Copyright 2017
Please do not steal my work.I don't own Bleach, or any of the pictures used. I do own my original plot and my original characters.
It was crowded. Naomi hated crowds.
But of course, here she was, scrambling through the hustling bunch of stuck-up nobles who thought they were better then everyone else. No, Naomi would never had gone to this type of gathering, had it not been mandatory.
To forge new bonds with powerful clans and strengthen the existing ones, her father had said.
Strengthen bonds? Yeah right. Those supposed bonds were about as strong as the thin ribbon holding back her hair.
It wasn't as if she didn't see the way the nobility women chatted and laughed amiably with each other until one of them turned their back, and the other rolled their eyes and scowled in disdain. Or notice the strained smiles exchanged constantly between the nobility men. Yes, strong bonds. Definitely.
The young girl fisted the back of her father's robes tightly as she hid behind his leg. When she could feel her father's hand gently ruffling her dark locks, she looked up curiously.
Hideshi Hotaru smiled encouragingly at his daughter, beckoning ahead to the two new presences in front of them.
Shyly peeking out from behind the figure of her father, Naomi could make out the figure of a young, dark haired boy in a formal yukata, along with an older man, also in a yukata. She was still analyzing the two in front of her curiously, when she was suddenly pushed from behind her father's legs and out into the open. Naomi turned to her father with questioning eyes. Hideshi only flitted his eyes towards the young boy in silent command.
Introduce yourself.
Naomi sighed, gathering up her courage before turning to face the boy and smiling shyly. "Hello, I'm Naomi Hotaru," Naomi greeted formally, before bowing. But then, as she lifted her gaze and got a closer look at the boy, her cheeks suddenly grew warm. The boy in front of her wasn't half bad looking. His features, although young, were sharp and handsome. His long dark hair was pulled back into a ponytail, although a couple rebel strands strayed loose, hanging over his large grey eyes. Eyes that were flitting across the room disinterestedly at the moment.
Wait... what?
"O-Oi! I'm talking to you!"
The boy's eyes snapped to her, and widened slightly.
Naomi huffed, glaring at the boy in disdain. "You know, you're supposed to look at the person who's taking to you." She ignored the disapproving stare of her father.
The boy continued to stare at her.
"Can't you talk?" Naomi sputtered, starting to feel quite uncomfortablewith this boy's staring.
Finally the boy blinked, and, "I'm sorry, did you say something?"
Naomi's eyebrow was twitching. Deep breaths Naomi. In, out. In, out. In- Ah, screw it. "Maybe if you were listening, you'd know you stuck up jerk!" she exploded, before storming off into the crowd.
"Wait Naomi!" Hideshi sweatdropped, before turning to look apologetically at the two nobles. "Excuse me Kuchiki-sama, Byakuya-sama," he bowed, before rushing off to find his daughter.
Byakuya... Kuchiki? Huh, what a jerk.