Summary
Due to an incident with the Women's Association's pool problem, he is required to be present for a day at the beach. Luckily, he isn't the only one to have to suffer through the indignity...
A/N: I know tons of you were wanting to see this scene, and I'd been planning it for a while. Umm, slight tweaks here and there on the reasons why they came to the beach, but I hope you all enjoy this one!
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It was bad enough that he had to suffer the annoyance of the Women's Association infiltrating his home. As 'punishment' for 'remodeling' the pool they'd installed in his backyard, the ridiculous women had insisted that he join them for a day at the beach in the World of the Living. Thankfully, he wasn't going to be the only one to suffer through this monstrosity.
This just had bad idea written all over it.
"Why am I here again?" Ichigo Kurosaki asked in long suffering, already knowing what the answer was going to be.
"This is our chance to kick back and relax for the day, Ichigo!" Rukia replied, glaring at the substitute shinigami in annoyance as he waved her off absently, "A day at the beach will be good for all of us."
"Fine, I get it!" the orange-haired boy huffed, then glanced at Byakuya, "What made you decide to come, Byakuya?" The noble twitched minutely at the general lack of respect and sent a condescending glance at the young man.
"The Women's Assocation has deemed this as my punishment for destroying the pool."
Ichigo blinked. "What pool?"
"The one we hid at his mansion, of course!" Rangiku butted in, flouncing over and nearly spilling out of her bikini top. Both men visibly flinched at the thought.
"... Are you serious?" The substitute could only imagine the havoc the stoic man next to him would have caused the moment he found that pool. And he was pretty sure it would have involved Senbonzakura.
"Anyway, this is the perfect day for a vacation to the Living World!" the blonde Lieutenant giggled happily and sauntered off, leaving the three of them alone again for the moment. Rukia glanced around and furrowed her brows in confusion.
"That's odd." Ichigo was immediately on guard.
"What? It it a Hollow?" He cursed the fact that he'd left his substitute pass with his clothes in the snack shack just down the way.
"No, you idiot! I thought I told Kagome to be here by now, but I don't see her yet," the small shinigami countered, huffing slightly and crossing her arms, "She's late!"
Byakuya sent her a look that screamed 'You're kidding me!' "You invited Higurashi? To the beach?" A second later, he was wondering why he hadn't thought of that!
"Well, yes. I thought she could use the time away from Miroku," Rukia replied, giving her older sibling a flat look that he was still becoming accustomed to. She didn't often direct it at him, after all.
"I see," the Captain nodded. It made sense too. The perverted monk was being oddly clingy as of late, and it bothered him a lot more that he cared to let on.
"Is that her?" the orange-haired shinigami guessed, pointing at a figure cresting the sand dune and stumbling down it. The dark-haired girl looked oddly excited, if her glowing face wasn't a dead giveaway. The moment she meandered up to them, though, she was immediately accosted by Yachiru.
"Koneko-chan! You came!" the little girl giggled, crawling up the frozen girl and resting on her shoulder much like she did with her Captain, "Chibi-chan said you would, and here you are!"
"E-Eh? Lieutenant! I told you not to call me that!" Rukia and Kagome shouted. They glanced at eachother and blinked. Ichigo looked between the two and sent a pitying glance in Byakuya's direction.
"I don't envy you, Byakuya."
Shut up, Ichigo!" Rukia snarled, kicking the orange-haired substitute in the shins. Byakuya ignored the entire scene in favor of keeping an eye on his subordinate. It didn't help that he wanted to grin at his sister's defensiveness.
"Hey, Koneko-chan? Where's your swimsuit?" Yashiru asked, drawing attention back to what the former priestess was wearing; a pair of dark blue shorts that came to mid-thigh and a light pink tank top with a red flower on the lower right side.
"Umm... I..." she looked awfully embarrassed, "To be honest, I wasn't about to wear that tiny thing."
'It couldn't have been any worse than Matsumoto's,' the Captain thought absently before forcefully shaking his head inwardly.
"But it was cute!" Rukia countered. Kagome flushed again. That was an odd reaction from her.
"It left nothing to the imagination!"
"You're supposed to wear a swimsuit to the beach!" the other girl complained, sending her a gimlet stare.
"Which is why I decided to get a new one," the priestss countered, huffing and pushing her long hair out of her face, "That's why it took me so long to get here!" The two nobles noticed the color high on her cheeks darkening.
"Is this one cute?" When his sister asked that, Byakuya decided that it was easier to not get involved in the conversation. Instead, he contented himself to just listening and fading into the background for once. Apparently, Ichigo was thinking the same thing.
"I... guess?"
"Whaaaat? Why did you get a new one?" Yoruichi suddenly appeared over Kagome's shoulder and hugged the priestess from behind as she rested her head on the smaller girl's shoulder. Noting the dark glare Byakuya sent the shape-shifter discreetly, the dark-skinned woman just grinned widely and resisted the urge to stick her tongue out. "The one I picked out for you was super cute!"
"I'm not quite as... willing to show off like Lieutenant Matsumoto," Kagome replied, flushing darkly and refusing to meet either Ichigo or her Captain's gazes. The substitute winced and was inwardly thankful for this girl's modest streak. It was nice, considering he was surrounded by some rather perverted women.
Yoruichi sighed loudly, ruffling Kagome's bangs in the process, before shoving off the smaller girl and taking Soi Fon by the arm. The current Squad 2 Captain blushed lightly and sent adoring eyes to the dark-skinned woman. "Come on, Soi Fon! I wanna see a shark!" And the two women were off, leaving the others to blink after them.
"Oh! My name's Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm a substitute shinigami," the orange-haired teen finally introduced himself, bowing a little to a flustered Kagome.
"I'm Kagome Higurashi. I-! Wait! Substitute?"
"Uhh, yeah. I'm human, but I can become a shinigami when Hollows attack," he elaborated, earning an impressed glance from the priestess that made Byakuya want to clock the younger male upside the head.
"That's amazing! I didn't know living humans were allowed to become shinigami!"
"Technically, they're not," Rukia countered, elbowing the embarrassed teen next to her, "but Ichigo here is pretty strong."
"Really? How strong?"
"I beat Byakuya," the boy bragged. The nobleman hadn't felt the need to possess his Zanpakuto more than now. Kagome sucked in a shocked breath and swug her blue gaze back and forth between the two males. Then, she burst out laughing.
"Wh-What!" Ichigo stuttered, watching the girl that was barely bigger than Rukia roll around in the sand in hysterical glee. The three people around her wondered what was so funny.
""Th-That's quite a joke, Kurosaki-san! But please! Captain Kuchiki is pretty strong!" It said a lot for Byakuya's pride that she seemed to have so much faith in his abilities... Even if the orange-haired teen was right.
Silence met her remarks and she carefully observed the three people in front of her with growing comprehension. "No way... Seriously?" When her Captain actually averted his gaze, she knew that, as ridiculous as it sounded, it had to be true. It left her stunned enough to allow Rukia and a returning Yachiru to lead her off to change.
"He beat... Captain Kuchiki?" Kagome asked quietly. Rukia gave a solemn nod before shoving her into the women's bathroom and waving absently to Orihime.
"Byakushi doesn't like to be reminded about that," Yachiru murmured, unusually calm for a moment before she bounced back and smiled as she ran off giggling. A few minutes later, Kagome pulled aside the curtain and leveled a very serious look at the noble. "You're positive that he beat Captain Kuchiki? Because he sure didn't feel like it earlier!"
"As much as I hate to say it, yes," Rukia replied, glancing at the former priestess's swim suit and approving. She'd been right. The one Yoruichi had chosen had been scandalously tiny, and the smaller shinigami had inwardly felt that a future Kuchiki should have some sense of propriety. This two-piece suited her much better; it was an added bonus that it was a dark green color. Her brother liked green.
'Even if Kagome doesn't know that yet.'
"Wow... That's just... wow," Kagome murmured, absently tying her hair up with a white ribbon. Shuffling towards the smaller girl and looking around, she suddenly noticed someone was missing, "Wait! Where's Yachiru?"
Rukia looked for the tiny pink-haired girl and shrugged. "I guess she got bored with us and ran off. It's fine though. Let's head back!" Grabbing the priestess's wrist, she started to drag the other girl, but stopped when she was met with an extreme amount of resistance. Kagome was yanking at her arm, a mortified look on her face. "What? You're not embarrassed, are you? That swimsuit looks a lot better on you, I assure you."
"N-No! It's not that! It's just..." the other girl trailed off, getting a raised brow as a reaction, so she decided to go ahead and plow on, "it's just... I have this... scar..." Her voice was tiny and almost inaudible, but the noblewoman managed to catch the last word.
"A scar? From what?"
"It's old. I got it a really long time ago," the raven-haired girl replied, scuffing her bare feet against the wood floor of the snack shack and not willing to meet Rukia's gaze as she searched for the illusive silvery thing.
"But... I don't see-! Is this it?" the smaller shinigami asked, reaching out and brushing her fingers against a spot just above Kagome's left hip. The star-shaped mark was faint, but once she noticed it, she had to wonder how the other girl had gotten it and managed to live from what looked like a near fatal wound.
"... Yes," Kagome murmured. Rukia did some quick thinking.
"I don't know why you're nervous. I didn't even know you had it until you pointed it out. At least it doesn't look like any of Captain Zaraki's. This is actually kind of pretty," she observed bluntly, backpedaling at the blue-eyed girl's uncertainty, "but if you want, I can ask Orihime if she has another cover-up you can borrow." The priestess looked unbelievably relieved at the idea.
"Would you?"
"Of course! Let's go find her!" It only took moments to meet and speak with the redheaded human that was Rukia's other closest friend, and Orihime gladly dug out another cover-up, this one a simple white that went to mid-thigh and tied with a ribbon just below the bust, for Kagome to wear. She thanked the odd yet sweet girl profusely and promised to return it to her clean and unblemished.
The two girls were returning just as Captains Ukitake and Unohana were finishing explaining some guidelines for a sand sculpture contest and teams were splitting off to compete for a cash prize that the Head Captain was apparently giving away. Rukia happily dragged Kagome over to her older sibling and began discussing their strategy, taking particular glee as the subdued but stunned expression on Byakuya's face.
'That's right. Nii-sama hasn't ever seen Kagome in anything that showed a lot of skin,' the younger Kuchiki thought, a brilliant plan beginning to form in her mind.
"We can't allow the others to win, right Nii-sama?"
The Captain regained his bearings with a remarkable sense of self-accomplishment and almost snorted. "Of course not. The prize means nothing, but it does give us a chance to hone our artistic skills. Come, Rukia." With a nod to a smiling Ukitake, he started towards a patch of sand, expecting his sibling to follow.
Ukitake smothered the urge to laugh. Byakuya could dress it up in fancy words all he wanted, but the white-haired Captain could tell that the other noble's competitive streak was definitely coming to the forefront. 'A lot of people forget that he's still so young... It wouldn't hurt him to have a little fun today.'
Kagome shook her head and started to move in the direction of the giant umbrella that was set up. She wasn't a big fan of sand castles and sculptures. It reminded her too much of all the times she and Souta would make them when they were kids. She'd just sit this one out...
"Kagome! Where are you going? You're with us!" Rukia insisted, grabbing the priestess's wrist suddenly and pulling her along. Her plan wasn't going to work if the other half of it went off and did her own thing!
"E-eh? But-!" Kagome protested, turning wide pleading eyes at Captain Ukitake. 'Please!'
"Have fun, Kagome-san!" He waved her goodbye and headed back to the umbrella. He was loving the fresh air, but the sun was making him tired. He'd let Retsu handle things and lay down for a little nap.
'Traitor!' the priestess silently cried, tears running down her face inwardly.
"Nii-sama won't mind!" The words pulled her back to her current situation, "Besides, it will be fun! And that's what we're all here to do!" the smaller girl replied cheerfully, cutting off any argument with that simple statement. She was right; they were here to have fun.
"I... Okay, but I haven't done anything like this in a long time," Kagome finally surrendered, allowing herself to be pushed into the idea of having a littl relaxation for once.
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It had taken more than enough of his considerable willpower to keep from glancing at Kagome as their team picked a spot and got to work, but Byakuya had always prided himself on his control. That control was seriously being put to the test right now. He would not stare at her and drool like some idiotic teenager! He was better than that, damn it!
"What should we make?" the reason for his chaotic emotions asked, putting a finger to her lip and staring at the ocean with a faraway look in her eyes. When she got like that, he always had this feeling that he suddenly couldn't reach her, no matter that she was only a few paces away from him. It bothered him more than he realized. A breeze wafted by, flirting with the edges of her bangs and the white cover-up she was wearing as she thought. The temptation was just too must to resist.
A moment later, Kagome felt the tell-tale tug of the ribbon being pulled from her hair. Puffing out an annoyed breath and ignoring the poorly contained snort from Rukia, she shoved her hair out of her face and glared at her Captain as he stepped a few paces away and pocketed the white slip of material.
"What about a favorite thing? Or something or someone we admire?" Rukia replied, biting the inside of her cheek to hide the smile wanting to bloom across her lips. Her brother hadn't even bothered to hide that little quirk that he'd developed when it came to Kagome's hair ribbons. It looked like he was finally getting comfortable enough to make a move.
Or he was just getting impatient.
"A sound enough idea," Byakuya intoned quietly, picking up one of the buckets and presenting it to them, "We will need water." A moment later, Kagome grumbled under her breath and snatched the yellow bucket.
"I'll get it." The moment she was gone, Rukia rounded on the Kuchiki head and gave him a little smirk.
"This is all part of your plan, correct?"
Byakuya blinked, thought about playing dumb, but then brushed the idea off. Kuchikis did not play dumb. Instead, he narrowed sharp gray eyes at her. "How long have you known, Rukia?"
"I had a feeling that night she stayed with us during that thunderstorm," the younger noble answered honestly, then gave him an encouraging nod, "If it helps, Nii-sama, I completely support you."
He quickly digested this new piece of information and filed it away to access a little later. It would help to have an extra person in on this whole fiasco he was making this into. 'It couldn't be simple with Higurashi. I can't just tell her outright that I'm attracted to her. She couldn't have been born a noble or even been an unassuming subordinate. No! She has to be intruiging!'
Several minutes later, Kagome returned and they all got to work, Rukia and the other shinigami chattering quietly to eachother while Byakuya discreetly watched them from the corner of his eyes.
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Some time after the sculpture contest, which a sleeping Ukitake and his two Third Seats somehow managed to win, Rukia bit the inside of her cheek when Yachiru suggested they start the watermelon smashing game. Looking around and suppressing a snort at Ichigo's bored expression, she blinked when she realized that Kagome was missing again.
"Where's Kagome?" The question was asked to the substitute, but easily drew her brother's attention. As he surveyed everyone and did a head count, he concentrated briefly on the girl's reishi before starting in the right direction. He wasn't really interested in smashing watermelons anyway. He'd let the others handle that.
"She said she was going up to the ridge over there," Ichigo replied, pointing to the craggy rock that was sticking out behind the snack shack. Rukia nodded and sulked a little. She was supposed to stay nearby in order for her to execute the plan, damn it! "Wait, where's Byakuya?" Rukia whipped around in search of her brother.
"I... don't know..."
Plan ruined. Well, that just sucked.
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Kagome looked out at the ocean and took a deep breath. The salty smell was relaxing, and she had to admit that she'd had a lot of fun today. She'd even managed to get her Captain back for stealing her ribbon this time by dumping a bucket of water over his head. He hadn't looked pleased in the least bit, but she'd reminded him about taking her things. He still hadn't given it back, though. Instead, he saw fit to dump her in the water for her "transgression", as he'd put it.
"I really thought he would too..." the priestess mumbled, closing her eyes and letting the sun warm her skin. She'd missed being able to do this. 'Mama. Grandpa. Souta. I wonder... how you all are with me not there? Souta would have just gotten out of high school.' She couldn't believe how much time had passed!
"Higurashi." Kagome jolted, surprised at Byakuya's voice, and felt herself starting to tip over the ledge. Damn! She shouldn't have stood so close!
'At least it's just water below...' she thought as she squealed out loud and windmilled her arms to try and keep her balance. Her Captain wrapped an arm around her waist and pulled her back from the edge. Kagome breathed a sigh of relief as she unconsciously leaned back against him. Tilting her head back, she gave the noble a sharp glare.
"Don't sneak up on me like that! I almost fell in!"
"Perhaps, then, you should remain more alert," Byakuya countered softly, setting her upright and raising a brow arrogantly as she grumbled under her breath. "Think of it this way, Higurashi. At least I have not decided to throw you in again." It would have been too much of a temptation if he had. Once had been enough to nearly cause his brain to malfunction. Kagome twitched and took a huge step away from him, hoping to be out of arms reach just in case the stoic noble decided to change his mind.
"It really wasn't necessary the first time," she complained softly, thankful that her swim suit had dried out since then. He smirked in a way that reminded the former priestess of Sesshomaru when he was being unreasonably smug about something, and she turned away to gaze back out at the sun that was starting to make it's way to the horizen. "This was nice, though. I actually had a lot of fun."
"Agreed. It was a good day off." Kagome smiled happily then and giggled when a thought crossed her mind.
"I bet your Third Seat is in tears though waiting for you to get back, Captain." Byakuya almost snorted but just barely managed to keep it suppressed.
"Hakota was insistent about not receiving enough to do around the division. We shall see how he handles this." Kagome sighed and shook her head, turning away from the descending sun and striding towards the small path a the other nd to start picking her way down.
"We should probably head back. I never really understood the concept of smashing watermelonns and I think I heard that Rangiku-san brought a karaoke machine with her," the former priestess called back, throwing a grin over her shoulder when she heard him sigh. Well, what do know. Even Byakuya Kuchiki got exasperated. "I bet that will be interesting, as well as the bonfire later." As she heard him start to turn, Kagome smirked and whipped around suddenly, putting out her hands and sending the noble flying over the edge of the cliff.
For a split second, Byakuya looked shocked as he locked gazes with the smug girl. Then, his gray eyes sharpened and he reached out, snagging one of her wrists and dragging her with him. Kagome screamed and they plummeted into the ocean.
When he came up for air, he caught the smaller shinigami's murderous expression and smirked. "You are about 100 years too young to pull something like that over me, Higurashi.
The girl snarled at him, splashed some water in his face, and turned to head back to shore. Damn it, but she'd get him back some day!
Byakuya stared after her and resisted the urge to smile. Yes, it had been a good day off.
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A/N: Finally... Took me long enough, right? I hope you guys enjoy! I'm working on the next chapter as I speak, so hopefully, I can get it out soon!
Anyways, please review! Until next time!