Title: Lily and Thistle
Author: paws_bells
Beta-ed by: MelissaRose85
Characters/Pairing: Sarugaki Hiyori and Hirako Shinji
Type: One-shot Collection (InComplete)
Genre: Romance/Humor
Word Count: 2860
Rating: T (Contains content not suitable for children)
Disclaimer: Bleach belongs to Kubo Tite.
Summary: 'Say Please'-verse. The language of flowers. The devoted and passionate Lily. The brave and loyal Thistle. A bouquet of love. One-shot series.
Created on: 25/08/13
Completed on: 26/08/13
Chapter Last Revised on: 12/10/13
My Lover the Cat – Part I
i. Cats Love with Sleeping. As sleep champs, felines typically sleep up to 16 hours a day. Because they are most vulnerable during sleep, the place your cat chooses to snooze must be a secure and trusted location. There is no greater loving compliment than a cat choosing your lap for a favorite sleep spot.
She slunk into his office one day, when he was alone and his Fukutaichou was out attending a meeting with the other Lieutenants.
Shinji had been pleasantly surprised by his lover's appearance – she had made no mention of the fact that she was coming to Seireitei to visit - and he was always happy whenever she made an effort to enter this realm to see him, which was still quite rare considering her existing prejudice and wariness against Soul Society. Setting his calligraphy brush down on the ink stone, he was about to stand up to greet her when she hastened her pace and reached him first, and then, without a word whatsoever, she simply slid onto his lap and kept him in his seat.
Shinji looked down at the small female quietly cuddling up against him with slight bemusement. Not that he was complaining, but it wasn't often that she would come up to him like that and demonstrate such affection. Leaning back into his chair, he wrapped his arms around her waiflike form and simply held her, and she relaxed further, her hands coming up to grab fistfuls of his kosode even as she pressed her cheek against his chest and closed her eyes, curling into him and luxuriating in his soothing scent and masculine warmth.
Her small shoulders heaved slightly as she sighed in contentment, and she quickly drifted off in a light doze, lulled by his steady and calm presence. He glanced down at her, his golden eyes gentle with fondness, and then he tilted downwards and tenderly kissed the crown of her light blonde head. She did not even stir, and after a brief moment of watching her sleep, he picked up his brush again and started to work on his paperwork anew, careful not to jostle the petite young woman napping against him.
Half an hour later, the light footsteps of Momo-chan could be heard along the engawa corridor outside, and his Lieutenant hurried into the office, looking a bit frazzled as she did so.
"I'm sorry, Hirako Taichou! The meeting ran a bit late because there was an accident with Kusajishi Fukutaichou and – oh." The dark-haired female abruptly stopped her profuse explanation to her superior when she finally noticed the splash of bright red resting against the blonde man. "S-Sarugaki-san!"
Shinji lifted his index finger to his lips and silently shushed the surprised female. Momo quickly nodded her understanding, and then she made a conscious effort to be as quiet as possible as she stole over to her desk, settling behind it as she placed the files she carried with her on the surface. Momo snuck a look at her Captain and his significant other, blushing slightly at the intimate sight of the bonded couple.
It would seem at first that the two were complete opposites and rather incompatible as lovers went, but then again, when one looked closer, there appeared to be an intangible bond between the two that drew them together. It was pretty obvious in the way Hirako Taichou was openly affectionate towards the smaller Vizard in a manner that was purely reserved for her, and Sarugaki-san would also become markedly less tense and edgy when she was around her partner, like a wild, wary feline that would only relax in trust around its mate. The imaginations of Momo's inner romantic took flight and the Lieutenant had to bite back a small girlish giggle even as she silently gave her well wishes and blessings to the rather unconventional pair – it was wonderful that her Captain had found someone to love, and it was also clear that he truly adored his other half, judging by the amount of care and attention he gave to her.
"Hirako Taichou," Momo whispered softly then, catching the lanky blonde's attention. She smiled kindly at her superior. "I think I can finish up here on my own. Why don't you take Sarugaki-san back to the barracks so she can rest properly?"
Shinji glanced at the clock. It was only four in the afternoon, and he usually only knocked off around six. He shook his head. "It's alright, Momo-chan. Hiyori will probably wake soon enough, and besides, I need 'ta finish this work today."
Sure enough, fifteen minutes later, the pigtailed Vizard started to stir and return to consciousness after her brief nap, a quiet, reluctant little exhalation escaping her as her lashes slowly fluttered open, revealing sleepy ochre eyes as she stared dazedly at the unfamiliar surroundings, still disoriented from just waking up. She eventually regained enough of her bearings and slowly pushed away more from her lover's chest, and Shinji briefly stopped what he was doing, leaning back against his chair to give her more space to maneuver about. "Finally up, brat?" he asked quietly, and she just yawned slightly, flashing her small pink tongue and cute little fang in the process, and absently rubbed at her eyes.
"Erm, hello, Sarugaki-san," Momo greeted in a cautiously amicable manner at the distracted female from the opposite desk and eventually received a groggy blink of acknowledgement in return. Then, without speaking to anyone, the petite female silently slipped off of her lover's lap and absently wandered back out of the office, leaving the two Fifth Division officers to stare after her departure.
Shinji just shook his head bemusedly and simply returned to his paperwork. This was as much of a quiet afternoon as he could expect when it came to his brat, and he knew better than to question what had led to it. Momo could not help herself – she smiled once again and clapped her hands with delight when she realized something.
"Sarugaki-san's like a little kitty!" the dark-haired Lieutenant pointed out with charmed enthusiasm. "How adorable!"
Her Captain winced inwardly at the A-word. "Please, Momo-chan, please don't ever call her that right to her face. You're a good Lieutenant with a fairly level head on yer shoulders – I'd hate 'ta lose ya 'ta an unfortunate accident, alright?"
ii. Cats Love with Gifting. Mighty hunter cats that catch everything from toys to bugs, mice or frogs, often share the bounty with those they love. Kitties who present you with this bounty deserve praise. They wouldn't bring these special gifts if they didn't love you.
When Shinji returned to his living quarters in the evening, he could smell the mouthwatering aroma of a home cooked meal wafting out from the kitchenette attached to his private rooms. It was a definite sign of Hiyori's presence, because there was no one else he knew (except for perhaps her mentor, Kirio-san) who could cook as well as she did, and besides, no one in his division was quite random (or brave) enough to break into their Captain's housing just to use his kitchen, of all things.
Shinji himself was not the most accomplished cook. As someone who was living alone, he could manage quick and simple dishes like fried rice and miso soup well enough, but they weren't really anything remarkable compared to what his lover could whip up with unbelievably deceptive ease - and sometimes with the most random ingredients that would have made other people throw their hands up to and give up on using. However, despite her natural affinity for the culinary arts, she did not choose to enter the kitchens often, so he was pretty surprised that she was making the effort today.
The Gobantai Taichou went to his bedroom and shrugged off his white haori and vest, stashing them on a wall hanger and leaving only the basic black shihakusho on. Then, he also released the sheathed Sakanade from the sash around his waist and set his zanpakuto on the sword stand beside his bed. Taking a moment to visit the bathroom to refresh himself, he wandered back out to the living area and into the kitchen to finally investigate the source of the delicious scent.
He promptly came face to the face with a freshly decapitated deer head sitting on his kitchen counter, complete with antlers, fuzzy fur, ears, cute black tipped nose, and wide open, accusing eyes.
Shinji swore in surprise and nearly took a step back; whereas he had definitely seen much scarier things before, he hadn't exactly been expecting to meet Bambi (albeit just the head) on his table. His startled exclamation immediately announced his presence to Hiyori, who wore an apron over her clothes and was standing by the sink (she had to use a small footstool in order to increase her reach over the counter) with an ominously bloodstained cleaver in hand as she prepared the meat.
"Bloody hell," the golden-haired Shinigami muttered as he looked warily between his lover and the deer head. The rest of the animal had already been expertly skinned, gutted and cleaned, neatly butchered and separated into different cuts until there was nothing that remotely resembled a torso. Hiyori turned her attention back to swiftly and efficiently cutting paper thin slices of meat from the piece of venison tenderloin that she was working on.
"We're havin' nabe tonight," she informed him shortly. "Teriyaki and yaki udon for sides, too."
It was pretty obvious what meat they would be using for the hotpot, the grilled dish, and the fried noodles.
"Where on earth did ya get the deer?" he immediately blurted out, still pretty flabbergasted by what he was seeing.
She glanced at him again and then shrugged with casual nonchalance. "There's a surge in deer population in the outskirts of Karakura. The forest wardens are encouragin' huntin' 'ta bring the numbers down."
Shinji immediately caught the implications of her words.
"So ya caught a deer and brought it all the way 'ta Seireitei from the Living Realm?" He sounded rather incredulous.
Once again, she shrugged with practiced indifference, though he was not buying her act whatsoever. The little wench was obviously very proud of herself for her deed.
"Winter's the best time for eatin' nabe," she stated simply. "And I wanna eat nabe."
She could have easily had the hot pot with the other Vizards back in Karakura, but she had chosen to haul an entire deer carcass back to Soul Society instead, to him. The implications were rather unavoidable, and suddenly, he couldn't quite seem to mind her rather grisly gift when she was being so damn sweet.
"Alright. Okay," he told her wryly at last even as he reached into a drawer to withdraw two thin strips of cloth which he quickly used to tie back his sleeves and keep them out of the way, revealing his toned biceps along with the rest of his sleek and muscular arms. "But I really don't think that we can eat this much meat, brat."
"I don't care," she told him as he drew up to her to offer his assistance. "Give the rest 'ta your underlings or whatever."
He reached out and framed her small face with his large but narrow hands and, taking advantage of her preoccupation with the raw steak, leaned in and kissed her deeply on the mouth. She stiffened at first before she slowly relaxed into the exchange, and when he pulled back minutes later, she was already looking slightly flushed, staring back at him with glowing ochre eyes. He smiled.
"I love ya too, ya know that right, brat?" he told her easily, and she quickly spluttered, turning bright red with embarrassment.
"I just wanna eat nabe," she snapped in an entirely flustered manner, and he had to bite back a chuckle. Such a cute little tsundere she was.
"Yes, yes, nabe it is. What can I help ya with?"
She slapped his hand away sharply before he could successfully pinch a piece of teriyaki venison from the plate on the other side of the counter. "Don't touch my food, dumbass! Go lay out the kotatsu or somethin'."
He stole another quick kiss (much to her ruffled indignation) before slipping off to fulfill her demand, this time snickering outright and skillfully dodging the infuriated swing of her cleaver as he did so.
"HAGE SHINJI!"
iii. Cats Love with their Eyes. A kitty's eyes are proportionately very large—if human's eyes were the same proportion, our eyes would be eight inches across! As such, cat eyes are important assets for survival, yet extremely vulnerable. Cats that place their faces and wide open eyes near a human express great trust and love. A slow "eye blink" from across the room is considered a cat kiss.
In the end, there was just so much food to go around that they ended up inviting Kensei, Mashiro, Ichigo and Rukia for dinner as well. The Eighth Division and the Ninth Division were right beside each other, after all, and that made it easier when it came to gathering up the prospective dinner mates in one shot. Shinji had called upon others to join in as well, but the invitation was a rather impromptu one and everyone else either already had plans or had taken their meals.
However, even with only three pairs of couples sharing the hotpot around the kotatsu, dinner was still incredibly boisterous and rowdy. They all managed to finish the food that Hiyori had prepared between the six of them though, and eventually dispersed from Shinji's place a few hours' later, after enjoying the delicious dinner and excellent company.
The Fifth Division Captain returned to his living room after seeing their friends out only to find his lover happily curled half under the table amongst the seat cushions, luxuriating in the heat exuding from the inbuilt radiator and steadily lulled into a meat-induced coma from her earlier heavy and fulfilling meal. The dirty dishes and utensils were already soaking in the sink and could be taken care of later, and so he simply joined her, slipping his long legs under the cozy covers and stretching out beside her. He turned to lie on his side just as she did, and they both faced each other; their eyes met, and then held.
His steady, golden gaze simply captivated her, warm and mesmerizing, and it made her own drowsy ochre eyes sharpen slightly with rousing attention as she instinctively responded to his inviting and openly affectionate stare.
After a while, Hiyori blinked very slowly, and then she lazily rolled onto her stomach, stretching lightly before belly crawling the short distance between them to close the gap, displacing seat cushions along the way. She parked herself right beside him and brought her face really close to his, languidly peering at him with fascination like he was the most interesting (or perplexing) thing she had ever seen, and she was just dying to figure him out. Since this was not the first time she had done this – she was such a weird little thing – he just stayed still and watched her evenly in return, undaunted by her odd action. He loved her beautiful eyes; they were slightly tilted like a feline's, almost too big for her small, delicate face, and were so utterly expressive and full of curiosity. Besides, she also only seemed to exhibit this sort of behavior with him, so he chose to take it as a special, Hiyori-esque Look-I-let-ya-so-close-'ta-me-and-haven't-clawed-h alf-yer-face-off-yet sort of backhanded compliment.
His brat was just too adorable for her own good sometimes, quirks and all.
Then, Hiyori blinked again, the long, dark blonde lashes that framed her glowing eyes sweeping down briefly to fan her freckled cheeks before fluttering open once again, and their shared moment was lost. She started to pull back, but he was unwilling to let her go too far from him yet. Instead, he reached out and dropped an arm over her waist and hips, stalling her movements and blocking her retreat, tugging her to him and rolling onto his back, bringing her along with him to sprawl on his chest.
She, surprisingly, did not protest his handling. Her belly was full and she was feeling rather calm and sedated at the moment, and he provided a nice and warm surface to rest on in this chilly climate. She had no complaints and was more than willing to curl up with him for a post dinner nap. He was also rubbing her back in a really slow, soothing manner that made her melt completely into his lean, rangy frame, and tucking her face into his neck, she nuzzled him sleepily before closing her eyes and dozing off, utter contentment oozing from her small, satisfied form.
Shinji chuckled softly and simply gathered her close. He turned his head to the side to brush a gentle kiss across her cheek, and then he, too, simply shut his eyes and took his siesta as well.
The winter night was quiet and peaceful, and for the snugly entwined pair of lovers, it was simply perfect.
::tsuzuku::
Questions That I Would Like To Answer Before You Ask:
This is the start of a new mini-series that will span three chapters. Obviously, this is a kitty-themed arc set in the present timeline, and it is dedicated to my good friend, the lovely Lilithkiss, and her five kitties. =) Even though you've read them already, Lilith, this is a shoutout to you!
xXxXxXxXxX
I found out by chance that Hiyori's a Leo in terms of astrology. I did a bit of further reading and also quickly realized that her personality is very much like her star sign. Even though she's known as the monkey brat (courtesy of her name 'Saru' and 'gaki'), I feel like she's very much like a cat too, and so here's my interpretation of kitty!Hiyori.
xXxXxXxXxX
Fluff and pointless romance in the next couple of chapters, so hang tight!
xXxXxXxXxX
Last but not least, thanks for reading!
xXxXxXxXxX
Your reviews fuel my passion for writing. So please leave a comment if you like this fic!
-paws