The girl had collapsed on the royal. She had given every bit of strength left to ensure that he remain alive. He was indebted to her.
He had never really looked at her before. She was just one of the crowd, not eliciting any special attention from him like so any of the other females he'd come into contact with.
Though she was young her womanly features were becoming more prominent. Her face did not look like that of a child and neither did her many other features. She was quite breathtaking. He'd heard of her undying love for the substitute shinigami and wondered how he was so stupid not to reciprocate it.
Byakuya mustered what was left of his strength to sit upward and gather the slumbering young woman into his arms. He had to get the both of them out of the area before they were discovered and squashed as easily as insects due to their current state. Her body molded into his easily. Her soft curves seemed to melt into his hard muscle. He flushed red and prayed to the heavens that no one was witness to his fleeting moment of lack of control. Stupid, stupid Kurosaki!
He lifted them both from the rubble and proceeded to wall towards safety. He would ensure that she made it out of this war alive or die trying. It was the least he could do.
()()()()()
Each sense seemed to return as her body woke. She could feel the warmth of the sun on her skin, the gentle pricking of grass beneath her, a gentle breeze passed by, rustling through trees above her, a faint floral scent wafted through the air. Slowly, she opened her eyes to the blue of the sky.
"It is a beautiful day, is it not?" The foreign voice startled her and she immediately sat up to find its source. Silver met silver. "My name is Byakuya Kuchiki."
"Y-yes. It is... Kuchiki." Her faced turned a shade of pink. The man did not frighten her. He was far too good looking to scare anyone. Any woman anyway. "I'm... I am..."
"Orihime Inoue." He knew what she didn't. Something as easy as her own name. She stared at him for a moment trying to draw up any sort of memory. She could uncover none. Her mind was completely blank, a slate wiped clean. He sensed her mild distress and continued. "Your human body died and you are now in the afterlife. Unfortunately our memories are tied to our bodies and we can't carry them with our souls to... Here."
"Oh." She whispered, clearly discouraged by his words. Her eyes drifted from his to the grass under her feet. As she felt the cool blades tickle her toes it occurred to her that all she could do was create new memories - like she was now. Her frown turned into a smile. "I guess I'll just have to make new ones."
The royal was taken aback by her almost immediate acceptance of her fate. Even without her memories she still was Hime. His Hime. The urge to touch the woman beside him was almost overwhelming, but he didn't want to scare her, or lose his composure.
"Do I know you?" She questioned her new companion. She didn't realize how much it plucked at his heart strings. It took everything in him to keep himself together, even uttering a word might break his fragile facade. Sensing his discomfort she decided it was best to fill the awkward silence with another topic. "Did you bring me here?"
"Mm." Was the royal's clipped response with a nod. He still was struggling to regain his use of language.
"Thank you..." She smiled brightly at him. "I couldn't have picked a more beautiful place for a first memory, or a nicer person to-"
"F-forgive me." Byakuya blurted out as he excused himself. He bowed deeply. "I will return shortly. I just- forgive me!"
She watched as her new friend disappeared into the distance. His actions slightly worried her, but not for fear of abandonment. She felt she had unknowingly inflicted pain on the poor man. She concluded that she would have to keep her talks about memories to a minimum when around him.
()()()()()
Off in distance Byakuya grasped the side of a tree, clutching his chest where the pain emanated from. His brows knitted together as he tried desperately to calm his emotions.
It was rude of him to run away, but he could not let her see him break down. Not while she was in such a fragile state. He needed to be strong for her, even if their prior relationship could not be rekindled. He would try in vain to keep a proper distance, allowing her to thrive in her new life and let him let go of their old one.
The Royal looked up to see the young woman sitting in the distance. Her hair glowed like burning copper in the sunlight - much like the day when she saved him from his own demise. She radiated beauty and all that made the universe good. She gave him hope. Staying away from that woman was going to be an impossible feat of nature. Heavens help him.
()()()()()
Only a few minutes had passed by when he returned to her side. He approached quietly and cautiously not to disturb the woman who seemed so deep in thought. He slowly lowered himself to sit next to her once again. She turned her head to face him.
"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to -" She offered him an apology that was quickly brushed off.
"I should be the one to say I am sorry. I was being rude. We did know each other but I can not offer you an explanation beyond that." His face settled into a contemplative scowl. He should not sway her decisions in her new life in any way. It was what she wanted before she passed. Perhaps it was for the best. Especially in regard to his aunt.
The redheaded woman stared at him in awe. He was truly a sight to behold she decided. His features were chiseled and his eyes bright, but serious. His hair was the color of midnight and glinted in the sun like a raven's feather would. His strong neck disappeared into robes that most definitely covered an incredible body. Her cheeks heated at the thought of what lie under his clothes.
"Are you unwell?" Byakuya inquired as he noticed the reddening of Orihime's face. He knew very well she was okay, but decided to toy with her a bit. She had been 'checking him out' as they say in the human world. Maybe there was hope for him yet - if his family were not so opposed.
"Y-yes! I was just... Thinking. Of things." She managed to stammer out. She winced inwardly at how stupid she must have sounded.
"There are a lot of 'things' to think about." He smirked very slightly. Silly girl. "I suppose we should head towards the city. There is a lot to do."
"Can't we just stay here forever? It's so pretty." She whined. The truth was she wasn't ready for the over stimulation that was sure to come. There would be new people, new rules, new etiquette, new everything! With a big, dramatic sigh, she fell back into the soft, green grass. If he wanted to go so badly she would at least make it a little bit difficult. "I'm still too weak."
"You could have fooled me, Miss Inoue." The raven haired man replied. He was amused and tried very hard to hide it.
"Come! Try it and maybe you won't be in such a hurry to get back." She patted the ground next to her while giving him a pleading look. She was the only woman apart from his late wife that could make him do anything - away from prying eyes of course. He coughed nervously and slowly lowered himself back to lay next to her. The cool temperature of the grass did feel good against his clothed back and the ground wasn't so hard that laying down was uncomfortable. His arm rested next to hers and he could feel the gentle warmth of her body through his sleeve. The scent of her hair reached his nostrils, the familiar scent tantalized him with memories of their last night entwined in each other's arms. It had seemed like such a simple action yet it brought him great pleasure, and discomfort. He shifted alleviate some of the throbbing pooling in his stomach and below. His thoughts were soon interrupted. "B-Byakuya?"
He lazily turned his head to look at the woman beside him. Beauty is all he saw as they locked eyes. Her breathing had become heavier, her ample chest rose and fell with every inhale and exhale of air, her cheeks were flushed a bright pink, and her full lips were parted, almost mesmerizing, as they let shaky, pleading breaths escape them. His hand searched for hers and with feather light touches he traced his fingers down her smooth arm to intertwine them with hers.
"We should go before..." He paused to look at her a moment longer, weighing the consequences of remaining in this suggestive situation. He didn't want to leave, but he knew if he stayed a moment longer, laying next to this intoxicating woman, he would lose all control. "Please, Hime."
Hime. She sat up to look down at him, studied him, searching his face for answers. She could feel his spiritual pressure, full of warmth, passion, love, and need. A need for her. Where did they know each other from? This all felt so familiar. He wanted her and she was finding she was having a hell of a time ignoring how it was making her feel. His face drew her in and she could feel it pulling her close like gravity.