A/N: Once again, many thanks to everyone who spares his/her precious time to comment on the previous chapters, and also to those who put this story on his/her favorite/alert list. This vignette appears to be shorter than the others, but I hope it wouldn't be any less enjoyable. The idea for this installment popped up after I recalled an omake that I've read a while back though I cannot recall wherefrom. Have fun reading, and if you have some time to spare, don't forget to press that bluish button and let me know what you think of this piece.
3: Color, Garden and Fascination
Lately Byakuya had often found his eyes wandering to any orange objects that came into his line of sight. It was a strange habit for him to have developed as orange was never his favorite color, and it was even stranger that whenever he saw an orange object he would compare it to the shade of orange of a certain Substitute Shinigami's hair.
Having had a purple-haired she-devil as a childhood frienemy and lately been stalked by a pink-haired child, Byakuya could hardly describe Kurosaki Ichigo's hair color as exotic. However, even though he had met many people who had strawberry-blond or red hair, Lord Kuchiki couldn't quite say that anyone else had hair in that same shade of orange. It was either too blond or too red, while Ichigo's hair could not be described by any other name but orange. It was almost like a color of a tangerine, but with more radiant – like the sunlight when the sun was about to set from the horizon, yet livelier still.
Byakuya hadn't noticed that his fascination to the certain color had become more than a little unhealthy until that one day when he was caught staring by none other than the orange-haired Substitute Shinigami himself.
It was just a coincidence that the day Byakuya returned to the Kuchiki Mansion to get some change of clothes after having spent the whole week at the Sixth Division's barrack happened to be the same day that Kurosaki Ichigo dropped by to see Rukia at the mansion.
It was also not Lord Kuchiki's intention to look for the Substitute Shinigami, as he was not informed about Kurosaki Ichigo's visit. He just happened to spot the boy – or his hair color to be more precise – in the garden among all colorful flowers. Since he was sure that there were not any flowers in his garden that had the same shade of orange with Ichigo's hair, he did a double take.
Byakuya was positive that he didn't stare that hard at the boy, yet Kurosaki Ichigo still turned slowly around as if he could feel the weight of Byakuya's gaze on the top of his head.
As always, Ichigo didn't greet him with a smile, but then again, Byakuya doubted he had ever seen the boy smile in any circumstances. The scowl on his face, however, was softened as he saw Byakuya.
"Oh, hey, Byakuya," the boy greeted before he approached to the porch where Byakuya was standing. "It's been a while."
Since Ichigo simply stopped there on the ground instead of stepping up to the wooden porch, Byakuya had no choice but to look down. However, instead of looking at the boy in his chocolate eyes, Byakuya eyes lingered on the top of Ichigo's orange hair.
"You are here to see Rukia, I presume?"
"Yeah, she called me and told me to drop by because she needed my help in choosing a gift for Renji's birthday," Ichigo explained. "I don't see how I'd be able to help her much, though. I mean, she's known him all her life, so she should have known what he likes better than anyone else."
Byakuya shook his head. Sometimes he pitied that boy for never having been able to refuse his sister's requests no matter how little sense those requests might make at times.
"You do realize, of course, that you could have just refused her."
"I can't," Ichigo said. Seeing the way Byakuya lifted his eyebrow, Ichigo gave the nobleman a sheepish look and a vague explanation: "Not this time, at least. I kinda owe her a favor."
Since these two seemed to always be in debt to one another in one way or another, Byakuya decided it would be best not to inquire what kind of favor Ichigo was owing to his sister this time.
"Where is Rukia, by the way?" Byakuya asked.
"Who knows? Maybe she's still at the Thirteenth Division?" the boy replied with a shrug. "She told me to drop by around five, but I thought I should get here a bit early so I wouldn't be late and give her an excuse to yell my ears out."
"And you cannot just wait in the living room?"
"Well, I was there at first, but it was boring just sitting there alone without anything to do."
"In that case, shall I keep you company until my sister arrives?"
Ichigo blinked at the unexpected offer. He couldn't think of one reason why Byakuya would bother with him when he could have just leave Ichigo to his own device until Rukia showed up. After all, Ichigo was technically not his guest, and Byakuya shouldn't have minded how bored Ichigo would get from having to wait by himself.
"Eh, you don't need to do that," Ichigo found himself protesting. "I mean, I'm okay with looking around in the garden."
"In that case, make sure you do not ruin any flowers in the garden. After all, the gardener had spent so much time cultivating them," Byakuya said impassively.
Ichigo groaned.
"What do you think I am? Some five-year-old kid who would run around and ruin everything when you're not watching?"
Byakuya looked at Ichigo for a moment, enjoying the way the boy's relaxed expression morphed into an irritated one in just an instant. Sometimes, Ichigo reminded him of his much younger self who still wore his heart on his sleeves, though Byakuya highly doubted the boy would grow up to be anything like him.
"You are not that much of a child, Kurosaki Ichigo, yet you are not quite an adult either."
With that remark, Byakuya turned and continued on his way along the porch so he would not get to hear whatever kind of profanity that Ichigo intended to throw at his way for making such a comment.
Much to Byakuya's surprise, Ichigo was still at the garden by the time he went out of his room again after he took a shower and changed into a fresh uniform, intending to return to this division after having his dinner. From what he heard from Ichigo about the appointment the boy had with Rukia, Byakuya thought Ichigo would have been gone by that time, yet Ichigo was still sitting on the wooden porch looking bored out of his mind.
Lord Kuchiki halted at the corner of the porch, wondering if he should take a long way around to the dining room or if he should approach to that boy to ask him why he was still there.
It appeared he had been pondering a tad too long so Ichigo turned his direction and once again caught Byakuya staring. Ichigo furrowed his brows slightly as if to make a decision whether he should say what was on the top of his mind, and it appeared that he decided to voice the thought as he asked, "Is something wrong with my hair?"
It was Byakuya's turn to blink at Ichigo's question.
"No. Why do you ask?"
"Because this isn't the first time I notice you staring at my head with that strange look?"
Again, Byakuya blinked. He would admit to having stared at the boy's vibrant hair, but he didn't think Ichigo would ever notice. After all, that boy had never noticed the goo-goo eyes that Inoue Orihime had openly sent his way whenever he was in her proximity, so it didn't make much sense for him to notice the way Byakuya occasionally looked at him when Byakuya believed the way he looked at that boy was completely normal, especially when compare to a look from that busty girl. However, since Ichigo did notice, Byakuya decided to just explain himself.
"I merely find your hair color interesting."
Ichigo deepened his scowl.
"You can't possibly think that I bleached my hair, too, Byakuya?" the boy asked, exasperated, and Byakuya came to recall the conversation they once had about how Ichigo was under some kind of pressure because of the color of his hair.
"I do not know whether you bleach the hair of your physical self," Byakuya observed, "but I know you do not know how to bleach the color of your soul so I never doubt if that hair color is natural."
"Oh," Ichigo exclaimed. His expression turned relaxed for a moment before he frowned once again as another thought hit him. "But then why would you think it's interesting? I mean, in Soul Society, there are people with more unusual hair color, like blue, purple and pink."
"Interesting does not have the same meaning as unusual."
"So you find my hair color interesting?"
"Why else would I use you as a model for the statue that is the center piece in the Kuchiki Garden that is now opened to the public?"
Though Byakuya's question was rhetoric, Ichigo still found himself answering to it.
"You mean other than the fact that you told me other captains were too busy to be your model so you had no choice but to choose me?" Ichigo quipped, still remembering all too well how he was asked to wear a tuxedo with a bow tie in the middle of the sun in the unveiling ceremony that nobody bothered to attend but himself and Byakuya. "I guess you just want to mock me by making the sculpture look like a Wakame Taishi version of me? That's what the thing's called, right? Wakame Taishi?"
If he were a lesser man, Byakuya would have already rolled his eyes upon hearing such a suggestion.
"That's what it's called," Lord Kuchiki confirmed with a nod, "but trust me, Kurosaki Ichigo, mocking you wasn't my intention when I created that statue."
Ichigo tilted his head as he looked at the nobleman.
"You know, with the peculiar way you've been looking at me lately and that sentence of yours, it almost makes me think that you used me as a model for that mediocre statue – without my permission I might add – because you were attracted to me, almost."
Strangely enough, Byakuya wasn't shocked to hear such an assumption from the younger man. In fact, the idea of it didn't bother him as much as it should have, and certainly not as much as Ichigo intended it to be. If anything, he was probably more offended by Ichigo's criticism of his work of art than the boy's accusation that he was attracted to him.
"That is one plausible reason," Byakuya stated calmly. "However, whether it was my actual reason or not is an entirely different matter."
Ichigo's jaw dropped as that was certainly not the kind of reaction he expected from Byakuya.
"What is that supposed to mean?"
"I think my words are clear enough by themselves," Byakuya replied nonchalantly.
"You can't possibly mean..."
The rest of the sentence was never spoken as Ichigo he simply opened and closed his mouth like he was a fish out of water.
Deciding that he already had enough fun messing with the boy for one day, so Byakuya added, "There is no need to worry, Kurosaki Ichigo. It is only your hair color that has me fascinated. Should I really be attracted to you someday, I'll be sure to let you know."
It appeared Ichigo was still dumbfound that he couldn't find any word to say back to Byakuya, so Byakuya was grateful that Rukia chose that moment to show up in the house. And despite how Byakuya believed Ichigo's orange hair alone was enough to draw anyone's attention to it, Rukia didn't seem to realize that her friend was there, since she only smiled and bowed down to greet Byakuya without sparing any glance to the direction of her friend.
"Good afternoon, nii-sama. I didn't know you'd be home today," she said. "Do you happen to see Ichigo somewhere? A servant said he had already arrived and should be waiting in the living room, but I couldn't find him when I got there."
Byakuya wordlessly pointed to Ichigo, who still looked like he was stumped.
"What's with you, Ichigo? If you're right here, why didn't you just say something earlier so I wouldn't have to bother nii-sama with a stupid question?" Rukia asked, glaring at Ichigo, who didn't give her any response. "Anyway, I'll just go and grab my stuff then we can be out right away." Oblivious to her friend's state of shock, Rukia turned her attention back to her brother and then changed the tone of her voice into a softer and more respectful one when she asked, "Will you be staying home tonight, nii-sama?"
Byakuya shook his head.
"I only got back to get some change of clothes. I will return to my division after dinner."
"Oh, I see," Rukia nodded. Then with a concerned look in her eyes, she remarked, "Do not overwork yourself, nii-sama. You haven't been home in a week."
"Do not worry about me, Rukia. I know how to take care of myself," Byakuya replied. "Now shouldn't you go and get whatever it is that you need to get? Your friend has been waiting for you for a while."
"Ah, thank you for reminding me, nii-sama. Now if you'd excuse me?" Rukia said and once she got a nod of permission from her brother, she bowed at him as a farewell before she glanced over to Ichigo's direction and said, "I'll be back in a minute, Ichigo."
And with that, Rukia was off before Ichigo could even give her any response.
Once his sister was off, Byakuya turned his attention back to the Substitute Shinigami who had already got over his initial surprise and decided that the best tactic to deal with him was to give him a hard glare.
"Don't even joke about something like that again, Byakuya," Ichigo said solemnly. "In fact, don't ever joke about anything, period."
"You have my word," Byakuya promised. He then turned and headed toward the dining room so that he could have his dinner before going back to his division to finish his work, but he changed his mind and stopped after he took a couple of steps down the porch. "By the way, Kurosaki Ichigo..."
"Yeah?" Ichigo prompted although his expression seemed somewhat guarded.
Byakuya thought he would mention about how strange it was that Ichigo would notice his occasional stares when the boy didn't seem to notice the amorous look that his friend had been giving him during the past couple of years, but then he decided against doing so. After all, the boy's romance was not his business to interfere.
"Never mind. It is not important."
Ichigo glared at him even harder. "You can't just start saying something, make me curious and then just decide by yourself that it's not important."
Byakuya sent Ichigo a look that said that he could and that he would do just that. Therefore, Ichigo had to wonder if the nobleman's next words were really what he had intended to say initially.
"It was truly not important. After all, I was merely thinking it was strange what people chose to see and what they chose to turn a blind eye on," Byakuya stated. "Anyhow, have a good shopping trip with Rukia."
With those words, Byakuya continued on his path, leaving Ichigo there to ponder the reason why he made that comment if only until Rukia would return.
If he knew anything about how Rukia usually treated her close friends, Byakuya was certain that Ichigo would not remember about their exchange once the shopping trip was over. Meanwhile, Byakuya would probably let that meeting slip out of his mind once he got back to his work. Even so, at that moment, right after he uttered those words, Byakuya couldn't help wondering if there were anything about that encounter that he himself had chosen to turn a blind eye on.