i don't own Bleach; enjoy!
Even though he at one time liked the quiet atmosphere of his home he would return to from work, it had fled right from under him twenty years ago.
If it wasn't his sister and wife having debates over certain topics that didn't really interest him, it was something or the other... This 'something or the other' categorized his brother-in-law's sporadic pop-ins, namely.
And then if it wasn't that…
"Otō-san~!" A black-haired streak launched their small arms around his legs as he came in through the front door, halting his movements as a childish giggle came from the one attached to his lower half.
Kuchiki Byakuya refrained from rolling his eyes at the overtly-excited greeting from his eight-year-old, finding himself smiling warmly at the boy that lifted his head to beam up at him with striking gray eyes. "Shinsei." He greeted calmly, reaching to gently detach him from his legs before he crouched to eye-level, the smile still in place, lifting a hand to tousle his black hair that was as wavy as his mother's. "I trust you've behaved yourself today?" He asked.
The young heir nodded vigorously, face slightly scrunched from having his larger hand petting his head, "Ah-huh, just like you asked me to! Okaa-san and Rukia-onee-chan were happy to see me; we were wondering what was takin' you so long, Otō-san!" He said.
"You were, hm?" He feigned confusion, earning a goofy grin from his son; he smiled and sighed, "Let's hope your mother and aunt haven't gotten into some form of trouble…" He lifted the boy into his arms, mentally wondering when he'd gotten so heavy, letting him latch onto his neck as he exited the foyer to seek out his wife.
Rukia was the first to look up from a borrowed JUMP at the dining room table when seeing her brother enter the room carrying her nephew in the crook of his left arm; she smiled at the sight. "Onii-sama, glad you're home." She said.
Kita shuffled to her feet from having sipping her tea, leaning up to gather her son from his arms and peck her husband's lips lightly. "You're looking chipper." She said warmly, blue eyes soft, chuckling when Shinsei made a disgusted face at their show of affection. "And you, Rukia-onee-chan asked you to read with her! You already missed the best part of the chapter, it was amazing, Shinsei-chan!" She said with mock warning.
"Aww no fair! Rukia-onee-chan, read it again!" Shinsei barked, shuffling out of his mother's grip to scramble over to his aunt's side.
Byakuya chuckled quietly at the rambunctious boy, his arm finding her small waist as he hugged his wife. "Nice save." He muttered.
Kita giggled, smirking up at him, "So the mighty Kuchiki Byakuya fears the energetic pace of his eight-year-old son… I can see the headlines now." She teased softly, the smirk widening when he squeezed her waist.
"Like he gets that from me; between the two of us, you're the energy ball…"
"Oji-san!"
"Never mind." Byakuya deadpanned.
Kita shook her head and grinned, kissing him softly. "Play nice."
Both heads of the Kuchiki clan watched their eight-year-old tackle the brunette that was his uncle, both of them laughing.
Akatsuki Kiba flopped onto his back on the floor with a groan of defeat, "You win this round… but mark my words… I'll be back!" He said in a deep-toned voice to imitate a certain cyborg, making the boy laugh before he moved to tickle him, grinning triumphantly.
"Sometimes I wonder who acts more like a child around here…" Rukia rolled her eyes and scooted to stand near her brother and sister-in-law, shaking her head.
"N-no, stop! Oba-san help!" Shinsei whined and giggled at the same time as he was being tickled to death, reaching desperately for the blonde lieutenant standing to the side with a patient smile on her full lips.
"Noooope, not until y'start calling me 'Rangiku-nee-chan'!" Matsumoto Rangiku sang leisurely as she shuffled around them to stand near Rukia and leave the boy to his doom.
Kita shook her head and laughed quietly. "You're not exactly a spring chicken anymore, Ran-chan," she pointed out, smirking.
"Then tell your rugrat to not call me 'auntie'; at least I don't look old!" The strawberry-blonde woman puffed her cheeks out childishly.
Both Kuchiki women deadpanned. "Even though you are." They answered simultaneously.
The only sane man present sweatdropped and rubbed his temples. "Honestly…"
He hated this place… Scratch that. He fucking hated this shithole.
Ten years he had been holed in this place like a damn-well lab rat, being poked and prodded and having his body being experimented on by that creepy fucker for gods-knew-what reason.
… The hell was his name again?
Oh yeah. Kurotsuchi.
Your companion was not so resilient to the treatment, but she will indeed live… You, Arrancar-san, will be my special case. I have a good feeling about this. A creepy titter.
Ugh, the bastard could make that pinkie-sodomist-fucker look like a drag queen with issues.
The last thing he remembered before being dragged to this madhouse was sand and the warm stickiness of his own blood under his near-mangled body.
Yeah now he remembered… That grinning sadist bastard, Nnoitora Jiruga.
From what he could tell, the late Quinta had been destroyed, though it wasn't by the redhead Vizard's hands, by someone else's… A friend of his, most likely.
That was all he could remember before letting the gravity of his injuries and loss of his battle drop onto him like a sack of bricks.
The bluenette closed his eyes.
… Just how much longer was he going to be stuck in this damn place?
:::::::: lol ::::::::
Kurotsuchi was in one of his chipper, tittering moods.
The redhead nudged his walking companion when catching sight of the eerily upbeat captain, arms folded in his shihakushō sleeves. "Is there something going on that I don't know about?" He muttered to her.
The blonde captain rubbed the back of her neck gingerly, distinctly making a note to brain him for letting her take that trip off the porch earlier in the morning. "Got me. I barely wanted to come to this damn meeting, but, there we are." She answered quietly, resting against the post nearby as they awaited for the meeting room to open up from inside.
Kurosaki Ichigo could only share his sentiment towards the stupid meeting.
He had been perfectly fine sleeping at the fifth division barracks with said blonde before the damn hell butterfly had fluttered in, the blaring voice of whoever ran the stupid message system disrupting a peaceful morning.
Mori Yasakawa was on the same thought-train he had been on.
A faint grin crept onto her lips as she recalled his bedhead orange hair that had coincidentally gotten longer during their separation, though not by much; a short mullet at best. He had never looked so cute…
"What on earth are you grinning stupidly at, Mori-san?" A dry voice that clearly said they didn't wish to be here so early jerked her out of her thoughts, and she looked to meet a pair of teal eyes.
The blonde shrugged, smiling cheekily, "Somethin' you're too young to take part in, Hitsugaya-kun." She replied.
"Oi…" The redhead near her distinctly felt his cheeks turn pink at overhearing what she said.
"You do realize it's too damn early to hear you talking so crudely? Besides, that was too much information!" The white-haired captain shuddered, ears nearly burning as he stuffed his hands into the folds of his sleeves and glared elsewhere.
Snickering at easily flustering the prodigy-shortstop, Yasakawa sighed. "You asked, Shiro."
"Don't call me that!" Hitsugaya snapped just as the doors were opened.
Ichigo took the liberty of dragging his lover with him inside before she could heckle the boy further, making a face down at the blonde whose waist was in his grasp. "I hope your flash-step is as fast as it was twenty years ago." He deadpanned.
Yasakawa ignored the light blush dashing across her cheeks at their public affection, reaching to uncurl his fingers from the fabric of her haori lapel, her smaller fingers worming into his grasp instead. "I'm not afraid." She said simply, garnet eyes defiant again as they had been at one time in his life that was a nice memory now.
He felt a grin form on his lips at hearing her stonewall defiance still present in her voice, longer fingers squeezing affectionately on her hand that strangely fit perfectly into his own. "Good, I didn't expect ya to be, kitsune." He spared her a half-grin she had once claimed she loved, squeezing again before reluctantly letting her slip free so they could take their respective places in the row.
She glanced around Komamura , Kensei and Zaraki at the redhead captain and she flashed a small grin before resuming her calm posture.
Her redhead neighbor rolled his eyes at the near-childish affection exchanged between his fellow colleagues, mentally shaking his head.
Well at least she looked happier; they didn't know each other as well in the beginning but with time he had grown to respect the blonde captain, Vizard or not. She had turned mopey in the brief time spent away from the orange-haired Vizard but now that he was back in her life, she seemed to be bouncier and chipper lately.
Then again, from his observations, Ichigo had that effect on girls who took an interest in him… strange enough it was what seemed to keep Ichigo and Yasakawa glued together.
He mentally shook his head again.
No, he was a man for God's sake! He didn't need to be thinking these thoughts! He was…
"Captain Kurotsuchi, step forward and give us your full report regarding the two captive Arrancar." Yamamoto's words cut across his thoughts like if he'd done it with his zanpakutō, jerking not only his attention but also the attention of the others who had been off in their own thoughts.
i did mention the ending of this chapter wouldn't be sweet, didn't i..?
hn maybe if more people give some feedback in the form of a little review i might reveal more on this subject of captive Arrancar... dunno, we'll see~ /wiggles eyebrows
'til then, stay beautiful, duckies!