Chapter 3.
Byakuya decided it would be best if Rukia didn't know. She would have a problem handling it as reality.
"Nii-sama, where are you going?"
"I have to...attend to an important matter. Orders from Soul Society."
"But, your orders were to help us, right?"
"Right...but anyways Rukia, what do men wear around here when they go to a theater?"
Rukia's face lit up and dragged Byakuya to the store.
"Nii-sama, I found Ichigo's wallet on the floor so I'll put it to good use. Ok! There's a simple white suit there and here's the pink button-down that I like. I heard that people in these times think that pink and white equal coolness! Oh, and people love cute, especially the girls..."
"Girls?"
"Yea yea nii-sama! Here! And a bandana! Renji loves them so maybe they're in style."
They purchased the clothing and walked outside. Rukia pulled out a needle and thread with super kawaii power background! ...
"I stole them from Ishida when we were in the hospital with him. It's strange how he still carries this around even when he's at the brink of uber destruction."
She pierced the pink shirt and worked around with the string. Quickly, the appearance of Chappy appeared on the shirt and the words: Chappy Forever 2006!
The shirt plopped down on his arms and he stared at it. Was this what gentlemen wore. I didn't try to object because surely she had more knowledge of this world. She was stuck here for some months with that Ichigo, who he guessed was a man in some levels. He inched away and ran off into the blue, leaving Rukia on the street.
"Nii-sama! Put on your bandana!"
"Here." Byakuya held out the milk chocolate and flowers and we gathered them up with her arms.
"Oh, thank you. I love these flowers by the way, oh and thank you for coming Byakuya-san. It's almost time for the play so just sit down right there in the front row. I have to put on my make-up. Um, I like your suit...And bandana is it?"
"Yea well..."
She jumped on the stage and went behind the curtains. Byakuya looked down on himself and sighed. Maybe he should've taken tips from someone else. He buttoned his suit so that it covered his Chappy dedication button-down and he tucked the bandana into his pocket. That should make up for most of the dork-ness. He looked around. Was white too much?
"Ladies and Gentlemen, starting time is estimated in about three minutes. We will now dim the lights," a speaker said.
The lights dimmed down and Byakuya muttered curses. His white suit was definitely glowing in the dark. He heard the giggle of the kids in back of him so he turned around and gave them a menacing look like if he was saying: If anything comes out of your mouth again, I'll feed your tongue to Aizen. The kids shut up from his glare and sat quietly, pale in the face.
"The year is 1886, in Osaka, Japan. A young geisha by the name of Tanaka Maemi observes the trees on a fresh spring morning. We will visit her life and the tragedy of romance."
Hisana stepped forward or shall we say Hirame or shall we say now Maemi. She was dressed in a long pink kimono with elaborate floral designs. Her face was painted white and ruby red lipstick was applied to her lips. Her hair was tied back and little ornaments decorated her hair.
"I feel like this happy day will bring my end. The sorrow of it." She waved her hands in the air and broke off a flower from the fake tree.
"Do not weep, dearest." A man came out from the side curtains and opened his arms. "All is well. We have buried your mother and she is now resting peacefully in the earth. Do not weep, my dear Maemi-chan." Maemi-Hisana-Hirame fell into the man's arms, giving off a pathetic fake sigh.
Byakuya jumped up from his seat and felt for his blade. Oh right, he's in his gigai. Hirame looked below and her face turned so red that the color pierced through her white makeup.
"Bya...Byakuya...baka! Sit down!"
Byakuya fell back. He couldn't believe that Hisana, er Hirame called him an idiot. That was a first. She covered her face and pointed to the seat, directing him to sit down, but...he wouldn't sit down.
"Hisana! It's a trap!"
"It's a play! And...that's not my name!"
A security guard grabbed his hand and immediately, Byakuya slung him over his shoulder, nailing the kids behind them on the head. There was crazy chaos afterwards. The mother started shouting at the confused shinigami and Hirame started moaning on the floor.
"Byakuya! Baka! Get out now!"
He sat on the steps outside the theater and pondered. What did he do? He heard the slam of the door behind him and looked up to see Hirame with a pink face. She sat on the steps next to him and sighed.
"Because I was so mad before, every time I tried to be sad or happy, my comments seemed like I was trying to start a fight. And then my manager would say..." She twisted her face so she had a different look. "Oh, Hirame-chan! I thought you were a good actress. Why on earth would you let such a guest in? Why would you screw up such a good play?"
She let her face relax and looked at Byakuya.
"Sorry about that. I just thought that you could behave yourself. I mean, you are a grown-up after all. I'm sorry for yelling, hehe."
"I'm sorry. I've overreacted."
"Why on earth did you jump up just then?"
He turned away and blushed. He couldn't say that she reminded him of his deceased wife.
"Well that doesn't matter now I guess. You shouldn't come to the theater anymore or my manager will pounce on you." She jumped up and laughed. The wind blew and lifted her ebony hair like a curtain that shielded her face. Byakuya stayed still, watching her. She was magnificent.
"Please don't look at me like that," she said with a tremble in her voice. "It's creepy."
"I'm sorry." He stood up and straightened his tie. "I hope we can do something else though..."
"Just not in this theater," she laughed.
"Nii-sama!"
"What," Byakuya heard someone calling "brother" and that should mean him...probably...maybe it was some other girl calling for her brother in a respected way that's in this direction too. Maybe not.
"Nii-sama!"
"Byakuya-san. I think someone's calling for you in that direction. Oh I think I see someone coming. Is that your sister?"
"...Damn. Hirame, you should run, I mean go now. It's late."
"It's...three in the afternoon." She looked at him with narrow eyes. "Why are you shooing me away?"
"Nii-sama!"
"Oh my!" shouted Hirame.
Rukia crashed down at his feet and got up, rubbing her head. "Nii-sama, we've captured Ishida back and we're sending him to the hospital for inspection."
"From the way you said it, it seems like you're taking him hostage," he murmured. He sidestepped to the block Hirame's face from the situation."
"What, nii-sama. Someone's there. Who are you talking to?"
"No one Rukia, please go back and do the rest of your work."
"The person."
"You look exactly like me!" Hirame pushed down on Byakuya's shoulder and jumped up.
"Wow, it's true! Nii-sama, I knew it, I always knew it!"
"You knew this was going to happen?" Byakuya asked, surprised.
"Yea, I knew that someday..." she started. "You would make a clone out of your obedient sister to have if I ever died!"
"...No, it's nothing like that Rukia."
"Byakuya-san. She's dressed strangely like you were when we met. Is she an actress too? Oh wait, are you both temple monks or something and you're not telling me?"
"No! And Rukia, stop thinking of more insolent stories. Rukia, I need a word with you." He dragged her behind a bush and left Hirame again on the middle of the sidewalk.
"Nii-sama, she looks exactly like me, well except older and uh..."
"I think she's Hisana's reincarnation."
"Hisana-sama? Your dead wife?" Byakuya cringed at the word "dead".
"Yes, I wasn't going to reveal this, but I guess you've seen her now. You know that when souls die in Soul Society, they are reincarnated into the human world after a fixed period of time. This must be her."
"I think so too nii-sama, but what are you going to do with her?"
"I won't tell her that we're death gods. Rukia, you are an actress now."
Rukia smiled and giggled. "I was always an actress nii-sama. You just haven't noticed."
"Right...get changed."
They stepped out from the bush with Rukia with a new set of clothing.
"Hey, um you two don't always change clothes in a bush right?" Hirame asked.
"...No." Byakuya answered.
"Well then, this girl, she looks so much similar to me. What is your name?"
"Um Kuchiki Rukia, Hisana-sama."
Byakuya waved his arms rapidly in the air and covered his little sister's mouth.
"Oh dear, it's Hi-ra-me. Not Hisana," she raised her finger. "Why do you both have to call me that?"
"Mmmf, nii-sama?"
"Go along with it, Rukia."
Hirame scratched her cheek and laughed. She felt a raindrop land on her nose and looked up that the gray-washed sky. The clouds had gathered during their bickering and it started to rain.
"My, this is too bad. You do two live around here?" She asked.
"Oh, no Hirame...Mmmf!" Byakuya clapped his hand over her mouth again and shook his head at the woman.
"We're far from our house actually. May we borrow an umbrella from your house?"
"Oh, okay." She gave them both suspicious looks and flicked her wrist, telling them to come along. "What a day..."