Bleach belongs to Kubo. Enjoy!
Byakuya Kuchiki spent many evenings after that adventurous afternoon in the privacy of his gardens. Seated on a stone bench, he vainly attempted to clear his thoughts of that woman. A shishi-odoshi nearby clanked occasionally as it filled to the brim with water. Picking up a stone, he flung it expertly and it bounced gracefully on the surface of his koi pond. Just when he started to feel his spirits raise, everything came crashing back down.
That blasted woman was driving him mad.
"Nii-sama!" a voice spoke out and interrupted his brooding.
Byakuya turned to the voice and stood up, nodding at his sister Rukia. "Hello, Rukia," he greeted her before turning to the baby in her arms. "Ichika." The red-haired baby gurgled happily at the sight of her uncle and stretched out her arms to him. He promptly took her in his arms and she settled herself in happily.
"It's been a while since I've stopped by," Rukia Kuchiki smiled as her daughter promptly stuck a tassel from her brother's haori into her mouth. "How have you been lately?" she asked him, noticing how his normally stoic expression looked a bit sullener.
Although Byakuya didn't confide in anyone under normal circumstances, Rukia was the only person who had a fair idea of what he was dealing with. He was thankful for her presence and support, even if he had trouble showing it. Byakuya was a skilled man but he lacked in the department of communicating his feelings. He decided that using his sister as practice would help him with Rangiku. Also, Rukia of all people deserved to know what was going on first.
"I'm—I am trying to get to know someone." He closed his eyes and tried to look nonchalant.
Rukia arched an eyebrow. "Oh…?"
"A woman."
A sly smile graced Rukia's features. "Interesting." She never knew her sister, but she was glad to see that her Nii-sama had found someone to cherish again. "Is she a Shinigami? Do I know her?"
"Yes, she's a Shinigami and you do know her very well." At this point Ichika started to yank at his hair and he winced. Rukia took back her daughter and stuck a Chappy the Rabbit pacifier in the child's mouth before placing a speculative finger on her chin.
"I want to guess. I would say Yoruichi-san, but that's impossible." she smirked at Byakuya's revolted expression before continuing, "Is she a seated officer? A captain or lieutenant?" Rukia asked in excitement. Her brother rarely interacted with their peers outside of work, and even then, he offered the bare minimum of conversation.
Byakuya hesitated. "The latter."
A spark flew in her eyes. "I think I know who it is…"
Byakuya regretted even mentioning anything to Rukia, but her next words horrified him.
"It's Kiyone-chan!" Rukia comically pointed a finger in her brother's face, feeling triumphant for solving the mystery. Judging by the stony expression on Byakuya's face, she soon assumed that her conjecture was incorrect. He sat down on the bench again and made space for his sister and niece to do the same.
"It would be impossible for me to describe how this woman makes me feel." he began after an extended silence. Rukia's head whirled around in surprise at the tenderness of his voice.
"I used to think that she was such a crass and vain woman who thought little of those around her, but she has proven me wrong since then. She is, however, combative and eccentric, yet she still has a heart of gold underneath those qualities. She is considerate and benevolent and shrewd beyond her years. I gaze into her eyes and I'm left utterly breathless at her magnificence." He placed his hand on his chest, right where her hand was several weeks ago. "My heart yearns for hers, Rukia."
Rukia melted at the romantic confession that she heard from her brother. Only he could have verbalized such pure intentions in such a beautiful way. If only her own husband was as romantic, but she couldn't complain. "Does she know?" she whispered, still entranced.
Byakuya nodded but a rueful expression crossed his face, "I made an error and she did not react in the way that I expected."
"How did she react?" Her brother rarely made mistakes, so this was strange to hear.
Byakuya sighed. "She demanded an explanation, called me a pervert, and took the bottle of sake I had bought for us to share and fled."
Rukia sweat-dropped. The mention of the words 'pervert' and 'sake' made it abundantly clear who the object of her brother's affections was. "That sounds like Rangiku-san." So Nii-sama was attracted to Rangiku-san, this was quite unexpected. Rukia expected her brother to be drawn to women such as Isane-san, who was demure and soft-spoken or maybe even Nanao-san, who was well put together. Rangiku was quite the surprise, but she could see them as a pair.
"Precisely."
Ichika crawled back over to Byakuya and he bounced her on his knee. The little baby cooed happily—children had always taken well to him and he wanted children of his own. Children with his ebony hair and her sky-blue eyes…or maybe even her strawberry blonde tresses with his grays. Either way, the children would be perfect. He wondered fleetingly how the clan would react to an heir with bright colored hair.
"I'll go out on a limb here and say that this isn't just a simple crush—it's much more than that." Rukia couldn't even recall a time when her brother and Rangiku-san even had a conversation with each other. Something had to have happened between the two of them for her brother to be so entranced by Rangiku. She didn't want to tell him that he was going about this the wrong way, but she had a bad feeling about the methods he was employing.
"I'd wed her today with the opportunity." He replied resolutely, a determined gleam in his eyes.
Rukia gave her brother a sympathetic look and covered his hand with hers, "You barely know her—she's probably apprehensive, you know? It takes time."
As a nobleman, hastily arranged marriages were common in their society. The idea of wanting to marry Rangiku at that moment wasn't strange in their circle, but Rangiku was not a noble. Women who wanted to marry have to be courted properly and already in a relationship with the person of their affections.
"It took Renji and I seventy years before we decided to spend eternity together," Rukia continued as she poked at Ichika's cheeks. The baby scowled at her mother just like her namesake would. "Love doesn't happen in a day, Nii-sama. Also, you have to be prepared for the chance that Rangiku-san won't reciprocate your feelings." She figured she'd warn him about potential rejection to spare his feelings.
Byakuya frowned. He would not have to prepare for such a thing because Rangiku-san will fall in love with him. His pride was on the line.
"Matsumoto?" a boyish voice called out to her.
"Yes, taicho?" Rangiku responded without looking up from her forms.
Toshiro Hitsugaya noticed a change in his longtime friend and lieutenant. He'd never seen the woman so dedicated and focused on her work since he entered the 10th Division decades ago. Every morning, he would arrive to his office on time and she would already be there, going through forms with ease. She was even holding training sessions with the officers, something that she dreaded doing.
Toshiro hesitated and set down his writing brush. "You've seemed different recently, and as your captain I am entitled to be informed." He gave her a piercing stare to signify that he meant what he said. Even though he benefited from Rangiku's abnormal behavior, it did not mean that it was a good thing.
Rangiku pouted her lips. This was something that she really didn't want to speak about, especially something to someone his age. He'd probably get upset at her and yell at her. Taicho should be glad that she was actually doing her job properly for once instead of prying into her life.
Here she was, daydreaming about a man she could never see herself with as well as mourning a dead one who broke her heart.
"Just guy problems, taicho. It's nothing worth your time to worry about." she replied dismissively as she leaned back in her chair, placing her feet up on the desk.
"You're going to fall." Hitsugaya warned. "Anyways, is someone bothering you? Do I need to intervene?" He knew Rangiku was more than capable of taking care of herself, but he disliked the type of looks that she was on the receiving end of. Toshiro was somewhat aware of the fragile state she was in and didn't want her to suffer through any unnecessary hinderances.
Rangiku frowned. "No, not anymore. It's nothing to concern yourself about, taicho." She hadn't seen or heard from Byakuya in several weeks—he was most likely embarrassed by the situation and completely forgot about her. Yes, he's probably dismissed the whole situation as a momentary lapse in judgement and she should do the same.
A knock at the door startled the two and Toshiro stood up with a grunt. Opening the door, it was an unseated member of his division holding a huge bouquet of flowers in vase of solid gold. The rim and handles of the vase were lined with diamonds. He quickly gestured the man in and addressed him. "What is the meaning of this?" Something this expensive had no business being in the 10th Division, so Hitsugaya surmised that there might have been a mistake.
"My apologies, Hitsugaya-taicho. This is a delivery for Matsumoto-fukutaicho." he said, straining as he spoke. Toshiro pointed to a coffee table and the man set it down and bowed before leaving in a hurry. The white-haired boy approached the bouquet and began to identify the flowers. Rangiku hung back at her desk with a million thoughts whirling in her mind.
"A bouquet of white carnations, baby blue lilies and pink tulips—all nestled in a golden vase adorned with diamonds." he observed before glancing at his blushing lieutenant. "Whoever sent this might be trying to tell you something." He smirked in amusement. The lieutenant bristled, her captain was rarely amused about anything and the sight was unnerving.
Yet, Rangiku felt as if her heart was about to fly out of her chest. The flower arrangement was gorgeous, not to mention absolutely huge. She didn't have to guess who sent these. All this time she thought he had forgotten about her since she blew up on him, but it was plain to see that she occupied Byakuya's thoughts. Rangiku needed an excuse to run away and she still felt awful about it. She wondered if Gin would have done the same, but that wasn't his cup of tea. Rangiku knew deep in her heart that she barely even knew the man she still loved.
"Carnations are given in honor of new love, tulips are a sign of comfort and warmth, and finally, lilies are a sign of eternal devotion." Toshiro informed his lieutenant. Growing up as a child with Momo and his grandmother, he learned much about flowers due to the abundance of them in their district. "Is this your idea of… 'guy problems'?"
Rangiku's eyes widened at the implications. "New love? Eternal devotion?" she thought to herself as she felt her heartbeat pound in her ears. She slowly approached the bouquet as Toshiro leaned down to further inspect it.
Toshiro plucked a sealed note from the arrangement and read the cover. "To: Rangiku Matsumoto. From: A man who yearns for your presence." He turned to Rangiku and smirked. "For once, you are courting men with etiquette, I'm proud—Oh?" he noted that the note was taped together with a small sticker and made to pry it open.
"Give me that!" she exclaimed as she snatched the note from Toshiro's hand and hid it behind her back. "You're so nosey, taicho!" she whined loudly.
Toshiro made a face and sighed. "I wanted to hear what it said, Rangiku." Anyone who would go to such lengths for Rangiku and have her blushing like a schoolgirl was someone that he wanted to meet personally, or at least have a name to call them by.
"It's private." she said quietly, surprising him at the gentleness of her tone. He looked back at the bouquet and noticed how the lilies matched her eyes and how the pink tulips matched the scarf she's worn for as long as he's known her. Whoever sent this not only has quite a bit of money, they took the time to be thoughtful about the arrangement.
"Whoever this guy is happens to be rich—and has good taste." Toshiro commented as he went back to his desk. "Make sure you take that with you when you leave for the day," he sniffed lightly. "It smells funny."
Rangiku silently ran several gentle fingers through the flower arrangement before plucking a blue lily from the bunch. She tucked it behind her ear and smiled to herself.
He was so thoughtful.
She was sprawled out on her couch after a long, boring day at the office with a cup of tea in her hand. Placing the cup down on the coffee table in front of her, she looked over to the other object occupying the table—the bouquet. This was easily one of the best gifts she's received in her long life and she couldn't express how happy she was to call it hers. A lot of thought was put into the arrangement and she knew she had to thank the man who sent it several days ago.
Byakuya Kuchiki.
A tall, elegant man with long, ebony hair and charcoal gray eyes. A pale face permanently fixated with an expression of disdain and calm. He was kinda cute, in a scary way.
Did she love the man? No. Did she have a little crush on him? Probably? Kinda?
A small part of her wanted to let the man down easily before he interpreted her silence as a means to keep pursuing her, but deep down she enjoyed what he was doing. It wasn't even the fact that she had his focus to begin with, it was the fact that there were earnest intentions behind his fixation on her. His painfully awkward attempts at wooing her made her did wonders for her lack of confidence, as well as make her feel dreadfully embarrassed.
"Why does he have to be so adorable and irritating?!" she whined aloud to herself as she held a pillow to her face.
It didn't help in easing her conscious to know how badly he was suffering mentally until they had that heart to heart conversation, and she knew the guilt would eat her alive if she left him to his own devices. She just wasn't sure if and how she could reciprocate the sentiments. The last time she allowed herself to love, everything went horrible wrong. Hugging the same pillow to her chest, she wondered what hugging Kuchiki-taicho felt like. Maybe he was cold and hard like his personality was, or maybe he was warm and inviting?
A knock at the door interrupted her thoughts and she shot up, perplexed. She wasn't expecting any visitors because it was still the middle of the week.
She swung open the door and gasped.
Byakuya Kuchiki was not sure what possessed him to do something like this.
It was nighttime—he wasn't sure of the exact time, but the lack of people in the area indicated that it was late—and he stood at the door to her apartment in the barracks, knocking several times before waiting. He was no fool, he was well aware of the fact that Rangiku Matsumoto was avoiding him. That was the main reason why he sent those flowers to the 10th Division—to get her attention and reaffirm his position with her.
The door swung open after a few moments and he was gifted with a full view of her beautiful, yet shocked expression. She was clad in a simple cream-colored yukata and her hair was tied back in a small bun, exposing her long, creamy neck to his appreciating gaze.
"Good evening, Matsumoto-fukutaicho." he greeted her formally as he nodded to her.
"Uh…hi, Kuchiki-taicho." she squeaked back lamely, and her embarrassed expression made his heart flutter. Several long moments of Rangiku's mouth opening and closing like a fish as well as Byakuya watching her like a hawk had past, before he spoke again, "May I come in?"
"Sure," she muttered as she took several steps back, allowing him to enter. He looked around casually—she lived humbly yet not below her means. The apartment had a couch, two love seats, a small dining table, and various decorations in several shades of pink were neatly arranged on side tables and bookshelves. On her coffee table was the bouquet that he had sent two days before.
"I should inform you why I have made my presence known here tonight, especially at this late hour." he spoke as his back was still turned towards her. Byakuya heard the door click closed and lock, which meant that he wasn't about to get thrown out as of yet.
"That would be helpful," Rangiku commented suspiciously with her hands on her hips. "Coming to a lady's house so late at night is a little suspicious, Kuchiki-taicho." she teased him.
"I wanted to ask you if you liked your gift." he replied as he finally turned to face her, ignoring her taunt. "I also wanted to apologize for my inappropriate behavior the other day.
Rangiku made a face, "You came all the way here for that? I'm sure you could've sent a hell butterfly." she chided the man for the extra work he had put himself through.
He shook his head, "Please answer my question, Rangiku-san." At the sound of her first name, her annoyance melted away. Byakuya watched Rangiku as she was trying to figure out what to say. Her bun was starting to loosen so she pulled the string that held it together and shook her head, her blonde tresses shimmered like gold and the sight caused his throat to dry suddenly.
She scratched at her hair casually before speaking, "It's super cute," she gushed after several moments, as her excitement returned once more. "I can tell that you put a lot of thought into this, even if you're a pervert. You apologized, so it's alright." The woman crossed her arms under her bosom and turned her nose up with a teasing smirk.
"Pervert?" he repeated the foreign word.
"You were gawking at my rack—it doesn't bother me that much anymore 'cuz every guy does that, anyways." she waved a hand flippantly and gestured for him to follow her into her living room. Sitting on the couch, she folded one leg under the other and continued. "Even my own cute captain does it too, as much as he loves denying it!" she started to laugh, and the melodious sound was music to Byakuya's ears.
"I can assure you that I am not, 'every guy.'" Byakuya replied as he sat an appropriate distance away from her. Honestly, what man wouldn't look? "How shall I prove that to you, Rangiku-san?"
Rangiku was midway through a sip of tea and promptly spat the brew across the room comically in reaction to Byakuya's innuendo. "Uh—well—you—shit," she swore and covered her mouth in embarrassment, "I didn't mean to say that…"
Byakuya sighed and produced a small package wrapped with a red ribbon on it. Rangiku jumped slightly as he laid it on the couch cushion in between them. "Go ahead, open it." he said, gazing intently at her. Rangiku knew she was blushing and slowly pulled at the ribbon to open the package.
She grinned as she saw the contents of the package, "Dried persimmons!" she exclaimed happily as she clapped and popped one in her mouth. "These are my favorite, how'd you know I like them?" Byakuya was so lost in her smile that he didn't reply for a moment.
"I have reliable sources." Byakuya replied calmly as if he didn't casually interrogate Renji earlier that afternoon about Rangiku's likes and dislikes. Thankfully, his brother-in-law remained blissfully unaware of Byakuya's intentions after their conversation. He was stunned when a persimmon was pushed towards his face by Rangiku.
"Come now, try one! I don't want to be greedy and eat it all." she said with a full mouth. Deciding to take a chance, Byakuya opted to bite into the fruit from her hand instead of taking it. The woman immediately turned a bright shade of red but didn't retract her hand. One more bite and the fruit was gone. "Delicious." Byakuya said as he licked his lips, eyes never leaving hers.
Rangiku did not know what possessed her to feed Byakuya Kuchiki, and she didn't want to know. A persimmon was coaxed in her direction and she bit into it without thinking, her lips brushing his fingers ever so slightly. "What am I doing?!"
Instead of feeding her the remaining half of the dried fruit, Byakuya pushed it into his mouth. "Even more succulent." he commented huskily, causing the woman next to him to shiver at the sound. She liked this side of him, a bit too much in her opinion. Another persimmon was touched to her lips and she bit into it, her eyes melting Byakuya's stone cold exterior by the second. They fed each other back and forth until the box was empty. The pair sat in a comfortable silence for several long minutes before Byakuya spoke.
"You've been avoiding me," Byakuya commented as he stood suddenly, removing his captain's haori and folding it. He tilted his head in the direction of the bouquet, "this was simply to let you know that my mind has not changed in regard to you."
"I was not avoiding you," Rangiku huffed in annoyance, purposefully avoiding the second part of his statement as she watched him hang his haori by her door. "I'm a lieutenant—I can't delegate my work like you can. I've simply been busy." She leaned back on the arm of the couch and crossed her legs, facing him directly.
"You still gallivant with your fellow lieutenants to drink in your leisure time, Rangiku. Plus, I do not delegate my work—it is the opposite. My brother-in-law is a respectable man, but he is painfully incompetent when it comes to paperwork." He sat back down after leaving his sandals by the door, causing Rangiku to bristle at the idea of him making himself comfortable in her apartment.
"What do you think you're doing?" she asked with a panicked voice.
"Making myself at home, naturally." he deadpanned.
"Home? This is my apartment and you're squatting!" she shot back.
Byakuya looked insulted. "Squatting? You misunderstand, I live in an expansive mansion in the richest district of the Seireitei. I would not be here if I didn't want to be."
"I'm not sleeping with you!" Rangiku exclaimed indignantly as she stood up, hovering over him.
Byakuya closed his eyes and sighed. "As I have explained to you previously, my presence here was to inquire about the gift I sent you as well as supplying you with your favorite food. I had no intention on bedding you tonight. Plus," his eyes opened yet again, and he actually smiled. "you let me into your home and closed the door. That simply means that you want me here."
Rangiku's eyes widened in horror, "I didn't want the cold air getting in here!" she exclaimed as she flopped back down on the couch. She stared at the ground indignantly for several moments before she glanced at the man next to her from the corner of her eye. He was still watching her intently with a soft, amused expression. Rangiku's body immediately relaxed and she started chuckling under her breath at her previous overreaction. She desperately needed to stop assuming that every man she spoke to wanted to sleep with her. He found himself relaxing and laughing along with her, a slight chuckle that made her heart flutter. After the silence that followed their laughter, he decided to keep the conversation rolling.
"I guess you're not so bad as I used to think," Rangiku said with a sly smile on her face. "Who would've thought that the Prince of Silence engaged in peasant behavior such as laughter?"
Byakuya looked at her from the corner of his eyes and casually stretched his arm over the couch cushion behind Rangiku, thanking the Gods above that she didn't notice.
"Rangiku-san, would you believe me if I were to tell you that I can smile," he leaned forward ominously, "with both rows of teeth?" he said this in such a deadpanned manner that she almost thought he was serious.
Rangiku blinked owlishly before keeling over in another round of laughter. Byakuya decided that he enjoyed her laughter and wanted to make her feel that way even more. She wiped a stray tear from her eye and sniffed, "Wow, you just made a joke—I feel like I'm dreaming," Rangiku wheezed as she caught her breath. "And you have yet to gawk at my boobs, either!"
"I am a gentleman." He responded casually, although it was a battle to keep his eyes above shoulder level. She snickered at his discomfort until his expression noticeably softened and he addressed her again.
"What I said back then, I meant it. My delivery of the message was flawed, yes, but it was true." He said softly as he touched her hand that was on the couch. "I missed you." He admitted as he curled his fingers around hers. She still didn't respond and looked at him warily, and his shoulders dropped significantly. Byakuya knew he had to fight these feelings of despondency and prove to this woman that his intentions were earnest. He noticed how she did not have the amused expression on her face anymore, instead there was a face of pain and regret.
"I've never been in this position before, you know." she admitted, being the object of a man's genuine feelings was something unknown to her, especially a man that she barely knew.
"Neither have I."
Rangiku looked confused. "But you've been married before, surely that's not true?"
Byakuya had a sullen look to his face, "That is true, but my wife did not love me as I loved her."
She squeezed his hand comfortingly, knowing what it felt like to love someone who didn't quite love you back the same way. They sat in a comfortable silence, hands still embraced with each other. Rangiku furtively glanced at the man next to her, who was watching her intently; she could see the adoration in eyes she once thought didn't care about anyone but himself. Maybe this was something she could get used to, she had nothing to lose here, right? "He's a good guy under all that stuffiness." she thought to herself.
Gin.
Her expression was suddenly pained.
"He used to buy me dried persimmons as an apology," she whispered as her hair fanned over her face, "that was the first thing he gave to me when he found me, dying of hunger in the Rukongai."
Byakuya leaned forward slightly to hear her properly, "Ichimaru?" He had to admit that he had a low opinion of the man who not only betrayed the Gotei 13 but tried to kill him and Rukia at the same time, regardless or not if he was a double agent.
A nod confirmed his suspicions. He never would have anticipated being challenged for her affections by a dead man, but it would be inappropriate to fixate on his personal feelings only. Byakuya heard her sniffle and several tear drops dripped on her thighs.
"I shouldn't have said his name." Byakuya apologized earnestly, rubbing his thumb along the back of her hand.
"No—no, I'm sorry…" she finally looked up and swiped the tears away. "I can't help it sometimes, I still miss him and you're not at fault for that." Her fingers tightened around his, reassuring him that his presence was still wanted. Deciding to take a chance, he scooted closer to her and slowly put an arm around her shoulders comfortingly. "I still miss my wife as well, do not feel ashamed for feeling that way. I relate to your pain."
The heat of his body was so comforting and enticing that Rangiku rested her head on his shoulder, reveling in the warmth. A comforting hand rubbed at her back soothingly as she cried into his neck and after what felt like hours, she leaned back and wiped her eyes. The fact that Byakuya sat through her breakdown and held her the entire time was so comforting to her, she didn't have to wear her mask around him like she did with everyone else.
How was she so comforted in the presence of a man that she barely even knew?
"I'm sorry." she apologized again through a yawn, "you didn't come over to see me like this…it's embarrassing." She frowned visibly, and her forehead wrinkled. Rangiku gasped as Byakuya's fingers grasped her chin and tilted her head up, looking deeply into her widened eyes. "Is he gonna—?" she thought to herself in a panic, thinking that he was going to kiss her. His lips lightly caressed her cheek instead.
"Byakuya…" she whispered his name, entranced by his actions.
"Rangiku, do not apologize for being you." he touched his forehead to hers, drowning in her sky blues.
She felt her eyes droop suddenly and the bliss of sleep took over.
The sight of the woman he cared so much for breaking down in tears in his arms ached his heart.
Byakuya watched as Rangiku snored softly in his arms as they sat on the couch. He held her there for a long time, not knowing if he would have the chance to do so again. A warm, steady breath tickled his neck rhythmically and her hand had snaked its way into his shihakusho seeking warmth and he cradled her to him even tighter. "I should leave before she awakens." he thought to himself as he yawned. He adjusted her in his arms bridal style and stood up, searching for her bedroom. Once he had found it, he placed her in her bed and fought the urge to join her before he drew the covers over her.
She immediately groaned softly at the lack of warmth and sighed in her sleep. Byakuya knelt down beside her and pressed his lips to her forehead, savoring the smoothness of her skin. Rangiku looked even more magnificent in her slumber, the moonlight reflected off of her flawless alabaster skin so softly.
"Sleep well, Rangiku." he whispered as he softly brushed her hair from her face.
If you haven't noticed before, I've made slight changes to the plot. Here, Rukia is already the Captain of the 13th Division three years after the invasion of the Quincy instead of ten years.
I know that a lot of writers (myself included, see 'Secrets Can't Keep Us Apart') use the Kuchiki clan elders as the cause of Byakuya and whoever he's paired with being unable to get together, and I don't plan on going that route.
That itself will not be easy, so please bear with me.
Even though it does make sense, it feels like an overused reason as to why Byakuya cannot be happy. It's an experiment I'm going to mess around with until I achieve the desired result.
Thanks for reading and please review!