Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Word Count: 286
A Kiss for Shelter
Wonder Weather
Steady rain pattered against the wooden structures of the Kuchiki Estate. The sound was welcomed and Byakuya sipped his tea serenely as he gazed out the open shoji into the rain-splashed outside world.
Rain like snow brought a certain quiet- a peace to the Seireitei that made the noble breathe a little deeper of the air. The fresh scent accompanied by that pleasant drum never failed to ease his mind.
Yet there was a distance to his gaze, a thoughtful glint to his eye as he watched the puddle beneath the willow grow.
He exhaled- something not quite a sigh as men of his stature did not express their innermost thoughts in such audible utterances.
His grey eyes fell to the honey-brown liquid in his cup. His brow twitched. With an inward inhale his jaw clenched with determination. He was choosing to be ignorant of his displeasure with the beverage. After all he had been satisfied with this blend for over seventy years. It was traditional, straightforward… familiar.
And ultimately frustrating in its blandness. There was no enchanting flow of memory or emotion as he drank and this thought rankled somehow.
Why was it that he could not enjoy an afternoon tea without feeling that tingling of disappointment?
This time he did sigh, eyes falling closed as he set his cup down on the table before him.
Though weeks have passed since- just that taste and it is engrained in my mind. He berated himself. A grimace twisted his lips for a brief moment as he scoffed.
"How puerile." He muttered.
But as he turned his head to stare into the yard again he helplessly mused upon how the young tea-maker might spend her rainy days.