Author's Note: A little exposition chappie and a hint of a crack pairing - "setting the sails" for rougher seas and some action (yes, we'll be going back to sea very soon!). Okay, enough with the nautical puns, lol, although you'd be amazed at how many of the expressions we still use in 2009 come from the days when sailing ships were the only means of travel across oceans ("three sheets to the wind," "taken aback," "doldrums," "First-rate," "fly by night," "footloose," "by and large" - I could go on, but I won't bore you!). Most or all of the chapter titles will be taken from nautical terminology, as you'll see. -Lex
Chapter Two: Fair Winds
"You just couldn't resist, could you?" laughed Ichigo, with a slight hiccup. He walked back over to the table, grabbing the half-empty whiskey bottle and taking a swig.
"No," replied Hisagi, smiling.
"She's way out of your league, Shuuhei," warned Ichigo, leaning against the table.
"And your point is…?" asked Hisagi.
Ichigo shook his head. "She'll eat you alive," he said, taking another swig.
"What are you worried about? You'll be with me to save my ass."
"Do you even know who the Kuchiki's are?" Ichigo asked, passing the bottle to Hisagi.
"Big money shipping company," said Hisagi, swallowing.
"That doesn't even come close to describing them," laughed Ichigo, sitting in a chair and kicking his feet up onto the table. "They own half of London, and parts of Boston, New York and Charleston, among others."
"Sounds great," replied Hisagi, smirking now. "We'll eat far better on their dime than on ours."
"You're a cheap date, Hisagi," said Ichigo, deadpanning.
"So, are you going to tell me what old Yamamoto had to say, or do I just have to guess?" Hisagi asked.
"He thought we'd lost our minds," Ichigo replied, the smile now gone from his face. "Tore up my report right in front of me and told me not to bring it up again."
"You think I imagined the whole thing?" Hisagi asked. "I mean, you didn't see it disappear…"
"I saw the entire ship light up like a lamp, and I believe you. It disappeared," Ichigo said, looking out of the window at the docks. "Besides, if the ship sank, why wasn't there any debris on the water?"
"I don't know," Hisagi answered, taking another swig of the whiskey and watching the room start to spin.
"It didn't sink."
"So we just pretend nothing happened? Ignore the whole thing?" Hisagi's face was grim.
"No," replied Ichigo, his eyes narrowed slightly. "We do our jobs, we sail where they send us."
Hisagi grunted.
"And, if we just conveniently end up in the same general vicinity as where we were when the ship vanished, we investigate," Ichigo finished, with a slight smirk. "Yamamoto doesn't need to know anything about it, that is, until we can prove that we weren't three sheets to the wind when we saw that ship light up and disappear."
Between the two of them, they finished the rest of the whiskey bottle and managed to make it up to their rooms before collapsing.
"Guests?" Kuchiki Byakuya's face, as always, was expressionless.
"Royal Navy."
"Hmmph."
"Do you mind, Nii-sama?" Rukia asked.
"What purpose will inviting them here serve?"
"To learn more about the ship that nearly sank the Soul Warrior," she said, watching the statement achieve its intended effect. He raised an eyebrow.
"I'm making headway," she thought, suppressing a smile.
"You have my attention, Rukia-chan," Byakuya said, and she thought she heard a note of admiration in his voice.
"You're curious, Nii-sama, admit it." She knew she was pushing the limits of his patience, but she pressed on.
"Perhaps," he replied, his expression unreadable.
"No other ship has even come close to us before," she replied. "This captain – this Kurosaki Ichigo – he's different."
"In what way?" Byakuya asked. "He is a man, like any other."
"I'm not so sure," she answered, and she could sense his curiosity grow, despite the cool exterior.
"Instinct," said Byakuya, dismissively. "Nothing more."
"He certainly has an excellent instinct for battle," she replied. "But there is something else."
Byakuya raised an eyebrow, but said nothing.
"They will be here shortly," she said.
"I will…tolerate the intrusion." The corners of her mouth turned up in a half-smile, half-smirk.
"Thank you, Nii-sama," she said, turning and walking up the grand staircase to her rooms. She was going to enjoy this. She was sure of it.
Ichigo and Shuuhei looked up at the massive building and did their best not to gawk. The whiskey's effects had begun to wear off, and both men were wondering what they had gotten themselves into. Shuuhei, who had grown up on the streets of London with little more than rags as clothes and even less food, felt entirely out of his element. He had borrowed one of Ichigo's suits for the occasion which fit, except at the collar, which he kept tugging at uncomfortably.
Ichigo, whose family had never been poor, but who disliked mixing with London society, was dreading the evening. He had never met Kuchiki Byakuya, but he had heard Lord Kuchiki described by the words 'dull', 'snobbish' and 'self-absorbed' on numerous occasions, and he was convinced he would detest the Byakuya. Still, he found himself slightly curious about the man and, even more so, about the woman Byakuya called 'sister'.
Rukia was not, Ichigo knew, Byakuya's sister by blood. Rather, she had been adopted by the Kuchiki family as a young woman and had been accepted into London's high society only by virtue of Byakuya's far-reaching influence. Although he had never met her before she had introduced herself at the inn, Ichigo knew that Rukia was a powerful driving force behind Kuchiki Enterprises – almost as influential as Byakuya himself. Such power was nearly unheard of in British society at a time when women were expected to stay at home and tend to their children and husbands, and did not hold positions of power except to decide what food to serve at dinnertime. And, despite his protestations to the contrary made for Hisagi's benefit, Ichigo found this power quite appealing.
They walked through an iron gate, a small garden, and up a steep set of marble steps before reaching the imposing wood front doors. The knockers on the doors were large brass creations with tiny sailing ships set into large rings. Whether from nerves, or just too much whiskey, Hisagi looked decidedly green as the doors opened and light spilled out from the building onto their faces. An elderly woman servant showed them into main foyer, which was tiled in elegant pink and white marble and stretched towards the back of the building. The tiles ended in an enormous staircase which broke off into two smaller staircases and led upwards to a mezzanine and the upper floors.
Despite the grandeur of the entryway, the sitting room to which the servant escorted them was small and simply appointed, with comfortable couches and overstuffed armchairs. A small fire was lit in the fireplace, and an assortment of candies, cigarettes and cigars were laid out on the tables. Hisagi eyed the cigars with longing, but saw the look of disdain on Ichigo's face, and restrained himself from picking one up and lighting it. Captain Kurosaki did not permit any of the men under his command to smoke in his presence, whether on or off duty. No exceptions.
"We are on shore leave," Hisagi said, doing his best to rile Ichigo, who did not take the bait.
There was a slight creaking sound as the doors to the sitting room opened, and they stood and turned to see Rukia standing in the doorway. She was stunning, dressed in a long, emerald-green velvet gown with detailed silver embroidery on the sleeves and hem, her pale complexion and dark hair offset by a pair of emerald earrings and matching necklace. She nodded at them and smiled.
"Gentlemen," she said, "you clean up quite well." They bowed to her, and she walked over to them. "I am pleased you came."
There was no shyness in her demeanor; she was clearly comfortable around men, unintimidated. Hisagi, overcoming his initial discomfort, turned on the charm, taking her hand and kissing it as he had done before. Rukia then looked to Ichigo, a playful smile upon her lips, as though to say, 'and what about you?' Ichigo, however, reached for her hand and shook it, as he might shake the hand of a man, his grip powerful. At this, Rukia smiled outright, holding onto his hand just a tiny bit longer than necessary, looking him in the eyes, challenging him.
"The pleasure is all ours," said Ichigo, deciding that a little friendly competition with Hisagi might liven up the evening a bit. Hisagi tugged at his collar, having realized that the opening salvo in the battle for Rukia's attention had been lost to his superior officer.
"Please, Captain Kurosaki, Lieutenant Hisagi, have a seat," said Rukia, ignoring their surprised looks at her use of their titles.
She walked over to a small cabinet and pulled out three cut-crystal glasses, pouring a bit of amber-hued liquid into each. "Cognac?" she inquired, handing each of them a glass, and taking the third for herself, then sitting down across from them and bringing the glass to her lips, inhaling the intense aroma and closing her eyes slightly.
"Did you truly believe I was so ill-informed that I did not realize to whom I extended an invitation to dinner?" she asked, with a warm smile.
Ichigo coughed and glanced at Hisagi, who suppressed a laugh. "I would never believe you to be ill-informed," Ichigo said, stopping to sip the cognac. "I am, however, impressed."
"Really?" asked Rukia, her lips pursed playfully. "I suppose I should be flattered, Captain."
"Indeed," Ichigo replied, watching her with growing interest. Any lingering thoughts of the benefits of acquiescent, malleable women had now fled his mind – she was truly enticing, with her strong gaze and equally feminine manner. He had never met another woman of such apparent contradictions.
"I know much more about you both, of course," she said. "For example, I know that you have been placed on a month's shore leave as a result of an encounter with a pirate ship off the coast of Antigua several months ago."
Ichigo willed himself not to betray his surprise. How could she have known? He had spoken to Yamamoto not more than seven hours ago.
She smiled, answering his unspoken question. "Our business is shipping, Captain Kurosaki. And I make it my business to know all there is about ships, military or otherwise. Your ship has been assigned to patrol off the United States mainland and the Caribbean - the very shipping lanes that my company uses regularly to deliver goods from Europe and Asia." Hisagi looked at Ichigo, clearly awed. Ichigo smiled, determined not to reveal how impressed he was, as well.
There was a light knock on the doors, and the servant reentered the room. "Dinner is ready, Miss," she said.
Rukia stood. "Gentlemen, my brother is waiting." They followed her up the marble steps to the large, formal dining room on the mezzanine level of the building.
To say that the dining room was elaborately decorated would have been an understatement - the room was large enough to accommodate nearly a hundred seated guests, and was hung with enormous carved mirrors layered in gold leaf. Several enormous chandeliers were hung from the ceiling at various intervals and with so many candles that the room sparkled with light reflected in the mirrors. The expansive table was set, at the far end for five guests, with the finest European bone china in a stunning deep blue with hand-painted gold details. The immaculately laid out silver shone nearly as brightly as the mirrors. Ichigo heard Hisagi inhale. As well-appointed as the Officer's Club was, this was on another level entirely.
At the end of the table stood Byakuya, resplendent in a dark blue velvet suit with a cream-colored shirt. He wore a sterling hair ornament to one side of his long, dark hair, and Ichigo wondered vaguely where the elder Kuchiki had found such an unusual adornment. Seated at Byakuya's right was a woman with long, auburn hair. As they walked into the room, Byakuya and the woman walked over to meet them. Byakuya shook hands with both Ichigo and Hisagi, thanking both men for joining them for dinner.
"May I introduce my cousin, Inoue Orihime," Byakuya then said, gesturing to the woman at his side. "She is staying with us while attending school in London."
Hisagi took Orihime's hand and kissed it. He was clearly smitten, although Ichigo had to smile - there were few young, attractive women who did not have the same effect on his first officer.
"It's a pleasure to meet you both," said Orihime, shaking Ichigo's hand and then moving to kiss Rukia on either cheek, in the European fashion.
The five of them were seated at the table and almost immediately presented with the most fragrant soup Ichigo had ever smelled, along with large glasses of an 1855 Chateau Margaux - a wine Ichigo had only tasted once before, and which his own father, Isshin, had purchased at great cost to celebrate Ichigo's promotion to Captain. As luck would have it, although Ichigo truly doubted luck was involved, Hisagi was seated next to Orihime, and he himself was seated between Byakuya and Rukia. Regardless of intent, Ichigo was pleased with the arrangements.
The conversation, at least to begin with, consisted mostly of small-talk - the increase in shipping traffic across the Atlantic, the skyrocketing cost of goods shipped to Europe from the Far East, and the increasing popularity of products from northern Africa, including exotic fruits and fabrics. After the main course was served, however, their talk turned more towards subjects with which Ichigo and Hisagi were intimately familiar - the difficulty of navigating certain areas in the Caribbean and, ultimately, the recent spate of pirate activity which was interfering with shipping and maritime travel, in general.
"I understand from my sister that your ship, the H.M.S. Vincent, is assigned to patrol for pirates, Captain," said Byakuya, sipping his wine and considering the orange-haired man seated at his left.
"We have been on assignment in the Caribbean for nearly a year now," replied Ichigo. "We have been given a month's shore leave while repairs are being made to the Vincent."
"Have you captured any pirates?" inquired Rukia, with interest.
"We've sunk six pirates ships in those waters," said Hisagi, clearly proud of the accomplishment.
"That's quite impressive," Rukia replied, between tiny bites of food.
"We like to think so," said Ichigo, with a grin.
"My sister tells me that you were involved in an unusual incident off the coast of Antigua several months ago," said Byakuya, casually.
"Unusual?" mused Orihime. "In what way, Kuchiki-sama?"
"Rumor has it that a pirate ship disappeared into a storm while being chased by the Vincent," replied Byakuya.
"You mean it sank?" asked Orihime.
"No," replied Byakuya, now looking directly at Ichigo. "It vanished into thin air."
Orihime's mouth turned into a tight "oh" at this pronouncement, and her eyes grew large.
Rukia laughed. "I'd wager that the pirates just outran you, Captain," she said, clearly hoping to irk Ichigo.
"Possibly," Ichigo replied, nonplussed. "I'm not at liberty to discuss the incident, however." Orihime looked disappointed.
"What are pirates like, Captain Kurosaki?" she asked with obvious curiosity.
"That depends upon the pirate," laughed Ichigo, charmingly. "We see them all - cutthroat criminals who care little for human life, as well those men who truly consider piracy a business, and are anything but bloodthirsty."
"How exciting!" exclaimed Orihime, nearly knocking over her wine.
"It is quite exciting," said Hisagi, smiling at her. She giggled and then blushed.
"I've heard that there are pirates who possess magical abilities and who worship voodoo with the native cultures," Orihime said, clearly enthralled with the concept.
"I've heard the rumors," said Ichigo. "But they are just that, Inoue-san, rumors, without any facts to support them. Other than being a pretty colorful lot, pirates are still just men. They live, they die, just like we do."
"Then you do not ascribe to the ancient religions, Captain Kurosaki," observed Rukia.
"Hardly," he replied. "These stories have been told for the sole purpose of striking fear into the hearts of mariners and to keep Europeans away from the islands so that pirates and other criminals can operate undisturbed."
"So you do not believe in things you cannot explain, do you Captain?" Rukia asked, taking a particularly long sip from her wine glass.
"Absolutely not," Ichigo replied, although the memory of the pirate ship lit up in the middle of the dark storm made him shift uncomfortably in his seat.
"That is unfortunate," replied Rukia, smiling at him. "Life is far more interesting if not all questions are so easily answered."
Dinner ended not long afterwards, and Byakuya quickly took his leave of them, explaining that a large shipment destined for Boston had run into difficulties with British customs, and he was needed immediately to correct the situation. Rukia and Orihime escorted their two guests onto the large balcony that adjoined the dining room to enjoy the warm night air. As expected, Hisagi and Orihime wandered over to one side of the balcony, while Ichigo remained with Rukia.
"You don't believe the pirate ship outran you, do you Captain?" Rukia asked, looking out over the gardens below.
"No," replied Ichigo, "I don't."
"But you don't believe it sank, either, do you?"
"No," he replied, stubbornly. She turned to him, leaning on the iron railing and regarding him with a look of curious interest.
"How do you explain it, then?" she said, wryly.
"I can't," he replied simply, unwilling to discuss it further.
"You are quite the source of contradictions, Captain Kurosaki," she said, a smile on her lips.
"Please, call me Ichigo," he said, realizing for the first time how beautiful her violet eyes were up close.
"Only if you will call me Rukia," she laughed. They were very close now, and Ichigo glanced over to Hisagi and Orihime, who were face to face, in deep conversation, oblivious to the rest of the world.
"Rukia," he said, repeating her name. "Why did you invite us here tonight?"
"You never cease to surprise me, Ichigo," she replied, avoiding his question. "I'd think you would just be pleased to have received the invitation, and would see fit to leave it at that."
"I am, by nature, a highly suspicious person," he answered, with a grin. It was, only partly, said in jest. He truly was curious as to her motives.
"Very well then," she said, brushing an errant piece of hair out of her eyes. "I invited you here because I was curious about you Ichigo."
"Me?"
"I know of your family, of course," she explained. "Your father is a surgeon, I believe." Ichigo nodded. "It just seems quite odd to me that a man who had little to do with sailing until he was nearly an adult, and whose family are not sailors, would have chosen the career you have and would have been so successful in such a short amount of time." Ichigo raised an eyebrow, a slight smirk on his face.
"I was always bored, living in our dreary London suburb," he said, simply. "Sailing has given me the opportunity to see the world, on my terms. Does that surprise you?"
"No," she answered, studying his face. "I suppose not."
"And what of you, Rukia?" he asked. "Why have you chosen to help your brother run his business, when you could be living a life of ease and traveling the world in luxury?"
"To borrow your words, running this business has given me the opportunity to see the world on my terms, as well," she replied.
"You are a fascinating woman, Rukia," he said, laughing softly. "I get the feeling that there is far more to you that meets the eye, or that you would readily admit."
"Does that disturb you, Ichigo?" she asked, her face lit with a mischievous smile.
"Not at all," he said, moving closer to her. "In fact, it is what makes you so appealing."
"I am flattered," she laughed, holding her ground.
"You should be," he said, as he pulled her face to his and kissed her on the lips. Then, releasing her, he said, "It makes me want to learn more about you."
"Then you will be waiting for quite some time, Captain Kurosaki," she said, grinning at him. "I have no intention of revealing all of my secrets to you - at least, not all at one time."
The next time she would see him would be months later, in command of the H.M.S. Vincent in the Caribbean sea - and a far, far different encounter that would prove to be, for both of them…
Next Chapter: Running Before the Wind