that classical nonsense that Shizue does. I'm quite a bit better than her, actually, but I didn't want to show her up. Grandfather used to give Brother a bunch of crap about marrying a woman who didn't have any musical talent. That's what… all that… was about."
"Oh," Renji replied, feeling very small and stupid about his own jealousies.
"That's why they need other people around, see? Because when it's just the two of them, all they can do is dig up old arguments and bad feelings and rehash them." Rukia made a glum face. "I don't make a very good buffer, I'm afraid, because I remind them both of Hisana. I hope I didn't make things worse."
"I think you're doing great!" Renji broke in. "If you hadn't told me, I woulda thought your Grandfather liked you just fine! I think you did the right thing."
"Maybe…" Rukia drew out slowly. "Who's to say, really? The two of them are inscrutable. But thanks, that makes me feel a little better. It's really nice to be in this together with someone else with sense. I, uh… I liked having you here, by the way."
"Huh?" Renji sputtered.
"You'd think after forty years, I wouldn't still feel like an outsider," Rukia mumbled. "They're all ridiculous, right? They're absurd. Please tell me it's not just me."
Renji blinked. "Yeah," he managed with a relieved laugh. "I mean, people are ridiculous. Nobles're just ridiculous because they wear fancy clothes and use big words and pretend like they're less ridiculous than the rest of us."
"Exactly," Rukia sighed happily, and Renji wondered how poorly he'd read the entire evening.
They had reached the gate that demarcated the end of Kuchiki property, but Renji felt a little hesitant to step past that boundary. There was always so much to say and no way to say it.
"Hey, Renji?" Rukia said slowly.
"Yeah?"
"Speaking of Rukongai songs, do you still remember the words to 'Everything That Fits in my Hand'?"
"Everything That Fits in my Hand" was an extremely rude call-and-response song that was best performed in a crowded pub, but had its own charm when sung between two sufficiently determined people.
"Of course I do," Renji scoffed.
"Maybe we should do that one next time," Rukia suggested, looking up at him with mischief in her eye.
Renji snorted through his nose. "Do you think we would even make it to the bit about the ripe peaches, or do you think your brother would kick me out on the merits of my terrible voice alone?"
"It's cultural," Rukia insisted. "You've got to have at least one person with a terrible voice, or the song doesn't work at all."
"Ah, I see," Renji agreed with a smirk. "Noble people songs need an accompanist on shamisen and dirtbag songs need an accompanist who can't carry a tune."
"Or maybe I just miss singing with you," Rukia tipped her head to the side. "Singing for fun, just for yourself, with no one clapping at the end."
Renji swallowed, his throat suddenly dry. "Maybe next time we go up to the hill to get ripped," he suggested. "The drunkenness is cultural, too."
"For sure," Rukia agreed softly.
He should go. He was tired. He was out of excuses. He couldn't very well just stand here under the stars and stare into Rukia's eyes forever. Well. He could. "I gotta go," he managed.
"I know," Rukia replied. "I'll see you tomorrow."
"Yupppp," he drew out. "Lookin' forward to it."
End note:
Obviously, music doesn't translate neatly across cultures, plus I don't think they know who Jacque Cousteau is in Soul Society, but Rukia's magpie song is, ~in spirit~, Neko Case's Magpie to the Morning, the version from The Worse Things Get, The Harder I Fight, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You, and I have shamelessly borrowed some of the lyrics as well.
