Chapter 3: Clear
Rukia hurried through the hotel hallways, running towards the elevator, expertly juggling with the bags she was carrying. She had meant to buy only aloe for her captain's horrible sunburn, she had instead bought the aloe and a bunch of stuff. She really hoped her nii-sama didn't mind her overspending a bit.
When she had emerged from her room that morning she had found her captain already up, pulling out a bottle of lotion from the fridge, hoping it would cool off his burning skin. Red, irritated eyes and dark circles underneath told her that he hadn't slept a wink. Worried, she had immediately run to a store to buy him some aloe, despite his many protests against the idea.
She was now gasping for breath in the elevator, her back to the panoramic glass that gave off a 180 degree view of the hotel and the beach. Soon, she arrived to the last floor, and was swiping her card key on the door.
-Ukitake-taichou! I'm so sorry! I lost track of time!- Rukia apologized as she came into the suite. She got no answer. She walked to the living room and found her captain sprawled on the couch, on his stomach, apparently asleep. He was shirtless and his face seemed a bit scrunched up. Is he in pain?
The tiny girl carefully approached the sleeping man, trying to not make a sound to avoid waking him up. She found herself studying her Captain closely. His back was rippled with well-defined muscles, which surprised her given that the man spent a lot of time resting. His long, snow-white hair was spread all around him, like a white halo, reflecting the sunlight that filtered through the large windows. His face still looked very youthful, regardless of the obvious lack of sleep and constant illnesses. He was indeed very handsome.
-Kuchiki-san?- her captain's voice snapped her out of her thoughts. She looked at him to find green eyes staring at her curiously. Just how long had she been zoning out? She blushed scarlet.
-T-taichou?- she stammered, failing miserably at trying to appear normal –You are awake?- stupid question, dumbass! Of course he is!
Juushiro slowly sat up on the couch, stifling a small yawn with his hand –Was I asleep for long?- he asked.
-I don't know, taichou. I just got back- Rukia embarrassedly looked away from her captain. His bare chest was too distracting –I'm sorry I took so long, Taichou- she apologized –I got carried away with some stuff- she said as she held the bags in front of her. She rummaged through them until she found what she was looking for –Here- she handed the man a green bottle –That should greatly help with your sunburn, Taichou-
The captain looked at her and smiled –Thank you, Kuchiki-san- he said and Rukia felt her face grow warm again. That smile never failed to make her blush.
-I will go put all of this away, then- she said as she grabbed the bags and carried them to her room. She placed the bags on top of her bed and emptied them out. She had bought a bunch of snacks, sunscreen, after sun lotion (she didn't want a repeat of her captain's sunburn, nor did she want to get sunburn herself so she bought whatever was necessary to prevent it), a bunch of hair ties, some painkillers, and some sort of energy drink called Red Bull. When she asked the saleslady about the drink, she said it would give her a burst of energy, so she bought it out of curiosity. Humans came up with such weird things sometimes.
The black-haired girl left her room and saw her captain sitting on the couch, trying to rub some aloe on his back. His brows were scrunched up in frustration, as he was unable to properly spread the gel over his back.
Rukia walked to him –Taichou?- she called. The man turned to her, and sighed
-I'm sorry, Kuchiki-san, but I can't properly reach my back- he said and gave her an apologetic smile –Could you please do it for me? I'm sorry to ask this of you, but I can't seem to be able to do it myself-
Rukia nodded and took the bottle of aloe from Juushiro's hands. She sat down next to him on the couch, and gently moved long, white locks away before pouring some aloe into her hands. She then carefully proceeded to spread the gel over the man's back, which looked painfully red.
Juushiro couldn't help the pleased sigh that escaped his lips as he felt the gel cool down his oversensitive skin –Thank you, Kuchiki-san-
-Rukia- Juushiro turned his head to look at the girl.
-Huh?-
-Please call me Rukia, sir- she said with a small smile, a faint dust of pink on her cheeks –There is no need for formalities right now, we are on vacation!-
Juushiro smiled back at her –All right, Rukia-chan- he said as he reached her head with his hand and ruffled her hair.
Rukia huffed –I'm not a kid, Ukitake-taichou!- she whined. She hated being treated like a child, yet she couldn't bring herself to be mad at her captain, especially after seeing him laugh as freely as he was at the moment.
-I know you're not a kid, Rukia- he said. Still, she's literally a kid compared to me –I was just teasing- his eyes filled with mirth. He saw Rukia try to glare at him, but failing. Angry bunny. He stood up –I think I will take a short nap. I didn't get much sleep last night. Please wake me up if you need anything-
-All right, taichou- he heard Rukia answer and then he headed to his room. He glanced at the clock before plopping down on the soft mattress, careful not to lay down on his back. It was almost noon. An hour of sleep would do. He fell asleep almost immediately.
Rukia settled for watching TV while her captain slept. She turned on the device, and chose a random channel. It seemed to be a kid's channel, as they were currently airing a show about a bunny that reminded her of her new plushie, Shiro-kun. Her eyes sparkled as she watched the show intently. She didn't care if it was a children's show, she would like it as long as there were bunnies involved.
The show finished, and she found herself getting bored. She plopped down on the couch and begun thinking about what she could do to entertain herself while her captain rested. She didn't feel like drawing, and there was nothing interesting on TV at the moment. Fortunately, her captain chose that moment to emerge from his room.
She watched her captain lazily walk out of his room, covering a yawn with one hand, and trying to tame his long, white locks with the other. She stood up and walked to her captain –Ukitake-taichou!- she called –did you have a good nap?- the man turned to look at her, his vision still a bit blurry.
-Yes, it was refreshing- lies! Indeed, the nap had only made him feel worse. His muscles felt stiff, and his mind was slow and groggy. To top it off, he was starving, and he could feel a headache coming. He put a hand up to massage his temples and tried to will the stupid headache away. I can't get sick at a time like this…
He was so deep in thought that he didn't see his lieutenant looking at him worriedly. He put a hand up and shook his head lightly –No need to worry, Rukia-chan, I'm fine- he said before the tiny woman began fretting over his health.
Rukia looked at him, carefully studying his face for any sign of pain or illness –Are you sure, Taichou?- she asked, still unsure of his answer.
-I am sure!- he exclaimed, waiving his hands in front of him as a dismissing gesture –Why don't we go out to eat? I am rather famished-
Rukia agreed, feeling very hungry herself, but made a mental note to keep a close eye on her Captain. For some reason she didn't completely buy his explanation.
Soon, they were sitting inside of one of the hotel's many restaurants, studying the menu. They quickly ordered, and soon the food was in front of them. They were pleasantly surprised by the foreign food, and Rukia even got to laugh and snap some pictures of her Captain as he overreacted to the spices in the food. At least his headache was gone now.
They decided to go for a walk around the hotel, and ended up in one of its gigantic gardens. They sat down under one of the trees to enjoy its shade. Without noticing, they spent the remaining of the afternoon talking under the tree.
It was the first time Rukia ever saw her Captain so openly relaxed. She intently listened to his stories of when he was younger, her violet eyes wide with interest. She was particularly amazed when Juushiro told her that his hair used to be black, as she had believed for ages that his natural hair color as white.
-It's okay, Rukia-chan- he had said –I don't even remember how I used to look anymore!-
They both laughed.
Eventually Rukia felt her eyelids heavy, and slowly fell asleep lulled by what she now described as her Captain's deep, manly voice.
Juushiro stopped talking when he felt Rukia's head hit his shoulder. He didn't bother waking her up, but rather carried her back to the suite. He gently laid her on her bed and tucked her under the covers before trying to head to his own room, but was stopped by Rukia's hand holding his shirt. He tried to pry it away but the girl had a firm grip.
-Mmm… Shiro...kun- he heard her mutter in her sleep. So that was it. He smiled and looked around his Lieutenant's room for the rabbit plushie. Luckily, it was next to him, sitting on the end table. He handed the soft toy to the sleeping girl, who immediately let go of his shirt upon recognizing it and hugged it.
Juushiro stood up and took one last look of Rukia. He felt his heart melt a bit at the sight. Her short, black hair was spread around her, contrasting with her rosy pale skin. She had a peaceful expression, her usual frown was gone and made her look younger, prettier.
He left the room and went to bed with one last thought in mind.
Kuchiki Rukia was beautiful.
