Last chapter (finally). In this there is a brief mention of Ichigo and fullbringers (you'll know who they are if you've read recent chapters) but not too much. I didn't really want to go there. For ages I'm guesstimating everyone to be around twelve and thirteen when the story started. By the end five years have passed. Also I saw An as around five so she's eleven. Also changed the rating to T because of language and some scenes with Byakuya and Kid (which aren't anything too serious. i wasn't sure how far to take it). Here's hoping you enjoy it.
Confusion. That was the word to describe how all the students felt at the assembly. Especially when their beloved Shinigami-sama took his mask off, revealing a she instead of a he and introducing herself. You could hear a pin drop, it was that silent. Kirio Hikifune had expected this. She stood with Byakuya on one side of her and Kid on the other. Ichigo, Renji, Rukia and Yoruichi sat on the bleachers with the other students. She explained how the school began, what Soul Reapers were and how things were going to change. When she finished it was still silent. "I understand your shock however I had to keep this a secret. I not only lied to you but also to my faithful staff. I would completely understand if you all chose to leave" At first no one said anything then Kilik jumped up on his seat.
"No way Shini-I mean Hikifune-san! This doesn't change anything, no matter how crazy it sounds. I'm not going anywhere!"
"Neither are we!" Fire and Thunder said at the same time joining their meister
"Yeah, same here!" Another student shouted
"Us too!" Before long the whole school was standing in support of her. A single tear trailed down her face as she smiled. Kid took her hand in his and glanced casually at Byakuya who stood emotionlessly watching the audience. In fact Kid wouldn't have thought this affected him at all if he hadn't seen his mother's other hand in Byakuya's own.
Later that day found Kirio in a private conference with Head Captain Yamamoto who had decided after hearing Byakuya that she shouldn't feel alone anymore. While they talked Byakuya sat on the steps outside the school, watching Renji teach Black Star some new techniques as he wielded Tsubaki. Rukia and Ichigo had gone off on a tour of the city with Maka and Soul. Yoruichi had gone off with Blair to do who knows what. That left Byakuya alone to collect his thoughts. He still had aspects of his child personality, for instance it showed when he was annoyed or angered more. Yoruichi suggested it might be awhile before he was completely back to his old self. He was happy yet sad the same time that his stay at the DWMA was almost over. Head Captain Yamamoto had made it known that he wanted his Sixth Division captain back.
"You'll be leaving soon won't you?" Kid walking up to face him
"Yes"
"I-I-"
"You'll find someone else Kairi" Kid blushed slightly at the use of his real name "Someone who will appreciate you and love you. Think of me as only a passing season, it was never meant to last" Byakuya used one hand to pull something out of his hair. Filled with a bit of anger and even more determination he grabbed Byakuya's hand in a tight grip.
"You're not a 'passing season'. I'll never meet anyone like you again. Your temper, your beauty, your kindness, all of these form the most perfect person I've ever met. Its a plus that you're also very symmetrical" Kid became more emboldened when he saw the edge of his crush's mouth curve into a smile. His heart skipped a beat "You're mine when I turn eighteen" He declared not noticing until after those words had left his lips that everyone was watching them now, even students who were on their way to class.
"Go Kid!" Maka clapped wildly since she had just returned from the tour. The Thompson sisters clapped with her. There were hoots and hollers from the rest of his friends.
"Don't worry, I'll make sure no one gets within five feet of him!" Renji added to which he got a glare from Byakuya. To hide his embarrassment Kid threw his arms around the older man and hid his face on his shoulder which only made everyone go wilder. Byakuya placed an arm around him. He gave no response, only laughed softly. Renji pretended he had a heart attack from witnessing such a sight. Tired of his teasing Senbonzakura went after him in her human form.
Meanwhile Kirio Hikifune paced in her office where Yamamoto sat drinking tea. Dr. Stein, Sid, Nygus and Spirit Albarn. They had all sat silently as the conversation went along, only adding when they were needed. "And so it is agreed then? Your son will take over one day, Byakuya will visit once a month to report, the students here will be trained in how to deal with hollows though I'd prefer if that was still left to us. I have contacted the vizards, they will be responsible for training. It will give them something constructive to do. Am I leaving out anything?"
"No sir" She turned to face him "Thank you for this"
"No Hikifune-san, thank you. I had neglected you and this school for far too long yet you never gave up" He stood up "You have done a wonderful job here, all of you have" Yamamoto said turning to the others. "I will take my leave tomorrow. You must come home for at least a few days, show Kairi where his mother came from. I am also sure Shunsui, Junshiro, Retsu and Hiyori for certain would like to see you"
"Hiyori" She whispered, memories coming back of the outspoken girl she had loved as a daughter
"Do you have someone who will remain in charge?"
"Spirit" She said without hesitation. She trusted him completely and he was the Death Scythe in charge of North America so it made sense to her. Yamamoto nodded.
"Good, all of that is cleared up. Now everyone sit and drink tea with me. I hate doing so alone" Kirio relaxed and scooted next to Nygus. The group spent the rest of the evening talking.
"Welcome to the Soul Society" Captain Yamamoto announced the next afternoon. He had allowed a fairly large group of students to the Soul Society. All of the captains stood at the gate to welcome them. Kirio could barely contain her joy when she saw Junshiro and Shunsui. She hugged one then threw her arms around the other.
"It's nice to see you again. I never thought I'd get another chance" Captain Ukitake coughed. Kirio frowned as she slapped Shunsui on the back of his head.
"Have you been taking care of him?"
"Of course!" Her friend whined rubbing where he had been hit "That really hurt, by the way you still look lovely my beautiful Kirio" He received another hit for the comment
"It is wonderful to have you back" Captain Unohana said. Kirio threw her arms around the older woman too who hugged her back. "You were greatly missed"
"KIRIO!" A short blond screamed. She pushed through the crowd until she came to the woman who had been like a mother to her. Hiyori paused briefly as she took in the changed features of the woman standing in front of her, the longer hair, the worry lines but the same gentle smile. She tackled her in an attempt to embrace her. Kirio laughed as Hiyori cried into her shirt. "Can you tell she missed you?" Shinji grinned "Bout time too. By the way who's the boy?" He asked looking at Kid who didn't know what to do with all the attention his mother was receiving. His friends and classmates were off wondering around and he had no clue as to where Byakuya went.
"My son" She stood up with Hiyori still attached to her waist "Kairi these are my friends and practically family. Especially this one, Hiyori"
"She was a Soul Reaper?" Kid asked. His mother nodded "But she looks my age or younger" Hiyori's eyebrow twitched
"HOW DARE YOU! I'm much older and mature than you! Don't think just cus Kirio's your mom that I won't kick your butt...and why are you staring at me like that?" Kid had tilted his head slightly as if studying her.
"Your hairstyle makes the rest of you look very unsymmetrical. I can fix it...please let me fix it" Kid pleaded
"Kirio whats wrong with him? Is he insane?" Hiyori inched away from Kid who kept coming closer.
"Ahhh yes about that..." She began.
Meanwhile from atop a building not too far away Byakuya had observed everything with a sleeping An in his arms for a few minutes before heading to his own home. He had every intention of finding Mifune no matter how long it took. It only took a second for him to realize Black Star was running beside him. He smirked before using shun po to move faster. A determined Black Star tried to keep up. By the time they arrived at the Kuchiki estates he fell on his back. "How did you do that? Gotta teach it to me" He managed to get out. "Come" He simply answered. Without question Black Star followed him. Byakuya led him to his grandfather where introductions were passed around. Byakuya announced An would be staying with them. He had servants prepare her a room and another one for Black Star who wasn't paying attention. He was more interested in the weapons hanging around. Byakuya also announced he intended to find An and his friend in the Rukongai. Ginrei simply smiled as his grandson talked, noticing the change in his personality. It wasn't big but it was enough for someone like him who had known Byakuya all his life to notice. Besides he thought the little girl to be cute though he hadn't decided on the young ninja yet. He did feel that the two would fit in among the Kuchiki clan. Despite popular opinion the Kuchiki family were not as strict as people thought and in fact until Byakuya had lost his parents they were known as being an extremely relaxed, laid back family. When Byakuya finished Ginrei invited his grandson's new 'children' to meet the more of the family. Black Star had to be dragged away from a sword he had found while An, who had awakened, had taken the elder Kuchiki's hand and skipped happily away with him.
~1 Month Later~
Byakuya had fit back into life in the Soul Society. He found the Sixth Divsion offices in disarray when he had returned. Signs of his red headed lieutenant were everywhere. Other than that he had reports everything had run smoothly to which he wasn't surprised. He had plenty of faith in Renji. In no time at all he was running things the way they used to be. He took up training again to get himself back in shape. Senbonzakura now had the permanent effect of being able to transform into a human body outside of his mental world. Captain Kurotsuchi loved it and wanted to run tests on her and Byakuya, who still snapped every once in a while or made a childish comment. Such as the first day back at the captain's meeting when Kurotsuchi kept poking him with a pencil Byakuya snatched it away, broke it then said very loudly "Don't touch me you annoying quack" His eyes had widened right after the words left his mouth. The others sat stunned. Their usual calm, stoic captain had just called another a name.
"As I suspected, you still retain bits of your childish personality" Kurotsuchi stated. Zaraki laughed "That was how he acted when he was a kid? I'd like to see more of it Kuchiki!". Even Toshiro thought it was funny and had to fight hard to keep from grinning. Since then every so often something would slip out of Byakuya's mouth though he tried hard to prevent it. His grandfather loved it, especially since he thought Byakuya had changed for the better since coming back. Currently he moved quickly to get home. Each day as soon as he finished he did this. As soon as his feet touched the ground outside his house a squeal of joy rang through the air as An ran out to greet him. It was his favorite part of the day. She attached herself to his legs "Byakuya you're home!" Without caring that anyone might see he picked her up. An had become the 'princess' of the house which many of the servants lovingly called her. She got whatever she wanted. His relatives loved her. She ran around with the other Kuchiki children. She had even become best friends with Yachiru, not that Byakuya approved, who would come over all the time. Rukia watched from the doorway. Since Ichigo had lost his Reaper powers he wasn't able to see them anymore and so had begun living the life of a normal human. Byakuya could tell she was upset. An seemed to be a bright spot for her so he let Rukia do whatever she wanted with the young girl. After ruffling her hair he put her down. She raced off after a bird. "Did you find him?" Rukia asked. Her brother frowned. He had been searching for Mifune in the Rukongai districts ever since he had returned. His silence answered Rukia's question. "Don't be upset" She said "I'm sure you will"
"What about you? You miss Kurosaki?"
"Of course I do...but its for the best" She sighed turning away. He took her hand as they walked "We'll both see them again Rukia"
~5 Months~
"Never let your guard down no matter how well you think you're doing. Let's try again" Shinji said as a group of students stood watching. He and Hiyori were in the process of training a new batch of students. Byakuya had observed for a few minutes before going back inside. He was the representative for Captain Yamamoto and made trips to the school once every couple of weeks to monitor how everything was going. He'd usually chat with Kirio, check on Maka and Soul, buy candy for An and spend time training Black Star. the young ninja was back and forth between Byakuya's home and the school. He and Renji had become fast friends which didn't surprise Byakuya. As he walked through the halls he spotted Kid going over something with the Spartoi group off to the side. Apparently they were preparing for another mission. Kid happened to glance up in time to see him. The Captain gave him a smirk which caused Kid to stutter over some words and his face to heat up. His friends hadn't seen Byakuya and asked if he was ok. The older man continued on his way without missing a beat.
~12 Months~
"I've found him" Byakuya whispered to himself as he raced to the Rugonkai. He had been searching for Mifune as much as he could. Trying to find his spiritual energy had been pretty much impossible because the man died when Byakuya had been in his child body and so he never sensed what Mifune's energy felt like. He had investigated tips and searched until he was exhausted but the Rugonkai was big and there was never a guarantee Mifune would even remember anything. One cold night while he had been reviewing his division's expenses An came to his room with Yachiru. Both in their pajamas.
"An said she can sense your friend Mifune" Yachiru announced happily.
"What? Are you sure?" He asked studying her. She nodded.
"She can show you where he is" The pink haired girl added. Without hesitation Byakuya grabbed An in his arms and got away before Yachiru could come along.
"Go straight. Turn here and here. Keep going" An directed him as they went. Before long he stopped outside a small home. Since it was night there weren't many people out and those that were gave the two strange looks.
"He's in this house?" Byakuya asked. An nodded as she took his hand. All kinds of things raced through his mind. He had thought he was close once before and the disappointment he felt after finding out he wasn't had been very hard to deal with but An had never mentioned being able to sense him. Maybe Mifune would be here, maybe. He knocked gently on the door. A few minutes later a young man came to the door. He rubbed his eyes.
"Who are you and what could you possible want this late at night?"
"I apologize but I am looking for someone. His name is Mifune"
"Mifune? Nope never heard of him" The young man prepared to shut the door when Byakuya placed his foot in between.
"Please. I have no bad intentions towards him. He's a friend. If you know him please tell me" Byakuya couldn't remember the last time he said 'please' but he was feeling desperate.
"I told you I never heard of him" The man growled before slamming the door. Defeated Byakuya leaned his forehead against the door. He heard An gasp then felt as her hand slipped from his.
"Byakuya" She said quietly tugging on his clothes.
"Yes?"
"Look" He followed her gaze to see a man with swords attached to his hip walking toward them. He stopped mid stride, his head tilted ever so slightly.
"An?"
"Mifune!" She squealed running to him. He laughed as he scooped her up. "Byakuya looked everywhere for you!"
"Byakuya? He finally noticed the man watching them. "Byakuya..." He walked over with An still in his arms."You're not a kid anymore"
"No I'm not"
"Does that mean I can't hug you?" To answer the question Byakuya hugged him. Mifune smiled "I missed you two".
Soon after Mifune was given a room in the Kuchiki house. He was also made the official tutor of the children which he loved though he still went to the Rugonkai since had made friends there especially among the children. Black Star trained with him when he wasn't chasing after the younger ones. The Kuchiki home became filled with laughter and happiness again.
~2 Years~
"So who is this guy again?" Black Star asked Byakuya. The two of them were watching as Rukia answered questions from an investigative squad led by Captain Soi Fon. Byakuya himself wasn't completely clear as to what was going on but knew it had to do with Ichigo Kurosaki. The Head Captain had been tight lipped about it. "He is a former Soul Reaper representative who lost his powers after defeating a very powerful enemy. He was good friends with Rukia and Renji"
"Ahhhh, ok...so do they think he did something? Because that wouldn't make sense if no one has had any contact with him since then"
"A good point. I am in fact slightly confused myself"
"Really? Well then..." Before Byakuya could stop him he was in between Soi Fon and Rukia in seconds. Mifune's training of him had definitely had a positive impact. "Leave her alone! You guys came over here yesterday doing the same shit! She doesn't know anything so go away!"
"You little brat I have orders to question Lieutenant Kuchiki. If you have a problem with that-"
"Black Star is right" Byakuya interrupted "My sister has told you everything you need to know which isn't very much. The fact that you continue to question her shows that you believe she is lying"
"I never said that"
"No but your body language shows it. Now please leave, you have upset her enough already" He left no room for argument. With one last glare at him she ordered her men to leave. Once they were gone Rukia let out a sigh and relaxed "Thank you" She said to both "I have no clue as to what they think Ichigo has done"
"I have a feeling we will find out soon enough" Her brother answered.
A month later and they definitely had found out what Ichigo had been accused of. Byakuya rubbed his temples. It had to do with people called fullbringers. The more he thought about it the worse his headache. Rukia and Renji had snuck off to see him despite the the warnings he had given. He didn't even want to think about what would happen when they returned. He uncharacteristically allowed his head to hit his desk. On top of that all of the children were coming to visit. Maka, Soul, Kid and the Thompson sisters. Black Star had more or less become a permanent fixture at the Kuchiki home ever since Tsubaki had achieved the power of a death scythe. They were currently on "break" as Tsubaki had told him. She had gone home to spend time with her family while Black Star continued to wreck havoc with him though he had shown signs of calming down recently. Mifune said it was because of Byakuya's influence. He had told him in confidence that Black Star had mentioned he wanted to be like the Kuchiki heir when he was grown. The thought brought a smile to his face. An and Black Star were so much apart of his life now that he couldn't imagine how things had been without them. An would follow Yachiru and Captain Zaraki around. Everyone adored her. Black Star would practice frequently with others in the Sixth Division. He and Renji would then annoy him the rest of the day. Byakuya wouldn't change a thing about it.
"Byakuya are you still here?" It sounded like Captain Unohana.
"Yes" He sat up straight just as she entered the room. Her usual smile gone and her eyes were filled with sadness. "There has been an accident"
"What happened?" His first thoughts were Renji and Rukia had done something stupid in the human world. He never expected the next words out of her mouth.
"Black Star engaged with a hollow. Tsubaki had just returned and he wanted to prove himself. He miscalculated how powerful it was. Fighting humans are one thing, hollows are entirely different. Tsubaki was able to bring him back. He is seriously hurt Byakuya"
"Where is he?" He asked, keeping his emotionless mask on. Captain Unohana motioned for him to follow her. Their walk was silent as she led him to where Black Star was being kept. The room was small and already filled with Black Star's friends. Maka glanced at him then went back to watching her friend's beathing. Patty's eyes were wet from her tears as Liz had an arm around her. Kid and Soul stood by Black Star's bedside. Mifune sat in a corner watching. Kilik was also there but without his weapon partners. He looked over each of them. They were growing up fast, they had their whole lives ahead of them. Then he looked at Black Star's motionless body. Captain Unohana had mentioned he had been trying to prove himself. "Who was he attempting to impress?" Byakuya moved closer to the bed.
"You" Maka answered.
"Me? Do not lie to me Maka"
"I'm not. All he ever talked about was making you proud. It's why he trained so hard. You've had a huge influence on his life whether you realize it or not. If he sees Sid-sensei as his father then you're most certainly his brother"
"She's right" Kid spoke up "He didn't care about being the greatest or most powerful anymore Byakuya. You never noticed what he did or paid attention anyway. You were always busy. He even worked as hard as he did to get Tsubaki to become a death scythe so you would at least say you were proud of him". His eyes widened. It was true he had been busy with running the division but he never thought that he had ignored Black Star in anyway, at least not to this extent. It reminded him of Renji all over again. Anger at himself began to well up. So much that his spiritual pressure fluctuated causing those in the room to have difficulty breathing.
"Byakuya!" Retsu Unohana said sternly from the door "Calm down. I realize you are upset but it will not make things better". He relaxed and glanced at Mifune. Something passed between them. He stood up, stretched and told the children visiting hours were over. Surprisingly no one complained as they left. Once they were gone he knelt beside the bed. "We have tried as much as we can. He must have the will to come back" She told him. He gave a nod. She followed the rest out leaving him alone. Byakuya took Black Star's cold hand.
"I'm sorry Black Star. You and An are my world. I can not lose you. How can I make up the unnecessary pain I've caused if you leave?" He had promised himself he would never again ignore the accomplishments of someone close to him. Yes he and Renji hadn't been the best of friends when they fought but it had still made him feel terrible. It had never been his intention to overlook his lieutenant yet he had, not even noticing that he had achieved bankai. The situations were so similar that Byakuya thought he was being punished and this was his last warning. Feeling angry and helpless he shun poed out a window then ran to the Sixth Division training grounds. He allowed his spiritual pressure to whip out of control, destroying buildings in the process. Senbonzakura watched from a safe distance away, never thinking she'd ever see the day when Byakuya would cry again yet there he was with tears running down his face surrounded by quite a few of the division buildings in ruins. His energy soon calmed down but he stayed where he was with his head bowed in defeat.
"We could feel that shit all the way in my division" Captain Zaraki grumbled "Never thought I'd actually rather he kept his emotions in check"
"He is in pain"
"Obviously. Alright kid, get off" He helped Black Star off his back "You owe me for this! I expect to have a fight with you when you're 100%, got it?"
"Yeah, yeah. Thanks" Black Star had awoken minutes after Byakuya left. He had felt his spiritual pressure. Seeing Zaraki coming to visit he convinced him to bring him to the man he considered his family now. His steps were slightly wobbly. Captain Unohana would never have allowed him to leave. He grinned at the thought. When he felt close enough he yelled out
"What's your problem?" Byakuya was on him in an instant. The young ninja could barely breathe because of how tight Byakuya clung to him.
"I am so sorry"
"Not a big deal. I shoulda said something"
"There is something you should know"
"What's that?" He watched Byakuya straighten himself. The older man gave Black Star the scariest glare he had ever seen.
"If you EVER do anything like that again I will kill you myself" He didn't even crack a smirk. Black Star gave a nervous laugh before attempting to run away. He didn't get very far when Byakuya had him by the collar.
"Good job Kuchiki! You scare children! " Captain Zaraki shouted. Senbonzakura rolled her eyes.
~3 Years~
The funeral had been short and full of good memories. The way Genrei Kuchiki would've wanted. Byakuya remained at the grave site where his grandfather had been buried next to Byakuya's parents. Some distance away An, Blackstar and Mifune waited for him. He knelt in front of the headstone. Genrei had been a second father to him. He had taught Byakuya everything he knew about being a Soul Reaper. He remembered telling him that he wanted to adopt An and Black Star. Genrei had agreed, even convincing the rest of the family not that it took much since the two children were the life of the house. Byakuya had been at his bedside when he died. The last words his grandfather said was that he loved him. "You have done so much for me Grandfather. I will pass on your legacy to the next generation..." He glanced at the two sitting underneath a tree. An was snuggled against Black Star who was chatting with Mifune. He placed a small flower on the grave and stood.
"Kuchiki-san the ceremony will start soon" A servant said bowing apologetically. He gave a nod.
"That's right you're the official head of the house now aren't you? I forgot your family is different than mine" Yoruichi said jumping down from another tree. "In order to be the true head the one before has to die"
"Yes but I would give anything for him to come back, even giving this up". She placed an arm through his. A soft breeze blew taking the flower off the ground. They watched it float in the sky until the wind took it away.
~5 Years~
"Hurry up! Liz can only keep him away for so long!" An eighteen year old Maka shouted to her friends.
"Awww come one, everything looks fine" Black Star went to grab a handful of chips but his hands were smacked by Tsubaki who quickly raced to get cups. Soul ran in with the hamburgers. Kilik and Ox had just finished the cake. Kim blew up the last balloon. Jackie judged her work of setting up the presents. Patty simply ran around panicking. An, now eleven, finished her Happy Birthday sign and took it to Harver to hang up.
"This is what they get for being last minute" Kirio said as she sipped a glass of water.
"Indeed" Byakuya hadn't even thought there was going to be a party but Maka had decided since the rest of them who were eighteen hadn't really had one they'd do one for Kid. The rest of the adults stood off to the side watching the chaos. Nygus kept shaking her head while Sid went on about what kind of man he was when he had been alive. Dr. Stein kept casually dropping things into Spirit Albarn's drinks. Probably to knock him out then experiment on him. It hadn't surprised Byakuya at all how friendly Captain Kurotsuchi and Stein had become. Spirit was so caught up in getting Maka's attention he didn't even notice. They were coming down to the wire.
"Liz said they're on their way!" Soul announced covering the mic on his cell phone.
"Tell her we'll be ready" Maka ordered. Sure enough five minutes later everything was set. "Shhhhhh!" Kim whispered peeking out the door then shutting it quickly. Silent anticipation filled the room. Suddenly the door opened.
"HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" Everyone said at the same time. Kid looked very surprised. That didn't stop the first words out of his mouth being
"What did you do? Do you guys know how long I worked to get this room symmetrical?"
"KAIRI!" Kirio snapped.
"Sorry, thanks guys" He smiled sheepishly though he did adjust a picture frame. Byakuya watched them all as they enjoyed the party. They had come far from the twelve and thirteen year olds he had met. Black Star had joined the Eleventh Division, the first human to fully do so, after he had discovered his own zanpakuto while practicing against Zaraki. Tsubaki now traveled with Yumi Azusa. It was assumed she'd be made the new scythe in charge of the East Asian region since Yumi wanted a break. Maka helped teach classes at the school and occasionally took missions with Soul who also taught. Kilik had yet to get his weapons to death scythes so he spent much of his time collecting souls. Ox and Kim were officially engaged though they had yet to set a wedding while their weapons, Harvar and Jackie, had just started dating. The Thompson girls had opened up their own restaurant in town. Kid had been in training to take over his mother's duties as head of the school. Byakuya couldn't take his eyes off of him. To him Kid had grown into a very nice looking young man, he still had his strange OCD for symmetrical things. Byakuya also remembered Kid's words about Byakuya being his when he turned eighteen. He sighed. He had hoped Kid's feelings would have faded. If anything they had grown stronger. There were times when Kid had dated that Byakuya had felt jealousy which surprised him. Kid had once remarked he had only tried dating to keep his mother happy. Kid caught Byakuya watching him. He didn't get the chance to go over since Patty pulled him into a silly dance. By the time it was over Byakuya was gone. He searched all of downstairs. Before he could dash up to the second floor to search Dr. Stein stopped him. "He left Kid".
"Why?"
"Not sure, you should go find out" Dr. Stein smiled, patted Kid on the shoulder and walked back to the party. Dashing outside he opened a gate to the Soul Society. Once there he headed to the Kuchiki estates. He hadn't been in the house more than a minute when Senbonzakura appeared "He's in his office".
"Thank you" Knowing where the office was he ran down the hall, not stopping until he came to the door. His heart was pounding against his chest. Taking a deep breath he opened the door. Byakuya sat behind his desk going over paperwork. Kid didn't know what to do so slowly walked in.
"Do you need something?" The object of his affection asked.
"N-no. J-just wanted t-to visit" He couldn't believe how nervous he was. It wasn't like he expected anything. Byakuya had made it clear on more than one occasion that he should find someone his age.
"Are you feeling alright?"
"Y-yes. W-why wouldn't I?"
"Because you seem to have a hard time speaking" Byakuya smirked.
"O-oh" Annoyed with himself for getting his hopes up he turned to leave "Sorry for bothering you". Just as he got the door open a hand closed it.
"But I did not say for you to" Byakuya gently whispered against his neck. Kid almost died right there. "Kairi if you tell me right now that you wish to leave then I will let you"
"I-I don't w-want to" He managed to get out as Byakuya wrapped an arm around his waist. "A-are you sure y-you want to be with me? You mentioned h-how I should be w-with someone m-my age"
"I did say that but I never truly meant it" Byakuya kissed the back of his neck "I found myself jealous whenever you were with another"
"T-that's good t-to know" He tried not thinking about the soft fingers playing with the hem of his shirt. Byakuya turned him around swiftly and kissed him. When the kiss broke he spoke quietly into Kid's ear
"Happy Birthday Kairi". The combination of Byakuya's voice, his touches and kiss made an already light headed Kid faint in his arms. The older man laughed as he pulled the boy into his arms.
Ten minutes later Byakuya was going over the paperwork in his office while Kid slept in his room next door. Renji burst inside without knocking with Senbonzakura on his heels. Apparently she had tried to stop him.
"Hey Byakuya. Heard a certain boy stopped by here"
"He did" He answered not taking his eyes off his work.
"Well?"
"He passed out when I told him 'Happy Birthday'"
"Seriously?" Renji laughed "I'll definitely use this as ammunition later. Oh yeah I remember why I came here. Wanna go get a drink?"
"Did you really just ask me that?" Byakuya's eyebrow twitched as he watched his lieutenant. Renji, well and Captain Kurotsuchi, had effectively caused Byakuya to avoid alcohol.
"Well I figured five years has been enough time away from it. Don't let one bad memory ruin it"
"Renji because I got drunk with you I ended up in a child's body and you're asking me to have one with you now?"
"I thought you'd would've let go of it"
"Scatter Senbonzakura" He said. His zanpakuto grinned evilly as she turned into thousands of small blades.
"Wait! Byakuya calm down!" Renji said backing out of the room.
"Renji"
"Yeah?"
"Run"
"Damn!" He shouted then took off down the hall.
Woot! Its done! I know it had been awhile since I updated this and I had wanted to just drop it but a part of me wanted to finish it soooooo i hope you liked it. Now I'm off to see what else I should finish. :)