Summary
The cherry blossoms are in bloom, and at a gathering at the Kuchiki manor, Kagome comes across a rather startling discovery.
A/N: Okay guys. This one is going to be interesting. I hope you enjoy!
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"Come on, Kagome-sama! You're the one that wants to be early!" Miroku chided, softly knocking on the shinigami's bathroom door again.
"I know! But I don't want them to think that I'm trying to impress anyone!" Kagome voice was muffled through the door, but the monk managed to hear it, "I really think this kimono was a bad idea. I shouldn't have let Lieutenant Ise talk me into it!"
"Trust me, you look fine. Pretty. Astounding. Mind-blowingly alluring!" her closest friend rattled off, grinning when the door was jerked open and the priestess finally appeared, color high on her cheeks and a dangerous spark in her blue eyes.
"I don't want to have to drag you there, Casanova," she growled, stomping out of the little room and sliding on a pair of geta sandals. Stopping in front of the mirror, she nervously smoothed down the silk of her current choice in wear, then turned back to Miroku with pleading eyes.
"I look girly! This isn't going to work!"
"Kagome," Miroku sighed, reaching out and resting his hands on her shoulders, "You are a girl. You're supposed to look feminine. There's nothing wrong with it. I promise you don't look a fool right now."
"I... I just don't want to be stared at," Kagome whispered, lowering her head, "I know there's times when my squad forgets that I'm a girl, and this would just give them a shock."
"Then shock them. It would do them all some good to remember that you're female, my friend," the monk countered bluntly, earning a snort and a small smile from the young woman in front of him. He hated that she'd become so self-conscious. She needed someone to show her that it was okay to be herself.
'If all goes well, I won't ever have to worry about Kagome's well-being again.' The plan that Lieutenant Ise had cooked up was actually pretty ingenious. The bookish woman had become fast friends with Kagome, which in turn had allowed her to learn of the priestess's plight with her powers. Nanao had been insistent on helping, shoving books at him with an increasing vigor that specified in seals and spells to seal off abilities. This, of course, had led to her finding out about Captain Kuchiki's interest in the other woman, and she'd gleefully devised a way to stun the noble at the annual showing of the cherry blossoms at the Kuchiki manor.
And staring at the finished product, Miroku had to applaud the Lieutenant. She'd done an outstanding job choosing a kimono for his old friend. It was a pale pink color with red and dark purple daisies sprawled on the fabric and a darker pink obi to tie securely around the waist. And with the small amount of make up and the ends of her hair curled with half of it pulled away from her face with a white ribbon, Kagome screamed elegant and lovely.
'Now, if I can just get that frown off of her face...' the monk thought, grinning deviously as the priestess turned away from him.
A moment later, Kagome was shrieking at him about lack of manners as she slapped the crap out of him and he fell to the floor. Painful, for sure, but at least she wasn't sad now.
The things he did for friends.
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Rukia grinned to herself as she bowed politely to Rangiku Matsumoto and an annoyed Toshiro Hitsugaya. She respected the Lieutenant, and her Captain for being able to put up with her even more so, but there were times when she had to wonder how the busty blonde woman had gotten into her current position.
Glancing around her, the young noble spotted her older sibling a ways off making idle but stilted conversation with Captain Ukitake while Captain Kyoraku tipped another cup of sake back pleasantly. It seemed her brother was doing just fine... for now. Byakuya never really liked these large gatherings, but went through them anyway if only to maintain the prestige of their family. The cherry blossom showing was a tradition, and the clan head was nothing if not a traditionalist.
'Everyone is almost here. The only ones I haven't seen so far are-!' Rukia seized up when she felt a hand brush against her backside then whirled on instinct to pulverize the idiot that had dared to touch her so inappropriately.
"Miroku! You-!" the noble stopped when someone else beat her to it. Literally.
"Lecherous moron!" Kagome hissed, knocking the monk upside the head and glaring at the wide-eyed innocent look he sent them. Rukia blinked slowly then bit her lip hard to hide the grin that wanted to stretch across her face. She'd always known that Kagome would look lovely in a traditional kimono. Even the yukata she'd been given to wear that time during the stom was nothing compared to this.
'Nii-sama will certainly approve. Now, I just have to make sure he doesn't see her until the right time...' The plan was set; they were now waiting for the signal.
"I do apologize, Lady Rukia. My hand tends to get away from me sometimes. Old habits, you know?" Miroku admitted sheepishly, glancing between the two women with a cowed expression.
"I won't be responsible for whatever body parts you might lose if Captain Kuchiki sees you do that. Or Captain Ukitake, for that matter," his priestess friend muttered, shrugging at the shifty looking monk.
"... I'll try to keep my hands to myself, my friend," he replied, swallowing at the thought of either noble catching him. Both were exceedingly protective of Rukia, and he felt that it just wasn't worth losing limbs over.
Rukia nodded and pushed them towards a group of people. "Go mingle, you two. I'll be by to check on you soon." Watching the two head off, she looked around and caught Lieutenant Ise's eye and nodded. The bookish woman returned the gesture and elbowed her Captain slightly, whom gave her an odd look before it cleared when she murmured something quietly to him.
The signal had been given. Operation: Cherry Blossom was under way.
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Kagome smiled and shook her head when Rangiku tried to wheedle her into accepting a drink from a young man that had been eyeing her longingly for the last fifteen minutes. As nice as the offer was, she just wasn't interested. He seemed... boring.
'Damn Inuyasha's penchant for trouble. I'll never be able to deal with a guy that can't handle a little mayhem now and then,' she thought glumly, snickering under her breath when Shuuhei Hisagi flushed as the busty blonde leaned against him for a moment. The poor guy was so smitten, he always managed to get too tongue-tied to admit his feelings for the other Lieutenant. 'Maybe I can help him with that. He'd be a good balance for Rangiku-san.'
"Higurashi-san." Kagome turned at the sound of her name and locked gazes with a pair of intense teal eyes that hovered only a hairs' breath above her.
"Oh! Umm... Hello," the priestess stuttered, blushing in embarrassment; the boy somehow knew who she was, and yet she had no idea what his name was. After all, she woul have remembered meeting someone with that color hair. 'It's a very similar color to Sesshomaru-sama's. Maybe a bit more like Inuyasha's, only more white.'
"... You don't remember me, do you," the boy pointed out bluntly, the slightly annoyed glint in his eyes deepening when the color on her face darkened at the statement, "I'm not surprised, honestly. You were pretty drunk. You can blame my Lieutenant for that."
The former time traveler blinked and cast her memory back to the night she'd acquired her new drinking buddies. She'd remembered meeting Rangiku, Shuuhei, Izuru, and Ikkaku and being dragged out for drinks. That had been the day Miroku had abandoned her at that tea shop... A repressed memory filtered into her mind from that night. Her hugging a white haired boy that looked absolutely livid with her tall blonde friend...
"Whatever I did, I'm really sorry if I happened to embarrass you or anyone else, umm... Captain..." Kagome winced, bowing politely to the boy and choking back a noise of shock when she finally noted his Captain's cloak. Great, she'd probably made a complete fool of herself that night. And in front of a Captain, no less. Another image of her hugging her superior officer and playing with his scarf happened to flitter by and she almost groaned. Yep, she'd definitely made a fool of herself that night. 'Note to self: No more letting Rangiku-san ply me with drinks, no matter how tempting the offer.'
"Hitsugaya. Toshiro Hitsugaya. Captain of Squad 10," he answered quickly, giving her a short bow in return.
"R-Right! Ahh, Kagome Higurashi. Squad 6," the former priestess mimicked the bow and proceeded to stare at her feet while trying to keep from finding the nearest hard surface to bang her head on. 'Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!' They talked quietly for several more minutes before she was unceremoniously dragged away by some of her squad members in the middle of plotting something. Turning slightly, she waved goodbye to the smaller Captain, and then gave the three young men carrying her off a dark glare. Keiichi, Yamato, and Suzuren were troublemakers outside of squad activities, and had tried several times to get her to come out with them for drinks. She'd declined each time simply because she got into enough trouble without their influence.
That and it would end up getting back to Captain Kuchiki, and he had enough on his plate to worry about aside from her getting into some kind of bar fight. Kagome snickered inwardly and wondered what the stoic noble would think of her if he ever found out about all the fights she'd gotten into in her old District. She managed to give the boys the slip by insisting that she needed to use the restroom and ducked off towards the manor.
'It's strange. I haven't seen Captain Kuchiki at all today. I wonder why? Usually, he's breathing down my neck making sure I'm not screwing up and stealing my hair ribbons,' the former priestess thought, turning a few corners and sighing as she shook her head. 'Well, the man can take care of himself, so why should I worry?' Maybe she'd get away with this ribbon!
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After the brief conversation he'd engaged in with Ukitake, Byakuya made a few rounds around the manor to ensure there were no stragglers running around before finding his sister in an oddly serious conversation with a certain perverted monk.
"And you're positive that she only has that long before..." Rukia asked, trailing off meaningfully as she let her gaze wander leisurely over the gathering.
"Unfortunately, yes," Miroku answered, "And I fear that if she loses every drop of her reishi, she'll never be able to get it back. Even a smidge will give her just enough to keep the spark alive and allow her a full recovery once we remove the seal, Lady Rukia." The noblewoman let out a frustrated breath and pinned the monk with a sharp look.
"What exactly aren't you telling me about her, Miroku?" He blinked, violet eyes taking on a sheen of innocence that had neither noble fooled.
"I have no idea what you mean, my lady." Byakuya nearly rolled his eyes at the blatent lie. If they had to, they'd beat the information out of hte tip-lipped holy man. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to find Kagome. She has a distinct dislike of being in crowded places."
Rukia blinked and glanced at her brother. "She does? I didn't know that."
Miroku smiled smally and shook his head, "It is not an overwhelming fear, but it makes her feel suffocated if there are too many people she doesn't really know around her." He bowed politely to the siblings and started off into the crowd.
"... Things are getting out of hand. It sounds like, if we can't find the answer to this seal, Kagome will end up in the Detention Center," Rukia murmured, absently brushing Byakuya's arm in a motion of reassurance. She didn't initiate physical contact with her brother often, but she could tell that the thought bothered him.
"For the time being, let us enjoy the time that we do have," the Kuchiki head replied quietly, a brief smile flitting across his face before he wiped it away. "I have not seen Higurashi all day though." It was his way of asking where she was.
"I saw her talking to Captain Hitsugaya earlier, then some of her squad members pulled her away, I think." Byakuya's eyes narrowed and he stretched his senses out to try and locate the trouble magnet. When he pinpointed her, he blinked slowly. What was she doing so far from the party?
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She wanted to strangle herself. And maybe whoever had designed the Kuchiki manor. She was hopelessly lost in a huge home. Huffing under her breath and cursing her crappy sense of direction tonight, Kagome turned another corner and tramped down the hall as she attempted to find her way back to the gathering. After getting away to use the restroom, she had obviously taken a wrong turn. The priestess couldn't hear the party going on at all; meaning she was probably on the other side of the manor. An minute now, someone else that lived here was going to turn the corner, assume she was either trying to sneak in for valuables or sex, and start screaming for the guard to come and "politely" remove her from the premises.
"At least I still get to see the sakura in bloom around here..." The trees on this end of the manor seemed to be untouched by time. With the quiet atmosphere and the almost wild feel of the botanical garden, she could picture herself in the Feudal Era under the afternoon sun quite easily. It made a nostalgic pain wrench in her chest, but it wasn't nearly as bad as it had been before. She had Sango and Miroku now, Kohaku and Kaede were likely within the area and were just waiting for the okay to go see them. And, now that she thought of it, she had to wonder if there were other people that would remember her from that world too!
But most of all, she had to wonder what had happened to all of her demon friends. Were they still alive and roaming around the World of the Living? Were they dead and wandering the bowels of Hell because of their demonic origins and souls. Or, were they hiding out here in the Soul Society, waiting for some kind of signal, some kind of sign that she was here now and hoping to see them again. She wasn't sure, but she did miss every single one of them.
Letting out a loud sigh, Kagome stopped in the hallway and put her hands on her hips. Okay, this was getting ridiculous!
"Where the hell am I in this place?" she snapped, stomping her foot in agitation and glaring around her.
"Certainly not where you should be, Higurashi." She hadn't been expecting an answer and squeaked loudly as she turned on her heel. Unfortunately, one of her kultz attacks decided to crop up and she tripped over her feet, catching sight of her Captain's surprised expression as she pitched to the side. Her hand went through the rice paper covering the shojo door to her left as she tried to balance before she was pulled into a solid warmth. Kagome stared at the hole in horror, then raised her gaze up to the noble clutching her closely.
"I am so sorry, Captain!" the former time traveler whimpered, her cheeks hot and red in mortification, "I'll fix it. I promise. Please don't be angry!"
Byakuya let out a slow breath and shook his head. "It was unintentional. I am not angry with you, Higurashi." He set her upright gently and took a large step away from her. Hopefully, she hadn't see his hands shake before he got himself back under control. It wasn't right, or even proper in any way, but he hadn't wanted to let her go at all. For some reason, he hadn't expected her to look so pretty all dressed up. He should have known better, though. It was like a repeat of when she'd stayed that one night during the thunderstorm. She could put any noble woman that he'd seen to shame easily, and she wasn't even trying!
It had also taken a considerable amount of willpower to keep himself calm after seeing her pitch into danger like that. Willing his racing heart to slow down, he pulled the door open and peered in.
Oh, of course. It would be this room.
"Where is this?" Kagome asked, poking her head in curiously. The noble blinked as she shuffled in and looked around. Wow, when she did that, it wasn't any wonder why Yachiru had nicknamed her Koneko.
'Curiosity is going to get her killed if she's not careful.' Which wouldn't happen unless someone managed to kill him first. Instead, he stepped in after her and watched her reactions.
"This is my home office, for clan affairs," he replied, almost smirking when she nodded absently.
Satisfied with his answer, the smaller shinigami perused the room with a vague interest, but found nothing that captivated her at first. On the second look around, though, and after reading a wall scroll that reminded her of Sesshomaru's honor code, something caught her eye and she smiled as she approached his desk.
"This is a pretty picture of Rukia," Kagome murmured, picking up the small frame. She didn't notice the way he froze and stared with a hint of longing in his gaze, "When was this taken? Recently?"
"No... That's not Rukia," the Captain spoke after a moment's hesitation. Why had he left her picture out? "Her... That is Rukia's older sister, Hisana."
"Oh! I didn't know she had a sister!" the priestess gasped, glancing from the picture to her Squad leader, "She never talks about her!"
"Yes... Rukia didn't know her. She passed away a little over 50 years ago. A year after that, I received information that Rukia had joined the academy."
"... How... did you know Rukia's sister?" the former time traveler hedged, almost wondering if it was such a good idea to pry. From what she could read of her superior's aura, it was melancholy at best. She stifled a cry when it darkened to sorrow. What...?
"Hisana was my wife."
Stunned was the only reaction she could manage to potray. He'd been married? To Rukia's sister?
'I always thought that they were blood-related! They act so similar...'
"I... see. I'm sorry for your loss." It was one of the few times that he'd heard someone actually mean what they said. Kagome wasn't someone that just gave out pity, after all. "You must miss her, Captain."
'Every day. But it also becomes less painful to see that picture every day, and it gets easier to remember the fond memories...' Byakuya thought, merely settling for a nod. Kagome did something unexpected then; she shuffled forward in her geta and enveloped him in a hug. It wasn't for some kind of ploy like most noble women attempted, nor was it a familial gesture. It was purely for comfort.
"What are you doing?" He froze up, the words slipping from his lips before he could stop them.
It's... because you're still grieving." The dark-haired girl looked up at him with understanding, "It's okay to be sad, and to miss her, but if you stay that way for too long, you'll lose yourself." She bit her lip and flickered her gaze away before re-firming her determination and meeting his eyes again, "There are a lot of people that need Captain Kuchiki, but there are people that need the Noble, Byakuya, too." The clan head jerked when his name passed her lips. It was the first time he'd ever heard her say it, and it sent a shiver down his spine. What she said made sense though. He'd been so caught up in his mourning for Hisana that he'd started to lose sight of the other people in his life that were important. Or, in one troublemaking priestess's case, were becoming important.
"... Thank you... Kagome." And he meant it.
With a nod, she suppressed the urge to flush, pulled away and turned her attention back to the small frame she'd been holding the entire time. She couldn't believe how much Rukia looked like her sister!
"It must be hard for you though, because Rukia looks so similar. Were their personalities the same?"
"No. Hisana was more soft-spoken and demure. Rukia, and I suspect it is because she grew up with Renji, is more outgoing," the noble replied, a shadow of a smile flickering across his features for a moment, "There are times when Rukia reminds me of her, but I would never compare the two to each other." At Kagome's questioning look, he elaborated unnecessarily, "Rukia is Rukia, and Hisana was Hisana. They are not the same person, no matter how similar they appear."
The priestess closed her eyes for a moment to hide the pain that flashed through her. Oh, if only Inuyasha had seen her and Kikyo that way... "That's good. I don't think either one of them would have liked being compared to the other, and I definitely don't see Rukia wanting to try to live up to an expectation of being like a sister that she never knew. It's... an impossible task to accomplish, after all." Carefully, the former time traveler set the picture back down and turned to start to leave the room.
"You speak as though from experience." Who in their sane minds would try to compare Kagome, of all people, to someone else? In his eyes, no one could hold a candle to the young woman that had stopped in the middle of his office and glanced back at him with a painful smile. 'Who was the fool that caused that look?'
"Yes... I suppose I do, Captain Kuchiki." With a small bow, Kagome excused herself and left one noble to ponder what exactly that meant and who he would need to seriously hurt for making the normally cheerful girl so melancholy.
'The monk would know, as would that woman from Squad 11 that she's taken to associating with.' And it would be an investigation that he would pursue until he had his answers.
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Kagome sighed quietly as she stared up at the stars from the window in her room and nursed a small cup of tea. Her conversation with her Captain had altered something between them; somethiing that had been hovering around them for a while now. She'd known she was attracted to the man. Hell, what woman in their right mind wouldn't be! But she'd always felt that there was an air of unattainability surrounding the stoic noble. Now, though, with the revelation of his former wife's passing, she was realizing even more that he wasn't completely untouched by his emotions like many thought.
The priestess was learning more and more about her superior officer day by day, and what she was seeing was drawing her deeper down a road that she knew all too well.
She was falling for him, and he was going to break her heart.
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A/N: Yayz! Moving the romance aspect along a little more. Kagome simply can't just leave someone to their own grief. Not even Byakuya. Huzzah for twists and turns and confusion!
Anyways, let me know what you guys think by leaving a review! Until next time!