Chapter 20
Author's Note: And now back to our regularly scheduled programing... Well, for today. I might update again tomorrow (Thursday) since it's 4th of July weekend and my husband will be home Friday, so I might be busy. You'll find out I guess lol. ENJOY!
Time had stopped. It no longer mattered beneath the hot black shimmers of the moon kissed hot spring. Nothing mattered anymore and it was a welcomed solitude that helped to ease the painful ache in his chest.
It had all hit him like a bolt of lightning, everything she had ever done, ever felt and ever said throughout the past four years suddenly made sense. He barely had time to comprehend it all as it all found its way into his heart where it festered and boiled like lava. He didn't like this ache, this internal pain and it was a pain he had felt before, fifty years ago, when he had met, fell in love with and married his late wife. She had been a fighter too, someone incapable of giving up and had searched for her younger sister until her dying day; The day the plum blossoms bloomed and took her away into memory, to become a star high above on its stage of black eternity.
That same forever blackness was shaded all around him, suspending him in weightlessness that lifted the weight that felt as if it was crushing down on his very being. It was this same blackness that was broken by the pale movements of a creature he hadn't known was that elegant.
Though his vision was blurry from being underwater, he watched the pale figure swim around in the sea of black, arcing and twisting like a scarf caught in a wind. It was beautiful to watch as the creature came close enough to clear the lines for him to see her clearly.
Her hair flowed around her like ink drops in water, disappearing into the blackness of the water like he was actually swimming in the locks of her hair. Her skin was lit with the barest of moonlight, only broken by the stark white of the towel that still clung to her body and swayed like seaweed in a current.
She had reached out and grasped his hands with a soft touch, pulling him upwards towards the surface that seemed so welcoming with her near. Her face was softer, not pained, or lost in painful memory and her lips were twitched up in an equally as soft smile.
The surface of the blackness broke with a violent splash as he tossed his head back, flipping his hair from his face as he sucked in a much needed breath. He had been close to needing air, and he would have come up on his own, but she had made sure it happened sooner rather than later.
Before he could wipe his eyes, her hands rested against his chest, over his heart that he instantly blanketed with his own.
"I want to make new memories. Ones that aren't so painful to remember." Nyruki said softly, taking a step closer to him with her hair falling all around her shoulders like a blanket.
He reached out and pulled the soaked mess away, revealing her slender neck and petite shoulders to his silver eyes.
"New memories aren't something to fear." He said in nearly a whisper.
"Take your own advice. You can miss her, you can even still love her, but don't let her memory consume you and stop you from living." Nyruki said as her fingers lightly clawed down his chest.
She had stopped crying. Her eyes were golden orbs against a field of snow once again and twinkled under the moon. With her so close, he could see the tiny flecks of silver that gave the yellow their golden sparkle and each one was almost like its own tiny, perfect star. They were beautiful.
That ache was back, but this time, instead of being painful, it was shockingly warm like the water surrounding him. He felt drawn by her eyes, so much so that his arms snaked their way around her waist and brought her to him, pressing her against his body with only their towels to separate them.
"My own advice hmm?" He breathed out, reaching a hand up to rest it against the nape of her neck.
"Are you purposefully being stubborn, or are you actually this thick headed?" She smiled wide, beaming a genuine smile that lifted his heart into the clouds.
He was undone.
He pulled her tighter against him and bowed his head in the blink of an eye, crushing his lips to hers so hard he nearly lost his balance and fell forward. Her arms found their way around his neck, simply out of the need to be closer as her lips effortlessly danced with his, rising and falling in perfect unison until their tongues, simultaneously, dove for each other's mouths.
The kiss was hot, feverish and wet, coating both of their mouths with not just lingering water, but their own saliva. Their tongues constantly stroked each other, wanting, needing to feel what every inch was like and for Nyruki, Byakuya had a lot of it to learn, as his tongue was long and talented and beginning to start a fire that she actually feared.
It was this fear that caused her to go stiff and break the fevered kiss, bowing her head to shield her mouth from his as she leaned against him for much needed support. His skin was blazing hot and not just because of the water around him. He was actually flushed and his chest rose and fell far quicker than normal.
"I-I'm s-sorry. I-I... I-I can't." She stuttered, breathing heavily from having every ounce of air sucked from her lungs.
Byakuya bit back the groan in his throat and rested his reddened lips against her hair, still holding her to him with the fear that she would evaporate into nothingness and all of it would have been a dream, or a nightmare. He had yet to decide.
"No... No, I am sorry. I... I-" He couldn't find the words as he just held her close and softly kissed her forehead.
"I-It's not that I don't want to... It's that I can't. I'm sorry." She said as she tried to step back.
Byakuya squeezed his eyes shut, not wanting her to go, but he would be damned if he forced her to do anything again. He unwrapped his arms and let her go, watching her as she took several steps back until there were feet separating them.
"Did I do something wrong? Did I... Did I go too far?" He asked, needing, desperate to know.
"No. You did everything right. It's me who's... who's screwed up. These past four years have all been one big mistake and I keep making these mistakes that nearly get people killed." Nyruki said, wrapping her arms around herself to hold herself together as she licked her lips, still tasting the kiss on them.
"What?" His brows furrowed.
"C-Captain-"
"Stop right there. I am not your captain right now, nor will I be if we... if we do this. I'll sign your paperwork so you can go back to Captain Ukitake's Squad and it'll be done before morning." Byakuya said in a hurry with a tension in his jaw that told Nyruki he was nothing but serious.
"Then what am I supposed to call you? I'm a commoner, a tramp, who can't very well address a noble so nonchalantly." Nyruki said as if the words were an insult.
"There is no social standing here. Not in this moment, I am just... Byakuya." He said.
Nyruki pursed her lips together, "You weren't supposed to be like this. You were supposed to be that cold bastard I've heard so much about. Who is this standing in front of me?"
That painful ache returned with a bang, "Everyone has two sides."
"Ain't that the truth." She gripped her arms tighter.
"Nyruki... I won't force you to do anything, but at least tell me this is real, that this isn't an illusion?" He asked, taking a step forward that she instantly took a step away from.
"What color are my eyes?" She asked, staring at him so hard with teary, soft eyes, that he felt as if she could look into the deepest parts of his soul.
He looked. He looked just as hard back at her only a few steps away and her eyes told him everything he needed to know. They were both gold and sparkled with barely contained tears and moonlight.
However, before he could say another word, Nyruki had spun and headed for the edge of the hot spring where she climbed out, dripping with solid streams that soaked the bamboo completely at her feet.
"N-Nyruki... I am not a begging man, but please. Let us not part on such sour terms." He said, staying put as not to scare her.
Nyruki stopped, her back to him as she glanced back over her shoulder, "Was it your desire?"
His brows furrowed for a moment, but soon relaxed, "Yes."
"How long ago?" She asked, never moving.
"Not long. It started the first day of our training. That first time I felt your lips against mine is when I felt that... sensation of existing as one." He said with a short swallow, looking down at the stilling water around his waist.
"Then I am a whore."
That word again snapped his head up in an instant, but the only thing his eyes found were her things that she had left behind. She had already gone, leaving him alone in the hot spring, surrounded by steam and with the moon hanging overhead like an awaiting guillotine ready to chop his head off.
With nothing left, and his heart alight with pain, he fell backwards to simply float in the water and lose himself in the embrace of the moon.
He hadn't slept a wink. His entire night was spent tossing and turning, wondering why she had so quickly retreated. He wanted nothing more than to tell her that it was ok, that she was safe now and that he wouldn't hurt her, but he had a strange feeling that she already knew that. There was something else, something deeper that had caused her retreat. He could see it in her saddened eyes.
It was this feeling that drove him to walk through Squad 13 to seek the one person whom was closer to her heart than he. It drove him to seek the advice of the one person whom she would more freely open up to, if at all to get a clearer understanding of what lie beneath.
With the sun barely into its morning commute across the sky, he walked with hands clasped behind his back, lost in thought and completely oblivious to the one person whom could read him like a book.
"Nii-Sama!"
There was only one person who called him that and she was sprinting towards him with her arms wide open and the most relieved smile across her young face.
"Rukia? I was unaware you were back." He said as she plowed headlong into him so hard, it nearly knocked him to the ground.
"Urahara finally got that package Captain Ukitake ordered so I came back early this morning. I was just about to come find you and see how you were doing. Renji kept me in the loop, but even he doesn't know all the details." Rukia said quickly as she unwound herself from him and looked up with big doe like and violet eyes.
"He didn't at the time, but he does now." Byakuya said as he started to walk again with her by his side.
"Are you ok? He said you were badly hurt." Rukia asked with clear worry.
"I'm fine, Rukia. I still have a bit of healing to do, but overall, I am in no danger." He said, clasping his hands behind his back once more.
"I'm relieved to hear that, Nii-Sama. I was worried sick while I waited for Urahara to receive the package." Rukia said.
"I apologize for worrying you. Is your Captain available?" Byakuya asked with a sidelong glance down at her.
"He's in his office having tea with Captain Kyōraku. I'm sure he won't mind if you step in." Rukia said with a smile.
"Very well. I shall do that. Oh, and before I forget... How are Ichigo Kurosaki and everyone doing?" He asked as he turned the corner to head towards the pagoda with the silhouette of a snowdrop carved into the door.
"All is normal in the World of the Living. Ichigo is still killing small fry and Orihime, Uryū and Chad are all there to back him up. Nothing big to report." Rukia said smoothly.
"Good. Whom do we have stationed out there at the moment? What's his name?" Byakuya asked, stopping and turning to face her.
"Oh um... It's um-" she snapped her fingers, "Zennosuke Kurumadani! That guy with that ridiculous hair." Rukia chuckled.
"Yes... Him, " Byakuya glared upwards and rolled his eyes, shaking his head, "What squad is he with?"
Rukia's smile vanished, "Oh, um... I don't know."
"Could you do me the favor of finding out for me? I imagine he's just getting in their way when dealing with Hollows and would like to pitch the idea of having his role reduced to being a simple liaison. I see no need for him to get in their way on a constant basis." He said evenly.
"Of course, Nii-Sama! I'll take care of it right away! But um... Is everything really alright? You seem... off." Rukia asked quietly.
"Yes, I'm fine. I seem off because of the... incident is all. I'll be back to normal before long." He lied.
"Alright, Nii-Sama. I'll report once I finish your task." She said before heading off.
Byakuya slowly shook his head as he continued walking towards the office, still with his hands clasped behind his back.
Under normal circumstances, Rukia's reaction to seeing him would have been frowned upon, but this wasn't normal circumstances. He would allow it since her worry was genuine, but a small part of him wondered if maybe Nyruki was the reason for his leniency. What is that woman doing to me? He thought before knocking on the wooden door.
"Come in!" Came the familiar voice of Captain Ukitake from inside.
Byakuya slid the door open and stepped inside, falling under the gaze of both Captain Ukitake and Captain Kyōraku, just as Rukia had said.
"Good morning, Kuchiki. I'm kind of surprised you're up and about so soon after being used as a pincushion." Said Kyōraku, taking a sip of his sake laced tea.
"Captain Unohana is very skilled." Byakuya said evenly as he stood a few paces away from the table where they sat.
"Please, have a seat." Ukitake said as he rose to grab another chair from the corner.
Byakuya nodded as he sat and poured himself a cup of tea. He wasn't about to miss out on some of Ukitake's brew.
"I don't mean to intrude on any important business, but I was hoping to speak with you." Byakuya said, taking a sip.
"Pft... There's nothing important going on. We're just bullshitting." Kyōraku said with a lazy smile. It was obvious he was buzzed.
"Drunk so early in the morning?" Byakuya asked, not really caring if he got an answer.
"I'm a lush. I admit it." Kyōraku grinned with a big toothy smile.
"Quite."
"Is this something needing to be spoken about in private?" Ukitake asked, offering a small plate of tea cakes to the younger captain that he politely refused.
"I suppose I'll let you be the judge of that, as you both are quite close with Nyruki." Byakuya said.
Kyōraku jabbed a large fist into Byakuya's arm, nearly hard enough to cause him to spill his tea.
"Dude! Did you?"
"Did I what?" Byakuya glared as he dabbed his lips dry with a napkin from nearly spilling the brew. That alone grated on his nerves.
"You know." Kyōraku blushed, but Byakuya had a feeling it was more from the alcohol than the subject.
"I'm afraid I don't." He thought it best to play dumb.
"Shunsui... Go take a nap." Ukitake chuckled as he took the cup away from his best friend.
"Now? But it's only morning! I literally just woke up." Kyōraku said with a hiccuped hop in shoulders.
"Since when do you pass on taking a nap?" Ukitake arced a single dark brow.
"Since the subject matter of today's discussion involves Nyruki. What about her?" Kyōraku asked, instantly sobering up as he poured another cup, this time, skipping the sake.
"Your liver hates you." Byakuya deadpanned.
"Maybe so, but this is involving my pseudo-niece. You don't get to be close with Jūshirō and not get close with me. We're a packaged deal." Kyōraku said as he leaned back and crossed his legs, still with his cup in hand.
"So it would seem." Byakuya said cooly.
"Alright then. Are you comfortable talking about this in front of him?" Ukitake asked of Byakuya.
"Perhaps the more minds involved, the better. However, this absolutely, under any circumstances, does not leave this room." Byakuya said with a deadly glare to both men.
"Of course." Both said.
"I was hoping that I could inquire about Nyruki's past." Byakuya said, feeling that now familiar ache in his chest as both their faces dropped in an instant with glances at each other.
Ukitake set his cup down, "That, I'm afraid, is a delicate subject."
"I got a glimpse of it last night at the hot spring." Byakuya admitted.
"You did!" Kyōraku goaded with another jab to Byakuya's arm.
"No, I did not. She... got frightened and since I was not about to force her into anything, I let her go." Byakuya said, he too setting down his cup.
"That was the smartest thing you could have done, Byakuya." Ukitake said quietly.
Byakuya nodded once, "I was hoping you would have some more insight." He said with a glance at him.
"I do... Both Shunsui and I do, but, Byakuya, I will warn you now, that this is a road that very few have traveled and lived to tell the tale." Ukitake said sullenly.
"I am aware."
Ukitake sighed, "Nyruki's tough for a singular reason, Byakuya. She spent most of that hundred years she was alone selling herself to random passersby for food and water and not all of them were... kind. In fact, most weren't." He said with a clear thickening in his throat from building emotion.
"There were more than a few who were... brutal, we'll say." Kyōraku added quietly.
"Do you remember that month four years ago when she vanished just before starting her studies at the academy?" Ukitake asked.
Byakuya nodded.
"She was with Captain Unohana to repair the damage from one such brutal encounter. Nyruki's never known what being in the arms of a man is supposed to be like. She's only ever been treated as an object." Ukitake said as a thin, glassy sheen shone across his eyes.
Byakuya's lips parted slightly, "So she's been-" His voice fell of.
"Not in that regard. She's always managed to protect herself before things progressed to that point." Kyōraku said.
"How so?" Byakuya asked.
"Well, she's crushed more than a few with her spiritual pressure alone if that's any indication." Ukitake said.
"It's also why that Hollow we've yet to encounter, was able to find her." Kyōraku said as he took in a deep breath.
"I see. If I may ask... What was Captain Unohana healing?" Byakuya asked out of concern that he may, perhaps in the future, invoke the painful memories.
Both men took in long breaths and glanced at each other.
"One such... patron, I suppose we'll say, had... cut her internally." Ukitake gulped hard and dabbed his eyes before they could betray him.
Byakuya's anger and the pain is his chest spiked, "What? Does that mean she is unable?"
"No, it doesn't. She is still able to thanks to Captain Unohana and a week's worth of floating around Minazuki's stomach." Ukitake said, drawing in a long breath.
"I see. So it had been a recent wound when she arrived." Byakuya said, ignoring the ache in his chest.
"Yes. It was." Ukitake said, but stopped himself from continuing.
"Has she born?" Byakuya asked.
"No, but she has been with. Perhaps a month, or two if Captain Unohana's estimates were accurate. It was the reason she was so brutally attacked." Ukitake said.
Byakuya's fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles crackled beneath the table. His stomach squirmed and his skin crawled just at the thought and he found that every muscle in his body was twitching with barely contained fury.
"Here... It'll take the edge off." Kyōraku said as he poured some sake into Byakuya's tea.
However, Byakuya made no attempt to drink any, "Was he found?"
"Oh, he's quite dead. Nyruki crushed him with so much spiritual pressure that there wasn't enough left to rinse him off a rock. Those were her exact words." Kyōraku said as he corked the small sake jar and set it down on the table.
"Which brought the Hollow down on her. Wounded and weakened from expending so much pressure, it's no wonder she was attacked." Byakuya said, this time picking up the tea and taking a hot, burning gulp that hit the pit of his stomach like a ton of bricks.
"Exactly." Ukitake said.
"How is it she is so comfortable with you two?" Byakuya asked as he looked down at his lap.
"It didn't happen overnight, Byakuya. It took Shunsui and I years to convince her we weren't going to hurt her. Her brain told her we could be trusted, but her heart was fearful. The first hug I ever got from her was when she graduated from the academy." Ukitake said as he took a plain cracker and bit off a small corner.
"I see," Byakuya exhaled, "I understand now why she is so guarded about her power. It's like she can't escape the past that haunts her." He said, gulping down the rest of the spiked tea.
"Exactly. She hates her power. Fears it. It only serves to solidify her self-imposed label of a whore." Kyōraku said as he poured Byakuya another cup of tea, this time without the sake.
The alcohol in Byakuya's stomach began to feel hot, "We understand now why her power is what it is."
Both Ukitake and Kyōraku nodded.
"Nyruki wants to be a lover, an equal, Byakuya. Not a thing to be used and thrown away." Ukitake said.
The painful ache was back to radiate in his chest and with it accompanied with the hot simmer in his stomach from the alcohol, it made him feel like he was burning alive from the inside out. His cheeks felt oddly warm and that heat had refused to stay put as it trickled up into his skull. This was why he didn't drink often.
With a groan, Byakuya dropped his forehead into a hand and closed his eyes.
"You haven't eaten yet, have you." Kyōraku said as he slid the small plate of tea cakes towards the man.
Byakuya just shook his head.
"That's why you're feeling loopy. Eat something before you fall over." Kyōraku chuckled.
Byakuya took the plunge and reached over the tea cakes to the plain crackers behind them.
"Did you have an attack this morning?" Byakuya asked as he ate the crackers slowly, not wanting to pummel his stomach with too much at once.
"I was a bit queazy this morning. Please, help yourself." Ukitake said kindly.
"Thank you."
Ukitake and Kyōraku fell into quiet conversation while Byakuya gave himself some time to feel better. The plain crackers settled his stomach, and after a little while, the heat from the alcohol began to wane, giving him back a semblance of normalcy where he could think somewhat clearly.
"Thank you both for telling me. I understand the sensitivity of the subject." Byakuya said as he drew in a settling breath.
"If you are brave enough to dare this road, then you needed to know." Ukitake said with a forced smile.
"I do appreciate the discloser. However, I am still undecided on whether to go find her, or leave her be." Byakuya said, swallowing down another cracker to finish settling his stomach.
"My opinion? Go find her and talk to her, if at all to convince her to keep going with this training." Kyōraku said with a sip of normal tea.
"Yes... That is true. We do not have the time to spare. We should continue this evening." Byakuya said as he released a slow sigh.
"I would agree, but you'll need to convince Nyruki of that." Ukitake said with a slight grimace on his face.
"What is it?" Byakuya asked, confused.
"Well, when I arrived this morning, I found that." Ukitake said with a point towards his desk.
Byakuya's brows pulled together as he looked over his shoulder in the direction that Ukitake was pointing.
On top of his desk, Nyruki's Zanpakutō sat amongst a stack of papers that had accumulated throughout the week, on top of a thin folder stamped with red.
"That is... a problem." Byakuya sighed as he shifted his eyes to Ukitake without moving his head.
"Very much so. I'd say our little incident set her back a few paces." Kyōraku said, setting his tea cup down and hiding his hands in his sleeves.
"Speaking of... What has become of Captain Kurotsuchi since we awoke?" Byakuya asked with the slightest furrowing of his brow.
"He's still out, but that's due to Captain Unohana." Kyōraku said with a huff of air out through his nose.
"Is there a particular reason why?" Byakuya asked.
"She's pissed for one, and two is so that she can make sure there isn't any ill affects from having been trapped by his own hand. She's figured that Nyruki essentially drew all of our souls into herself and Kurotsuchi hijacked the whole thing when he fell head over heels for his desires." Kyōraku said, slowly shaking his head.
"I can't say I'm fond of how that sounds." Byakuya said, taking a small sip of regular, not spiked tea that felt easing to his stomach, which he was thankful for.
"Neither of us are, but Nyruki seems to be alright. You haven't noticed anything, have you?" Ukitake asked, setting his dark brown eyes on Byakuya.
Byakuya shook his head, "Not besides what occurred last night. I fear it was I who spooked her."
Ukitake rested a hand on his shoulder, "It wasn't you, I can assure you."
"You sound awfully confident, Captain Ukitake." Byakuya said with a sidelong glance.
"He is. Just trust him." Kyōraku said simply.
"Trust was never an issue," Byakuya said as he rose from the chair, "I'm afraid I must take my leave. Thank you for your time." He added as he adjusted his custom haori so that it sat square on his shoulders.
"What will you do?" Ukitake asked as he too rose from his chair.
"I think I shall go find and speak with Nyruki. Perhaps, if I don't frighten her that is, I can convince her to continue with this training." Byakuya said.
"Then take her Zanpakutō with you." Ukitake said as he went to his desk and picked up the sword in both hands.
Byakuya nodded as he took the sword from him and slipped it into his obi sash on his other hip, covered by his captain's haori.
"Do you need help finding her, Pup?" Kyōraku chuckled with a big grin.
"Hardly. If you can't sense that amount of spiritual pressure, than you have no business being a Shinigami. She's at Squad 6 in the training room." Byakuya said evenly.
"Very well. You have a good handle on things, Byakuya. I wish you luck." Ukitake said as he tucked his hands into his sleeves.
"It won't be luck, but rather skill that will determine this outcome."
It was delightfully cool inside the wide open training room normally used for kendo training. The wide door and several of the windows were open, allowing the soft whistles of breeze to come inside and sweep away the scent of lingering sweat which was thankfully replaced with fresh air that smelt of nothing.
With the sun just now coming over the tops of the buildings within the Seireitei, its intoxicating rays beamed in through the open door, heating a swath of floor to the point where it was nearly too hot to stand on without some form of foot protection. That is why, Nyruki and Renji had picked a spot towards the back of the training room, still coated in shadow.
Renji was knelt on the floor, sitting back on his heels with his hands on his thighs, breathing a bit heavily. The ends of his long crimson hair had been dampened with sweat and the top of his Shihakushō had been shed to hang down by his waist.
"Give me a minute to recover." Renji breathed out as he let his chin drop to his chest.
"You gonna be ok?" Nyruki asked, standing behind him with her hands hovering over his head.
Renji nodded, "Yeah. It's just a lot of effort fending off that much spiritual pressure." He said, forcefully slowing down his breathing.
"Do I need to throttle it back some more?" She asked, dropping her hands and kneeling down next to him to make sure he was alright.
"No. It's fine where it's at. I can already handle levels up to Captain Zaraki, but passed that I start having a hard time. You need to go higher than him for me to start building up my tolerance." Renji said, sending a sidelong glance her way.
"Alright. May I offer a suggestion?" Nyruki asked as she sat down, giving her Lieutenant a chance to recover from the blasting of spiritual pressure.
"Sure. I'm the student here." He shrugged.
"It looks like you're using muscle to handle the pressure, but have you tried using your own power to shield yourself?" Nyruki asked as she fixed her hair that had dreaded throughout the night, having not finished cleaning it and the conditioner had dried within her locks. She had put it up in a bun with a pair of hair sticks.
"I... haven't." Renji admitted.
"Try giving that a shot. I know that's what the Captain did when I crash landed at his estate. That's what he told me anyways." Nyruki said, tucking a loose lock of white behind her ear to hide the soft shade of pink tinting her cheeks.
"Huh... I'll try it. Let's keep going." Renji said as he lifted his head and rolled his shoulders out in preparation.
Nyruki nodded as she rose to her feet and resumed her spot behind him with her hands hovering over his head. Even kneeling, the man was tall, still coming up to just below her chest so she had to raise her elbows a bit to bring her hands to hover over his head. She pushed back a thick plume of hair that stuck up from his hair tie and she realized that her Captain had been right. The man's hair could be used as a whip, it was so thick.
"Alright... Ready, Lieutenant?" Nyruki asked, taking in a long breath.
"You can call me Renji, dammit. This is what, the fourth time I've told you?" Renji faux growled as he glanced back over his shoulder.
"Sorry. It's just been... a weird week." Nyruki said, glad to be behind him to hide the pink coloring in her cheeks.
"It sounded like it... Oh! Hey, shit... I almost forgot!" Renju suddenly yelped.
"What? What is it?" Nyruki lightly reeled with her golden eyes slightly wide at his sudden outburst.
"Rukia got back this morning and we're going out for supper with a few friends. She's extended the invitation to you. Did you wanna go?" He asked with another glance back over his shoulder.
Nyruki lightly held her breath for a moment as her brain comprehended the offer. It sounded so welcoming to just go somewhere else other than the manor, to be surrounded by other people besides the captains she truly felt that she couldn't face right now. Especially her own.
Her night had been spent tossing and turning and laying awake with the lingering kiss still on her lips that only offered to muddy her thoughts. The kiss was so good, tasted so good, felt so good, that her heart fluttered and tumbled over itself at the slightest thought of perhaps getting to experience it again.
But Byakuya Kuchiki didn't factor into her plans. He was a remainder that didn't belong in the equation and she had no idea what to do with him whatsoever.
She needed the night off.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'll go. I need the distraction." Nyruki said, managing to produce a smile that turned out to be genuine with the idea of seeing other people.
"I bet. I wouldn't wanna get stuck in anything that has to do with Captain Kurotsuchi. He's a few flowers short of a bouquet." Renji chuckled as he settled back in to continue the training.
"Believe me. You don't." Nyruki grumbled as she stood and resumed her place behind him.
As Nyruki slightly widened her stance and brought her hands back to hover over his head, a figure emerged in the sunbeams to stand in the open door of the training room.
Even bathed in shadow, backlit by the sun, it only took Nyruki a breath, a blink of an eye to know who it was. The long hair swayed in the breeze and the way the figure carried itself, with shoulders back and head high, there was absolutely no mistaking who it was.
It was their Captain; Byakuya Kuchiki.