Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Word Count: 344
A Kiss for Shelter
Supplication
In a round-a-bout way she had asked for permission- through Takeda-san. The woman had eyed her a moment, brown eyes deep with awareness; she didn't miss a thing. But the maid had gone and come back with the Lord's ascent and so Xochitl found herself kneeling in the family shrine.
She offered incense and prayers to each departed ancestor in turn, leaving the most recent member of the clan for last.
The photo was in black and white, but it was obvious how dazzling the woman's eyes would have been, doe-like and framed by abundant lashes. Her gaze was serene and her small smile enchanting even in its modesty. Truly she looked doll-like, delicate, smooth-skinned, and even tempered.
Xochitl bowed as low as her baby bump would allow and rose, pressing her palms together.
She murmured a few prayers, swallowing back the nausea that threatened due to the incense wafting in lazy plumes (she again found herself slightly sensitive to smells and tastes at times). Then the silence stole in and she allowed it to sweep her mind for several minutes.
Finally she took a breath, regarding the image of Byakuya's late wife, Hisana.
"I'm sorry… I should have come before now. I suppose I was intimidated and… I didn't want to intrude." She sucked on her bottom lip a moment before she continued.
"And now, I suppose I have come selfishly… To ask you… I don't know- for peace of mind perhaps? I wish to know…" Her eyes closed and she took a breath, "How? How did you love him without guilt? Is it even possible to love him without doubts?" She shook her head, smoothing a hand down her middle as she whispered, "Am I crazy for wanting to remain with him- knowing the stakes?"
The candle flames guttered in a sudden breeze, but there was no answer to her questions.
She sat in meditation until her back began to hurt. No response from the beyond came in that time. All that was left to do was confront her own logic.
AN: Next chapter Xochitl will offer Byakuya some bittersweet honesty, and a practical, yet difficult solution to their dilemma.