It's the start of something brand new
It's the start of the closing line
With the door cracked an inch or two
Do I dare set my foot inside?
At the Kuchiki household breakfast consisted of something traditional, usually fish cake, congee and miso soup. There wasn't much variation since rice and miso were standard fare and breakfast was too unceremonious for even the Kuchiki to expand upon. Rukia wasn't one to complain, however. Having grown up in one of the poorest districts of Rukongai, she'd learned to eat pretty much anything. The only thing that sometimes bothered her was the task of actually sitting down and shoveling rice down her throat.
This was compounded by the fact that she ate breakfast with Nii-sama. While this in itself was no bother, it did bother her that she had to sit face to face with the man for virtually twenty minutes at the start of each day, during which the entire conversation might consist of:
"Good morning, Nii-sama."
A nod of acknowledgment. Five minutes later:
"Could you…pass the salt?"
"…Yes."
And it didn't help when Nii-sama had reason to be disappointed. The coldness he could project made even the finest dishes taste like sawdust in her mouth, as she was rereminded à la yesterday.
So going out was a bit of a refresher. The Soul Café was a specialty shop, the only place in Soul Society that sold Western-style human foods (though it appeared they had yet to import juice boxes into the mix). Rukia entered the cutesy coffee shop and waved at the owner, whom patrons had affectionately dubbed "The Muffin Man," which debatably referred to either his amazing baking or awe-inspiring muffin top, or both. It took a record two seconds to spot Kiyone at the other end of the establishment. It helped that the girl, upon seeing her, started waving her arms frantically like she was bringing in a plane.
"You came, you came!" Kiyone sang as Rukia slipped into the seat across from her.
"I learned my lesson," she teased back.
She wasn't terribly hungry, but for the date's sake she ordered a cranberry nut muffin and English breakfast, black. Kiyone ordered a chocolate chip muffin with a side of mayonnaise, advertised as "a real specialty" from the living world. Rukia didn't think the two tasted right, but then, that was probably just another human thing…
"So now that you've had time to think, have you decided?" Kiyone began, dousing her muffin with a heavy glob of mayonnaise.
Without thinking, Rukia smiled. "Decided what?"
"You know what."
Oh. Right. Given her rather "telling" reaction last time, this particular topic was going to be inevitable for weeks to come.
"I told you," Rukia said, feigning a long-suffering sigh. "Friends. And why is it every time we talk nowadays, the only thing you find worth discussing is boys?"
"Hey! Boys are serious business!" Kiyone snapped back in a tone that was only half joking.
"Ah."
"Besides, you're friends with Kurosaki Ichigo and Abarai Renji," Kiyone reminded her, as if Rukia had somehow forgotten. "Girls everywhere are jealous of you—not to mention your proximity to Kuchiki-taichou, Captain Sex Magnet himself."
"Oh, here we go."
"You're the luckiest girl alive," Kiyone drawled on. "Well, dead. So don't tell me it's neither, or that you don't like anyone." She paused, completely missing Rukia's face of disapproval. "Or don't you like anyone? I bet you don't. You know, I bet you don't even like boys—that's why you're never interested!"
That wasn't true. She'd had crushes. Granted, they were on married dead men, but that was a mere triviality. Rukia peeled the greasy paper cup off and delicately started nibbling on her muffin bottom first. "I like cabbages, Kiyone, I assure you."
"Well good, because you're supposed to help out with that photoshoot I was talking about, and it would defeat the entire purpose if you weren't even interested."
On second thought, maybe she should be gay.
"Defeat the purpose?" Rukia repeated incredulously. "I thought you said it was because you needed help getting photos of Nii-sama."
"Um…that was what I meant! Haha…"
Right. But as cynical as Rukia had become, maybe there really was some kind of merit behind Kiyone's ideas, because yesterday it actually worked. The problem was that instead of ogling good-looking strangers or hot best buds, she'd ended up eyeballing Nii-sama instead. That had been particularly alarming because for one long moment, Rukia couldn't help but stare with what could only be called disturbing fascination.
That kind of fascination wouldn't happen again. She couldn't believe she'd looked at him like that in the first place.
"So how are we going to do this?" Kiyone wondered aloud, tapping her teaspoon to her chin like she was deep in some profound thought. "You mentioned pole dancing, yes?"
Rukia shook her head. "I still don't see why I have to be involved," she groused, beginning to resent showing up at all. "If you're so desperate, why don't you install video cameras?"
"Privacy."
"Doesn't seem to bother you."
"I mean, it's illegal."
"So is breaking and entering."
"That's where you come in."
"And you think I'm just going to let you fangirls traipse in and have run of the manor while you photographically abuse my poor unsuspecting brother," Rukia deadpanned.
Kiyone just sipped her tea, apparently indifferent to common sense. "We already do have run of the manor—you can thank the president for that," Kiyone said dismissively. "All you'd have to do is play decoy."
"Really? Because both of us know you will carry this out whether or not I help you," Rukia reminded her.
A catty grin lit up Kiyone's face. "I know, but it'd be much more fun if you were in on it too."
Rukia gave her a worn smile. "Maybe so. But do you think I'd join you just for that?"
"Oh, you want a little convincing, do you?" Kiyone set down her tea with a clang and a clatter. "Every shinigami has her price. We just need to find out what yours is."
"Like you could bribe me into selling my brother's virtue," Rukia retorted, before adding a very curious, "With…what?"
Kiyone grinned. "How about free prints after we get the photobook together?"
Rukia shook her head.
"Or the next volume of that comic you always read?"
Nope.
"A year's free subscription to the Seireitei Tsuushin? Rabu Rabu? Eighteen Magazine? Oh, I'll make your coffee for a month! No? Free muffins—I don't know. My next paycheck? A pair of Ichigo's boxers—hey, come back, I was joking! Um…a free vacation for two to paradise in the real world—"
"Be reasonable," Rukia said, settling back into her seat. "You are asking me to sell Nii-sama's soul to Soul Society's most notorious fangirl posse. It would have to be worth it."
Kiyone slumped. "What about that new limited-edition Chappy plush?"
No.
Not the Chappy plushie.
Her first reaction should have been an automatic, irrefutable no. She shouldn't have even considered it. But Chappy was the most popular and coveted collectible in Soul Society, with Yuki the duck running a distant second. Somehow Rukia always got stuck with the duck. But to consider getting her paws on a real authentic Chappy plush collectible?
All it would take was one, maybe two pictures of Nii-sama. Possibly without a shirt. It couldn't hurt, right? Besides, she wanted that plushie. There were only a handful floating around, and their scarce supply coupled with overwhelming demand meant it was downright impossible to purchase somewhere—you had to have connections. Even Urahara, king of underground connections himself, never managed to get the Chappy Soul Pill dispenser she'd asked for, let alone a plush toy. But the SWA would have these connections. True, she already owned a Chappy toothbrush and Chappy pencil tops and a Chappy gikon and even Chappy underwear. But a plushie?
The only thing that hung in the balance was Nii-sama's dignity, and possibly her own.
The Chappy plush? Or Nii-sama?
Slight revision needed. The Chappy plush…or half-naked Nii-sama?
After all, he owed her one, right? He'd walked in on her, anyway—and she'd been stark naked at that. It was only fair that she return the favor.
For a moment, it was the worst decision she'd been faced with. But this was Chappy. Her own zanpakutou stood a better chance in Hell than Rukia did on the brink of this deal with the devil that was Kiyone.
"Alright," she conceded, chugging her tea like it was a shot of the liquid courage Matsumoto was so fond of. She slammed her cup down and tried not to fry Kiyone with a scorching gaze. "I find a way to help you get pictures of Nii-sama, you find a way to get me Chappy. Agreed?"
Kiyone took one long look at Rukia, then shook her head in dismay. "You are one sad little girl, Kuchiki Rukia."
"I know."
"Not to mention evil."
"Things even out."
"He might actually kill us this time."
"I'll make sure your deaths are quick and painless."
Kiyone waited. When Rukia said nothing, her eyebrows shot up. "You're serious," she accused.
Rukia smirked. "Wasn't this your idea? I thought you'd be happy."
"I am happy, I'm just a little shocked," Kiyone said, slowly matching Rukia grin for grin. "And—wait—Kuchiki Byakuya versus a Chappy plushie, and guess who wins Rukia's heart? Wait till the girls hear about this!"
"Don't go parading it around," Rukia scolded, glancing around in case she needed to bury witnesses. "I'm just saying I would be willing to…you know, help a bit…if it means getting Chappy."
That cracked Kiyone up even more. "Jeez, Rukia! Are you really that desperate for a Chappy plush or are you just the Kuchiki closet prankster?"
Rukia smirked. "A little of both, but this is nothing. You should have seen me in my Rukongai days."
"True, true," Kiyone admitted. "But…this is your Nii-sama we're talking about. You obviously respect him. Are you sure this is something you could do?" Pause. "Do you want to do it?"
For Chappy, Rukia would do anything. She shrugged, chin in palm, as she absently crumpled and uncrumpled her muffin cup. "It's not disrespecting him, it's just…"
What?
Rukia crumpled up the muffin cup again. "He needs more…appreciation."
She expected Kiyone to go off into a tizzy again. This time, however, Kiyone covered her mouth and smiled coyly.
"You're such a naughty girl, Rukia."
A cold wave washed over Rukia's nerves. She stared at Kiyone with a guarded expression. "What do you mean, naughty?" she asked in a low voice.
Kiyone burst out laughing. "You're breaking the rules, duh!" she answered easily, such a contrast to Rukia's cagey response that Rukia was momentarily thrown. "I doubt our deal would garner much respect in the eyes of your family." Kiyone grinned, the real meaning of it all lost on her. "Why? What kind of naughty did you think I meant?"
Rukia swallowed. "Nothing."
Of course. Kiyone hadn't been serious. She'd been on a roll, throwing names left and right, and Nii-sama was no exception. Rukia was being naughty for taking part in their photobook scheme, thereby pitting herself against her own idol of a brother. That was it. There was nothing more to construe.
Somehow, though, Rukia wished Kiyone was referring to that other kind of naughty, because despite yesterday's joking, Kiyone wasn't even considering it. That made Rukia even more uncomfortable, because she actually had.
Unaware of the dilemma she'd caused, Kiyone glanced at her phone and sighed. "Uh oh. Time to go. Wouldn't want to be late again, eh?"
Rukia nodded, uncomfortably relieved. She dropped the disintegrating muffin cup on her plate with the rest of their garbage. "Kotsubaki might make a scene like last time."
Kiyone laughed. "Don't worry. Aside from the fact that I told him I'd beat him up if he did, he's on assignment, which means I get to spend the entire day in the office alone." She gasped. "Do you want to work in the office today?"
"What?"
"The office," Kiyone repeated. "Taichou's sick and Kotsubaki's on a mission, and I don't want to spend all day by myself. Let's have a girl's day at the office!"
Rukia wasn't sure she'd be able to handle Kiyone for an eight hour shift if it was going to revolve around boys and the SWA and all other circles of silly gossip. Kiyone didn't give her much choice. She dragged Rukia to headquarters where she switched her out of patrol and replaced her with someone who'd been scheduled for paperwork. Naturally it was well within a third seat's rights to do so, but Kiyone was being a little dictatorial for her own personal amusement. Though the office attendant did seem too happy to be replaced…
"We're not talking boys or photobooks or anything of the sort," Rukia said, laying the ground rules before the topic wormed itself into the conversation again. "Promise?"
Kiyone threw an arm around Rukia—something she tended to do when drunk. "Promise! Now let's get this show on a roll. I'll start on this pile and you can organize those bins."
Rukia hunkered down. Despite her worrying, it was Kiyone's company that made the morning pass faster than usual. Filing papers was so insanely boring that Rukia preferred the harder physical labor of patrols any day. The thing that made office work tolerable was good company and office pranks, but since the guys were out, they only had the former. She resigned herself to paper pushing while Kiyone crunched the budget.
After a small eternity, Kiyone put down her brush. "I can't get it out of my head."
Rukia knew what she was referring to instantly. "Sounds like that won't be cured until you get to announce it to the SWA."
"Oh, have some faith, Rukia. I can keep my mouth shut. The only ones who'll know are Unohana and Ise," Kiyone said, listing off the chairwoman and vice president respectively. "We couldn't even tell the prez, because she'd run off and tell Kuchiki-taichou herself."
"You'd tell Kotsubaki," Rukia challenged.
Kiyone rolled her eyes. "Okay, yes, but he doesn't count. For anything."
"You'd tell Isane," Rukia said, smiling now. "You'd tell Taichou. Hell, you'd tell the dead if you could."
"Only Kaien-sama," Kiyone said with a grin. "He always did want to see your brother fall off his high horse. He'd find it hilarious if he could hear what you agreed to today."
Rukia's smile faded. "Has there been talk of filling the lieutenant's seat?"
Kiyone shook her head. "Still no. I mean, Kotsubaki and I take care of most of the work anyway, but it'd be nice if Taichou would hurry up and pick someone. The seat's been empty for forty years. It's time we had a lieutenant for this division."
Forty years since she'd killed Kaien. It wasn't her fault, everyone said, and she'd been forgiven after finally facing his family. But their forgiveness didn't lessen the pain at all. Sometimes it felt like the lieutenant's seat was being deliberately left empty just to taunt her.
"I was watching you practice the other day," Kiyone said suddenly, her expression oddly sober. "You really should be a seated officer."
Rukia made a face. "No, I shouldn't."
"Uh, yes, you should," Kiyone shot back. "Your kidou is the best in our division, and maybe you don't notice, but everyone looks up to you. Even Taichou said he'd pay you out of pocket if you tutored the less talented members—and he was referring to the seated members! Besides, haven't you realized that Yamada Hanatarou is above you? He's a seventh seat! If he gave you an order you'd have to obey it!"
"He's in a different division."
"He's a seated officer!"
Rukia groaned.
"Seriously," Kiyone continued, turning back to her work. "Everyone knows you're more than capable. Well, everyone except your brother apparently, since he's the one with the leash around your neck."
"My brother does not have a leash around my neck," Rukia retorted.
Kiyone sat up suddenly, crossing her arms. "Oh yeah? Then why did Taichou tell me you've been banned from promotion? Your brother went around making sure you could never progress in your career! Tell me that isn't a leash. Who knew Kuchiki Byakuya could get so paranoid?"
"My brother is not paranoid. He has a promise to keep and he's too busy to look after me himself."
Kiyone made a face. "You're a grown woman. You know how to fight. He doesn't need to babysit you like some Academy brat and it's not like the boys are knocking down your door. Even if you haven't scared most of them off already, they sure as hell don't want to mess with your big brother. It's really not that dangerous."
Rukia sighed. "I think he meant the missions."
Kiyone blinked. "Oh. Well…even they're not that dangerous. It's not like we ask our fifth seats to take on the Menos Grande, and seriously, what's the worst that could happen? Getting trapped into extra paperwork because someone still hasn't found a lieutenant to help out on his sick days?"
"You just said you guys take care of that anyway."
"We could still use some help," Kiyone mused, settling back into her seat. "And what's not to like? We'd see each other more often, you'd get a pay raise—not that you need it, I'm sure—and you'd replace one of the morons like fifth or eleventh that I've been dying to get rid of."
"Charming."
"Anyway, you'd be working around a whole new group, and not just from our division," Kiyone said, picking up her pen. "Maybe then someone would be lucky enough to capture your attention. Someone who's more than just a cabbage at the supermarket."
Rukia smiled.
Even though it came off sounding like a lecture, it was a tremendous ego booster to hear a superior's praise, even if that superior was her favorite girlfriend. But as good as it was to hear Kiyone's confidence in her, it wasn't the real reason for her excitement. Nii-sama would just have to bear a little discomfort after finding out the SWA had finally nabbed him. And of course, he would never know of Rukia's involvement. It was perfect.
Kiyone was right…Rukia was evil.
She couldn't wait.
For the rest of the day Rukia couldn't think of anything but. When she finally finished her workload, she was raring to face dinner headfirst and get it over with once and for all. She returned home and promptly went looking for Yuu, but hardly passed three rooms before she stumbled upon Nii-sama. He was seated at a low table, reading and having tea in a room overlooking the courtyard. The sight warmed her. Nii-sama was so precious that if it weren't for his icy shell and cold demeanor she would've run over and hugged him in a heartbeat. The pang of affection that squeezed in her heart right then made her smile.
Then that smile died with a cold, albeit belated, realization.
I just agreed to help sneak pictures of Nii-sama for the SWA photobook.
Nii-sama. The man with the icy shell and cold demeanor who was one of the most feared and respected shinigami in Soul Society. The man who once unleashed his bankai on a harmless swimming pool the SWA had created in one of his backyards and then unabashedly tried to lock them up in their own headquarters.
The man who stared back as she gaped at him naked in the shower.
Oh, Nii-sama was going to be in for a big surprise…if she didn't chicken out first.
Before she had the presence of mind to stop staring and move on, however, Byakuya looked up. Rukia twitched like she'd been tasered.
"Er…good afternoon…Nii-sama!"
"Good afternoon."
Rukia paused. It'd be weird if he caught her staring only for her to run away, wouldn't it? He was clearly waiting for her to speak, but she didn't know if there even was anything to say. But he was waiting, and Rukia's face heated as she stared back at him wordlessly.
Oh heck, Rukia thought, you've never been this awkward around him before!
She stepped into the room and attempted an apologetic smile. "Uh, how was your day?"
He didn't answer as quickly as she would have liked. When he did, it was quiet, in a way that wasn't all there.
"…It was fine."
Rukia frowned. "Did something happen?" But even if anything was wrong, he wasn't going to tell her. In fact, his only issue was probably that he didn't want to talk to her.
But he just gave a faint shake of his head. "There is nothing to worry about."
That made her worry more. But before Rukia could point out that she hadn't said there was anything to worry about, he snapped his book shut and plucked the teapot from the table. He filled the spare cup and nudged it toward her.
One minute he was giving her a cold shoulder, and the next he wanted to sit with her for tea? Perhaps she was overanalyzing everything and he wasn't avoiding her at all…but he'd been so cold the past few days that it felt awkward joining him for something as simple as tea. Nevertheless, Rukia entered and knelt on the tatami beside him. "Thank you, Nii-sama."
He didn't say anything to that, so Rukia sipped her tea in silence.
Damn…she was certain there was still guilt written on her face. Somehow he'd look at her and instantly know what she was up to. He'd probably already caught wind, despite the fact that it would've been impossible to catch on miles away from a private meeting between two girls at a humble coffee shop.
But despite his invitation to join, he was quiet—too quiet. She wondered if she should dig around to find out what was bothering him before he suddenly asked, "Is Ukitake still willing to pay you to tutor kidou?"
It was so random that she sort of laughed—something she didn't do in front of him. "I suppose…though I thought it was a joke…"
The ghost of a smile worked its way onto his face, although Rukia was too busy deciding between the nori and the rice crackers to really register it. She chose a senbei wrapped in nori and crunched on it before asking, "Are you looking to do the same for your division?" She paused. "I mean, Renji?"
"No. He is already hopeless."
Rukia smiled. "I guess in some ways he will always be an 11th."
He frowned, although that too passed without Rukia giving it much thought. "How are your duties at the 13th?" he said, which in the language of Kuchiki Byakuya meant, "How are you today?"
Rukia smiled as she recounted her day, more to pass the time than out of any real interest in what she'd done. She was careful to leave out Chappy, though. No doubt he would've been thrilled about that. She had just reached the part where Kiyone discussed promotions when he set down his tea.
"You will not be promoted to a seated position," he said.
"I know," Rukia said quickly. "I told her. Even if I could, I'm not skilled enough to deserve a seat anyway."
While her kidou was top-notch, her sword wielding skills left something to be desired. Part of it was that, with her size, she didn't have a hope in hell when it came to matching the boys for strength. No matter how well she developed her zanjutsu, Ichigo and Nii-sama would always be stronger. At least with kidou she'd been able to hone herself past everyone around her, but as always, Nii-sama was still better.
Usually this kind of competition would turn her green to the gills with envy. But with Nii-sama, all she could do was gaze at him starry-eyed and admire him more. Though that in itself was probably a little unusual…
"I do not doubt you are capable of holding a seat under Ukitake," he said. "But there are duties undertaken by officers which I would rather you not take part in."
He needn't be concerned. She'd long decided that a seat wasn't all that important. Yes, she would have liked to have held a seat, if only to make him proud, but she would not disregard his wishes. She could deal with a seating ban, despite her inclination to reach for the top, because that was what he wanted.
She couldn't, however, deal with being weak. And the more she was inadvertently rescued by Ichigo or Renji or Nii-sama, the more she realized she was weak. Idly she wondered if she was letting her skills stagnate because she knew she'd never move anywhere and the boys always had her back. It didn't matter how hard she worked to defend herself—Nii-sama would always jump in and save the day.
There must have been something about that, combined with the way Kiyone brought it up that bothered her, because when she looked at him her brow knit and her fingers clenched around her tea.
"Yamada Hanatarou is a seated officer," she said before she could stop herself. "If he were to give me an order…would I have to obey it?"
Nii-sama looked nonplussed. "He is in a different division."
"I know," she said, annoyed that he'd given the same excuse she'd given Kiyone earlier. "But what if there were no other officers, or if we were stranded together on the battlefield? If it came down to it…would I have to take orders from him?"
She almost expected him to say, "Fourth Division doesn't count," but when he replied it was without hesitation.
"Yes, if that were the case."
Picture that: Kuchiki Rukia, running around on Hanatarou's every whim. She wasn't sure whether to laugh or cry.
"Fourth Division is different, however," he continued, unaware of the tragic scenario playing in her head. "Their purposes are not for battle, nor military strategy. The boy is a medic, not a tactician. It would depend entirely on the situation."
So only if he ordered her to haul his medical supplies to and fro? That didn't seem much better…
"Why do you ask?"
Rukia bit her lip and stared at the steam spiraling gently from her bowl. She didn't want to talk about this. Not with Nii-sama. But he was waiting, and as the silence began to draw unnaturally long, she didn't have much choice. "I guess…I feel like I'm stagnating," she murmured, hoping he wouldn't hear.
He did, because he sighed and set down his tea. "I have only heard of your improvement," he said loftily. "Ukitake-taichou is always honest with me."
There was a compliment in there somewhere, but for some reason it only annoyed her. He had to have known what she meant.
"I always get saved by you or Ichigo," she continued, and deep in her proud heart the admission felt like some kind of defeat. She hated letting the one person she respected so much see her in such pitiful estate. "And not just at Soukyoku," she muttered, citing the only real excusable exception. "Even in Karakura, and Hueco Mundo…"
"Those were extenuating circumstances," he said simply.
Her fingers tightened around the ceramic. "It doesn't matter."
And it didn't. Because until she could give Nii-sama a reason to be pleased with her—to be proud of her, dare she ask that of him—she was deadweight, just another worrisome detail in his already hectic life.
"You are singling out exceptions," he said, and with a note of finality he raised his ceramic to his lips. "There are many achievements you have reached of your own accord."
No, no, no.
"When I was adopted, you had me graduate immediately from the Academy without finishing my courses," Rukia said, her gaze hard on the table. "You had me placed in 13th without the required entrance exam and I was immediately made Kiyone's assistant. Yet even at the Academy, Renji teased me for falling behind…and today he is the only lieutenant who has achieved bankai." Her voice grew quieter until she whispered, "I couldn't earn a seat of my own right even if I wanted."
She felt him pause. Then he put down his tea.
"Perhaps we could arrange a skirmish before dinner."
Rukia looked up. "What?"
He glanced at her with those lovely, dark eyes, and despite the fact that she'd just spilt her deepest insecurities to the man she admired more than anyone, it was only now that he was looking at her that she felt so exposed.
"It has been a while since we've practiced," he murmured.
Actually, it had been decades since he'd taken her for a scuffle. When she first joined the Gotei 13, he'd occasionally supervise her on the Kuchiki grounds, though she'd always suspected it was to make sure she didn't lay waste to his precious bellflowers. Since then, they hadn't trained once together. While she had obviously improved over the years, it didn't merit an audience from Nii-sama himself. The idea of practicing right now was almost as absurd as the Chappy ordeal.
By this point, however, Nii-sama had left his seat and was reaching for the door. Rukia felt a rush of panic and scrambled to her feet.
"Wait!"
He paused, turning just enough to look at her.
"Right now?" she breathed. She couldn't quite believe he wanted to spar in the middle of an afternoon tea.
He turned toward her expectantly. "Is there a problem?"
Why yes there is! Nii-sama plus tea did not equal fighting time, and besides, she didn't exactly feel like showcasing her weaknesses before having her self-worth trampled again by the Taira. But instead she settled for a meek and respectful, "It's just sudden," and as she stammered she found she couldn't really look him in the eye.
"I mean, there's dinner…" she said, feeling extraordinarily lame.
"We have time."
"I'm sure you are busy, Nii-sama…"
"I was drinking tea."
"But it might rain…"
"Rukia," he said, turning full to face her. "We will go outside and practice."
Okay…she couldn't argue that.
Rukia picked up Sode no Shirayuki and followed him out. True to her word, the sky was clouding over, and a few drops of rain dampened her skin. But unless there was a full scale thunderstorm on the way, which would've been dangerous with a sky full of Senbonzakura, Nii-sama seemed adamant that they practice right away.
Rukia's heart raced, nervous and excited at once. She wanted to prove her worth, to show how much she could do…but she was nothing compared with this man. He was Captain Kuchiki Byakuya, in his prime and at the top of his career. She was, well, Kuchiki Rukia. There wasn't much she could do to impress him.
Fifteen paces away, Nii-sama turned to face her.
"We won't use kidou," he said, drawing his blade and holding it lightly in front of him. "We will only use zanjutsu."
Rukia nodded. It would be pointless to practice her strengths, even if it made her look better. That, and Nii-sama probably didn't want to ruin his lawn…
She reached for Sode no Shirayuki, antsy with anticipation, but as soon as her fingers grazed the familiar hilt, the insecurities subsided. Sode no Shirayuki was a steel, calming presence no matter her opponent. Even Senbonzakura didn't faze her. Rukia raised her up and felt the soul of her blade hum in agreement.
Ready, set, ice.
Nii-sama moved. In the next second he was before her. Instinct had Rukia swinging her blade before she saw it coming, knocking back his first strike and opening him up for her own. Several swift exchanges were marked by the metallic clips of their blades, each set followed by a brief intermittent silence. He followed her closely, his sharp eyes watching her every move.
For some reason, it bugged her. She'd never felt particularly comfortable under his gaze, but she hadn't been forced to meet his eyes since that night in the bath. Since then she'd been avoiding his gaze, unwilling to meet his eyes lest the embarrassment come flooding back. Now, she had to look at him.
He had no problem watching her though. He was driving the offensive using swift, precise cuts, watching her with the intensity of a hawk. She raised her blade to push back at his advance, but it was impossible to fight without looking at him. She ducked away to break his gaze but gave him an opening instead, allowing him to knock her back. She landed on one knee.
Rukia rushed again, throwing a hard swing when she lost her footing. Her sandal caught and then she was airborne, and in the next second she was smacking into a hard surface face first on her feet. She opened her eyes.
She was tucked up against him, her blade dangling safely beside her, body flush against his as one strong arm trapped her close. He'd caught her by the waist in a one-armed embrace, and now she was pressed up against his hard body with her face in his chest, so close that she could taste his scent. Her eyes widened.
Awkward!
"Sorry," she mumbled, quickly extricating herself from his grip. He released her and stepped back, waiting for her to regain her composure. But as soon as Rukia freed herself, she was too distinctly aware of the chilly spring air.
Rukia shook her head. "I could have impaled you," she muttered distractedly.
"Not like that, you wouldn't," he said. "Your swing was too wide."
Ah…
This time he waited for Rukia to move first. She darted in, taking advantage of her shorter stature to surprise him with a low cut. He crossed it easily, sparing his shins and leaving her entire body vulnerable. She retreated and within seconds they were locked together again, blades grappling for dominance. They were so close that she could see her reflection in his half-lidded eyes. He stared back, unreadable as ever.
Then there was the brandish of steel on steel as Senbonzakura slid off Sode no Shirayuki. He cut from above and Rukia narrowly blocked it, supporting the steel with both hands to counter his greater strength. With a hard shove she jumped back and landed a few feet away. This time she couldn't help but shift her gaze to the arm that had just been wrapped around her.
He could've let her fall. He could have watched her fall flat on her face and waited unamused for her to get up again. In fact, that would have been expected. But he didn't.
Then, out of idle curiosity: What if she tripped again?
Rukia cursed as she blocked his incoming blow. She had to stop thinking about this. It hadn't been any different from Kiyone's one-armed embrace earlier, and both cases had been a show of support. But the move had been so uncharacteristic that she couldn't help but dissect it over and over, and maybe she was insane enough to think tripping again wouldn't be such a bad idea.
Just to see what would happen.
Of course.
Nothing more than that.
Of course not.
In her split second of wondering otherwise, there was the empty swish of Sode no Shirayuki on air and Nii-sama was gone without having used shunpo.
"You're open."
Before Rukia could blink, he was behind her, the flat of his blade resting gently like a dove upon her shoulder.
Nii-sama was a scary opponent. She knew he would never put a scratch on her, but for anyone else, his cold persona and flawless technique would've been positively frightening. Despite the speed of his swing, the blade graced her shoulder—he could put in an honest fight and was still skilled enough to let her walk away unscathed. Yet she knew that if she had been a real enemy, she would have found herself missing her head at that moment.
She was incredibly lucky to have such a protective man watching over her…
"That's enough for today," he said, and Senbonzakura disappeared into its sheath. "Dinner begins in an hour. Be ready to leave at the front entrance. Fudo will be coming, as well."
Rukia sheathed her sword. It seemed silly to avoid meeting his gaze now, so she looked up at him, eyes bright. "Thank you for practicing with me, Nii-sama."
"You did well," he stated.
Now that surprised her. At first she thought it was a joke, but then, this was Nii-sama. He didn't joke outside of some rumor Renji had started wherein he'd claimed that he cut his hair with Senbonzakura. Even then it was likely Renji had been drunk off his ass, because Nii-sama didn't joke. But he also didn't hand out compliments for the sake of it. He must have meant it at least a little.
Rukia's face heated and she immediately ducked into a bow. "Thank you, Nii-sama."
Instead of leaving, though, Nii-sama turned and faced her. "Why did you refuse?"
Rukia blinked. "Refuse?"
"You refused three times," he said, looking almost confused himself. "First about dinner, then with tea…then something about the weather."
Oh.
Rukia's face grew hot.
Why? Sure, it was sudden, but it was Nii-sama. She shouldn't have been afraid of what he might say, or what he might see. But maybe that was it? At first she thought it was because she didn't want to look weak in front of him, but maybe it was something else entirely. Although she realized that, in refusing, she probably looked weak in an entirely different way…and one she wasn't comfortable with seeing exposed at all.
Rukia looked away. "Like I said, it was sudden," she told him. "I wasn't expecting it."
It was the truth, but it still felt like a cover-up.
"I see."
She wasn't sure he believed her.
He made to leave, but Rukia intercepted him with another apology. "Nii-sama, I am sorry if I offended you with my disrespectful behavior. It was rude of me to refuse so vehemently after you kindly offered to help. It will not happen again."
For a moment, he looked like he was going to say something. Then he turned away.
"I encourage you to continue training up your zanjutsu," he said quietly, "despite any discouraging circumstances you may find yourself in, either now or in the future."
Rukia stared at the insignia on his back, suddenly feeling uncertain. She must've given him a terrible impression for him to say such things. Did he really think she'd quit so easily? That something as trivial as a seating ban would dissuade her from training as hard as she could?
If that was the case, he was sorely mistaken.
"Nii-sama, if I have behaved in a manner that has given you doubts, I apologize," Rukia ground out. He turned and they locked eyes, and for the first time in what felt like forever, Rukia didn't falter under his gaze. "I will never give up or relinquish my place in the line of duty."
Something flickered in his dark eyes, and Rukia wished she could decipher something, anything of what might lay behind them. Pride? Hope? Indifference? Pain? She dared to hope he would deny any doubts, or nod in awe of her dedication and resolve. But he didn't do either. He turned, and in the wake of his leaving trail she wished he would've at least acknowledged her determination. But he didn't, and there was nothing to be said.
Tired, sore, and deeply wishing she could plop into the nearest futon and nap for the next hundred years, Rukia trailed after him. Next on the agenda was to find Yuu and prepare for that dreaded outing. Rukia followed him in, expecting the same cold shoulder he'd given her yesterday. But as she headed to her room she stole one last glance at him…to see him looking at her in return.
They both looked away.
She couldn't put her finger on it, but at some point during their fight or their tea or their confrontation afterward, his behavior changed again. Yes, he acted like he was ignoring her, but then she'd catch him paying more attention than she would ever expect. Rukia tried not to think about it as she wandered to her room. There were more important things to worry about than Nii-sama's indecipherable behavior, and trying to figure out his capricious conduct would only run her mind in circles.
It was probably just her imagination anyway.
