Disclaimer: I DON'T OWN THEM! In fact, I could have owned them at one time, but because I've been chanting this 'I don't own them' thing for so long, I've begun to actually believe it.
Warnings: Humour, adult language. ANGST. Mentions of death. Self-decision over a certain character's birthday, since it's unknown to us at this point. Spoilers for everything up to the latest/current manga chapter and anime episode (filler included, even though I don't have 'living world' characters in this fic). I'm just covering my ass here people. –grins-
Notes: Thanks again everyone, for believing in this fic and not brushing it off as simple garbage. I've read some real doozies on this site and in the beginning, I thought I was crazy. Turns out, they're the crazy ones. I'm certifiably insane. And also, I've decided to deviate from my original theme of 'set in the first few months of Renji's duties as vice captain'. It's true, there will still be RenjiByakuya in this fic. But as of late, IchimaruUkitake has made itself a dominant force, as well as other characters and other love situations. Please forgive me and feel free to complain. I'm open to suggestions, but so help me, if you complain about the characters at the end of this chapter, I'll scream. They're absolutely untouchable. Sacred. They're sacred.
"Oi, Kira!"
The blond third division member turned his head and smiled weakly as his friend came running up the pathway towards him, both men having just attended the vice captain's meeting and were heading off to spend their Saturday as they wished. A week had passed since the young fukutaichou had caught his captain and occasional lover in bed with Captain Ukitake and he seemed to be slowly coming around, much to Renji's delight.
"Ohayo, Abarai-kun. What do you have planned for the day?"
Renji leaned over once catching up and breathed heavily, brushing dust from his clothes as he had kicked up a large amount of it.
"I don't have anything planned. That's why I was trying to catch you."
"What did you have in mind?"
The redhead smiled and snatched Kira's hand, immediately running off in the direction the younger boy was headed anyway, his smile sending light shivers down the timid youth's back.
They blew past the gardens in the center of the courtyard and Renji stopped abruptly when they reached the gates of Seireitei, acknowledging the gatekeeper there and being allowed entry into Rukongai, the young blond balking slightly as he dug his heels into the dusty ground.
"Abarai-kun! Where are you taking me?"
"Relax, Kira. It's only Rukongai. I know this place like the back of my hand. Don't worry."
His words hardly soothed the boy as he was dragged into the depths of the lower caste city, dark eyes peering everywhere at once, trying to determine who was a threat and who wasn't. According to his calculations, only one person remained on his non-threatening list, and that man was currently pulling him deeper into a world he hardly knew.
"Here we are!" Renji yelled after finally stopping. "Just the place to spend a Saturday afternoon. Na, Kira. What do you think?"
The sheltered fukutaichou looked up at the business' sign and blinked stupidly, the large words advertising alcoholic drinks and betting games. Certainly not a place the blond would ever spend time, with or without friends.
"Ano, Abarai-kun…"
"Hmm?"
"I don't know how to gamble."
The taller man grinned broadly and stepped forward to push the door open, tugging his comrade in behind him and lifting his other hand in greeting to the rowdy men inside, each one recognizing the vice captain and leering at his small friend. Kira could feel their eyes roaming over his body and he inwardly grimaced, wishing he could get away and go back to his original plan of walking home.
"Yo, Abarai-fukutaichou! What's with the fresh ass?" The ugliest, in Kira's eyes anyway, asked. "I never seen ya come in here with anyone before."
"Fuck off, Karachi. Dontcha recognize a fuckin' vice captain besides me when ya see one?"
Kira was shocked by the slur to Renji's voice when he was around such rude people. It was strange, going from his normal, somewhat proper speech to a type of thug attitude. The familiarity between the men was a bit more comforting but he still felt terribly out of place.
"You're a goddamn liar, Renji. He's no fuckin' shinigami. Doesn't matter that he's got the uniform on."
The redhead snorted out loud and stepped up to the man, letting his friend go to smack the oaf in the back of the head, earning a loud snarl and a rise out of the barfly.
"What the fuck, Abarai!"
"Cantcha see his fuckin' zanpakutou? You must be a real goddamn moron if you don't recognize the third division's fukutaichou."
At the mention of Gin's squad, the entire bar quieted down, putting Kira in a bad place, his face reddening and his body shrinking in on itself, trying to hide his absolute embarrassment. He was proud to be a shinigami, especially one under Ichimaru Gin, but in a place where rules hardly seemed to matter, he was only a name.
"You're Ichimaru-taichou's?" Karachi asked, moving towards the boy with a pathetic look on his face, a mix of fear and loathing. "Yo, I meant nothin' by that, kid. I honestly didn't think ya were much to look at is all."
He got another slap from Renji, to which he growled and rolled his eyes, catching his misuse of words again and trying to compensate for it immediately.
"Ano…what I meant to say was…"
He looked up to the blond's outstretched hand and blinked stupidly, backing away slightly when he finally did notice the sword on the boy's belt. He straightened when he realized that the young shinigami was only offering him a handshake and right away took hold of the small boned hand in his own meaty one, shaking it firmly but not angrily, unable to take his eyes off of the other's dark set,
"Kira Izuru, sanbantai-fukutaichou."
"Ano…Fukuoka Karachi. Just Karachi really."
"Nice to meet you, Fukuoka-san."
The larger man nodded and grunted the same as he let go of Kira's hand and backed off, hurrying to the bar where he yelled at the bartender to get two drinks ready for the vice captains and god save his worthless hide if he takes too long. Renji only chuckled as he watched the blond move back to his side, noticing the small grin on the boy's face.
"You're a piece of work, Kira. I remember when you tried that line on me. I saw right through it. I guess Karachi's too stupid to know when he's being talked down to, ne?"
"I suppose so."
He got himself a slap on the back from the tall fukutaichou and smiled warmly, feeling better than he had in a long time, even if he was still in a strange place surrounded by gruff, unfriendly men. Renji took a seat on an empty stretch of tatami and waited a moment before looking around for the dealer, his drink set down by Karachi and Kira's deposited in front of the blond with a mumbled apology.
The man running the cho-han bakuchi didn't smile as he approached them from the bar, seating himself across from the boys and picking up the die, noisily dropping them into a bamboo cup and palming the top, giving it a vicious shake. Kira watched excitedly as he sipped at his cold drink, a locally made beer that wasn't entirely palatable after having sake for most of his life but it was booze and it was Saturday.
The pony tailed vice captain dug in his robes for a moment before slamming a stack of bills down on the mat, peeling a few off of the top and tossing them into the designated place in front of himself. His bet placed, the dealer turned the cup upside down and brought it down on the mat, eyeing the brightly haired shinigami with some interest. No one in the bar particularly trusted that special abilities weren't used by the loudmouthed swordsman, but they liked his money well enough to ignore it.
Renji licked his lips and looked to Kira, who only shrugged as he had no idea what was going on. He smiled warmly and looked back at the dealer, the ruffled man looking even less impressed.
"Cho."
The man lifted the cup to reveal a three and a four, the total of the two die thrilling the young fukutaichou.
"Yatta! Again!" He took his winnings from the elder man and put half on his pile and placed the rest back in the betting area. Already, he was up to twice what he had previously bet. "You should try this, Kira. It's fuckin' fun!"
The blond only shook his head and looked around as he again winced at the flavour of the beer, resigning himself to an interesting, if somewhat confusing and boring, night. At least he was spending time with his friend. He needed to feel needed and if Renji continued on his current path, the chances were that the younger boy would be dragging him home after a long night of failure.
Freshly bathed and ready for a day of relaxation, Byakuya dressed in his lightest hakama and kimono, the warmest of the midseason months finally upon them. He performed the small ritual with his kenseikan and after a quick breakfast, ventured back out into his garden, immediately kneeling before his wife's memorial. He had been remiss in visiting her and he felt deeply saddened by it, but as of late, his mind had certainly been elsewhere.
"Forgive me, Hisana. It's not as if I've forgotten you. I've been very busy. As life moves on here without you, it grows ever busier."
He smiled slightly and reached into the pocket sewn into his sleeve and withdrew the small orange he had taken from his breakfast tray, lovingly setting it upon the base of the stone.
"Rukia is doing much better now. Ukitake has been visiting her often and she has finally gone back to serving the thirteenth squad after her absence."
He bowed lower to the hewn rock and then stood, brushing his legs off and moving back towards his home, turning only slightly to look back at the heavily laden branches of the cherry tree, free of blossoms but covered with thick, green leaves.
"She's smiling again, Hisana."
And the boughs swayed in the non-existent breeze.
It had been a long week for Ichimaru.
His back ached and his chest was slightly sore, a half dozen yellowed bruises still showed on his pale chest. He scratched idly at them because they itched under the skin as they healed. Such an irritation, really. He knew that letting the longer haired captain be the aggressor in their relationship for a change was dangerous, but he hadn't counted on him being positively feral when given free reign. An interesting turn of events nonetheless.
He walked lightly, as always, through the streets of Soul Society, trying to find his beloved Jyuu-kun, playing a game with himself as he blocked out the man's reiatsu and tried to find him the old fashioned way. He whistled to himself as he rounded the last corner before the gates to thirteenth division came into view, the sign sitting still in the dead afternoon air.
There were two shinigami on the steps outside, both he recognized, the blond one smiling politely and bowing towards him, the other turning and staring slightly with wide, dark eyes, her bright smile fading as soon as she saw the sneaky captain.
"Ohayo, Ichimaru-taichou!"
The snake-like shinigami slid up to stand before the two girls, grinning down at them through silver bangs.
"Ohayo, Kiyone-kun." His head turned to regard Rukia, whose face gave him an idea of how frightened she was of him, still worried for her life because of the strangling sensation she felt each time he came close to her.
"Naa, what's the matter, Kuchiki-kun? Not gonna give me a hello?"
She bowed immediately before straightening and running off, hurrying into the division building. Gin could only smile at her as she fled in fear, his eyes gravitating back down to the loyal, young Kotetsu child.
"Tell me, Kiyone-kun, is Ukitake-taichou inside?"
She stood at arms and nodded quickly, eager to please her captain's lover. If he was happy, taichou was happy. If taichou was happy, he wasn't coughing and lying in bed.
"Hai, Ichimaru-taichou! He returned this morning after going into the city for a few things."
"Oh? He was feeling good enough to go out by himself?"
"He looks very good today, taichou. His colour has returned and it's been days since I heard him cough last."
This news excited the ever-smiling captain and he nodded in acknowledgement.
"Very good. Run along now, Kiyone-kun. I'm sure Sentarou-kun is lonely without you by his side, ne?"
The girl blushed slightly before bowing a second time and running off, heading around the back of the building, knowing that she used the servants entrance instead of the front doors. It was endearing but irritating to have them so devoted to their captain and Gin doubted that he could tolerate them for much longer.
Chuckling softly at the sudden flood of naughty thoughts, the third division captain walked into the cool building and headed towards his lover's rooms, passing frightened squad members who were relaxing on their day off. It was almost sexually thrilling to see people run frightened from him. He licked his lips and approached the white haired captain's double doors, knocking lightly before simply walking in.
"Jyuu-kun?"
"I'm in here, Gin! You caught me in the middle of something I'm afraid."
The ill captain called out from his sitting room, ankle deep in fabric, basket upon basket of clippings and sewing notions surrounding him as he diligently worked on a random seam. Stepping into the room, Ichimaru blinked, his eyes opening for the first time in a while as he took in the odd situation. It was certainly a hobby he hadn't expected his formal lover to engage in.
"What're you up to, Jyuu-kun?"
He gently kicked aside a rather large basket of material cuttings and sat down beside the elder man, leaning over what he was working on to kiss him softly, eyeing the design he was stitching into the dense canvas-like cloth.
"It just came to me while I was lying in bed this morning. Next week is Kaien's birthday and I was thinking that I would finish the embroidered obi that he asked me for."
Ichimaru blinked slightly and looked from his lover's oddly grinning face and then to the cloth, the white material densely stitched in red and gold. Shiba Kaien's favourite colours. It didn't bother the younger man that his lover was sewing something for someone else. What bothered him was the fact that Ukitake spoke about the wild eyed, dark haired fukutaichou as if he still existed. It had only been a few months since his death but it honestly worried the cheerful taichou that his lover still may not be in the proper mind about it.
"Naa, Jyuu-kun?"
"Hmm?" he barely looked up from his work as he shifted slightly closer to the other captain in a friendly manner, enjoying his company.
"How're you gonna give it to Shiba-kun? He's kinda d-"
"I'm going to tie it around his marker when I visit him this afternoon, Gin. He always liked receiving his presents early. I made a matching one for Miyako as well. It's there on the table."
The sneaky captain nodded and picked up the more delicate item, passing it through his hands and peering at the tiny stitches, nothing he could do even if he practiced. He was clumsy with precise things.
"If I come with you, can we play afterwards?"
Ukitake stopped his stitching and tilted his head, peering around a thick lock of white hair.
"Are you sure you want to play, Gin? I can still see the bruises on your neck there. Have they not healed yet?"
A chuckle and an adorably pink blush, something the elder man doubted anyone else had ever seen before.
"They haven't, but I'm still ready to play. I miss you when we're not together, Jyuu-kun.."
"Hai, hai. That's fine then. Just…let me finish this up and we can go. I want to be back before dark so Sentarou and Kiyone don't worry."
"Yatta! I'll sit right here and watch you then! How exciting! We get to go visiting!"
He folded the woman's item up neatly and set it back on the table, leaning back in the large seat and snuggling into the various piles of cloth that decorated the furniture, content to wallow away the next little while watching the ill captain finish his loving work, knowing that they would be leaving soon enough, the utter kindness and minute sadness in the thirteenth division captain's eyes telling him that he was eager to get it done.
The burial grounds for residents of Seireitei was separate from that of Rukongai's, segregated by means of an entire city, the trees greener and the gardens better taken care of in the shinigami area. It wasn't something held against either caste and people went about their business leisurely, sending love to dearly missed family members and friends in nearly the same ways.
The roped off area at the very back of the large grounds was reserved for captains and vice captains, each division with its own garden and row upon row of markers. No squad had more than another if a person only peered at the white stones, but some certainly did. To Ukitake Jyuushiro, thirteenth division had one grave marker too many.
A canvas bag in one hand and Ichimaru's warm palm in the other, the sickly captain walked up the wide stairs towards the high terrace where his former teammates resided and stopped for a moment to catch his breath at the top, the breeze blowing lightly for the first time that day, their robes billowing around them in a symbolic way. It was so much like a funeral procession that he felt weak because of it.
Gin let go of his hand and walked the short distance to the married couple's marker, kneeling in front of it and brushing the light soil from its face, pulling a cloth out of his inner pocket and properly wiping the stone to reveal its highly polished surface. It was a rare thing, their memorial, its size and shape different than any other member of the last Gotei squad. It was made for two people instead of one and because they were married, it was created larger than the rest, a tribute the loving taichou had requested and was granted without question.
Taking a deep breath, the regal leader stepped up as well and kneeled on the dusty walkway, placing his bag down beside him before bowing politely, the palms of his hands flat on the ground and his forehead nearly touching the cool stone, staying thus for nearly a minute before rising back to a more comfortable position. He took the bag from the ground and placed it in his lap, carefully unwrapping the items inside and unraveling them to give them a gentle shake.
Handing one to his lover, he leaned forward and securely tied Kaien's around the center of the monument, tying it properly as if the cold stone was a living body, taking Miyako's from the silver haired captain and doing the same with it, only tying it lower down the shrine than her husband's. Satisfied with the job he did, Ukitake sat back again and gave a second bow, a light sniffle breaking the comfortable silence. Gin felt somewhat helpless but remained silent as he watched the goings on. After all, these people had been closest to his lover before he came around. They were nearly family.
The long haired shinigami sat up for the final time and rested his right hand against the now clothed stone, lowering his head as tears coursed down his pale cheeks, allowing himself a moment to truly cry for the people who had meant so much to him. He had denied himself the luxury of it on the grounds that it wasn't proper for a captain to grieve openly over a fallen comrade, but when faced with such a horrible situation and then the end result of it, the poor man couldn't help but feel awful.
Ichimaru watched but kept his hands to himself, staying where he was for support should the ill man need it. It was better for him to be as incognito as possible, to pretend that he wasn't even there, not wanting to ruin the heart wrenching moment between a captain and his beloved subordinates.
He pulled his hand away and leaned off to the side where the third squad captain sat, shifting as a child would when it wanted something and burying his face against the younger man's neck, suddenly needing comfort, feeling as much like a child as he ever had. He was sad. He was broken. He needed the warmth that only his lover could give him. His muffled words were interlaced with light sobs as he sniffled against the other man's collar, his arms tucked up between both of their chests as he curled as close as he possibly could.
"They're really gone, Gin."
"Aa, Jyuu-kun. They are. But you can come and visit them anytime, right?"
A nod answered him as he rubbed one hand warmly over the elder man's back, feeling much like a nursemaid comforting a child after a nightmare. If the white haired captain had asked if it was all a nightmare, Gin would have been unable to tell him the truth.
"Come on, now. I don't want you catching a cold from sitting on the stone, Jyuushiro. Stand up. Let's get you home so you can lie down for a bit."
The look Ukitake gave his lover as he peeled himself from his warm form hurt the third division captain, but he held on to his suggestion anyway, knowing that even if the other had wanted to stay, it would only be more devastating and upsetting for him. He declined to comment on Gin's use of his full name, something he hadn't heard in ages. It was most certainly a moment of true concern for his welfare.
The nobleman stood and brushed his robes off, stepping back and bowing deeply before the shrine, his face somewhat more lively as he cracked a tiny smile upon straightening up, enjoying the way the ties of the obi swayed in the light breeze.
"Kaien always loved having his birthday in the autumn. The grass was still green and the flowers were still in bloom. Miyako's birthday was in winter and he would bring her flowers from the market on her birthday so she could celebrate their beauty as easily as he could on his special day."
The younger shinigami listened with a smile of his own, sneaking his left hand down to take his lover's right, giving it a little squeeze before turning away from the sad little scene.
"They're probably happy wherever they are, Jyuu-kun. Souls that die in Soul Society are reborn, aren't they? Maybe they're newborn babies in the living world right now. Maybe they'll grow up to know each other again someday."
Ukitake nodded as he lifted his other hand to wipe at an errant tear that threatened to slip from its place at the corner of his eye, the canvas bag tucked under his arm.
"Aa. I'm sure they'll be fine wherever they are. It just hurts to be without them now, Gin. Forgive me for being so emotional. It's never happened before."
"Maa, no worries. I'm here to support you, Jyuu-kun. You cry if you need to cry, ok? I don't mind." He giggled softly and gave the elder man an endearing look. "'Sides, I cry all the time. I just don't tell anyone about it afterwards."
A bit of a laugh escaped the ill taichou as he turned to face the same way as the younger shinigami, feeling bad for turning his back on the beloved pair but happy knowing that he could visit them any time he wanted. They were still alone in the large memorial grounds, but Ukitake felt as if they were being smiled upon. If not that, then at least watched with loving eyes as he and his lover left the platform and headed back down the steep stairs.
Gin couldn't help but notice as he had gazed upon the two handmade obi, that they bore kanji of an old form, a more formal dialect that hardly anyone in the current age used. Each end of both belts bore the characters, lovingly embroidered into the expensive fabric. 'Honour', it said. A simple word that meant so much. Gin knew what each of the four repeated words stood for. He had heard the longhaired shinigami mumble them in his sleep on countless occasions. It was spoken at their induction into the thirteenth squad and it remained relevant even after their untimely deaths.
'Honour your wedding vows. Honour your friendship that made that love happen. Honour your duties to your captain. Honour each other when the depths of despair eventually come to cover you and no light seems to penetrate that darkness.'