Hey guys! I'm back sooner than I thought I'd be. I recently hurt my ankle and can't work for a while. It's bad for my bank account but pretty awesome for my fiction.
This chapter is really dialogue heavy, which many will be, and I hope you guys like that. Mostly, I hope the pacing of this slow story doesn't put you guys off. I love writing dialogue for these two, and it flows so easily for me. In fact, that was a big reason for writing this story, I wanted to write a story where you actually see the grit of them falling in love, all the fluffy moments and the conversations. The writing style is pretty typical of me, so if you read my other work, you should be use to it.
Terms:
konsō: Soul burial
go-seki: fifth seat
konpaku: A soul that lives in the Rukongai
zankensoki: Shinigami fightening abilities(Kidō, shunpo, ect..)
torii: A Japanese archway
Song: "These Waters" by Ben Howard
Good vibes ~ Ashes
A Quiet Darkness
xXx
"And what we found
down these coves of limestone and cockle shells,
what we found
down these roads that wander as lost as the heart,
Is a chance to breathe again, a chance for a fresh star."
xXx
Just as the first rays of daylight tickled the horizon, Ichigo was already bath and dressed, ready to head towards Byakuya's study. He had little clue about what this may entail and found it better to make no assumptions. Byakuya had a tendency of surprising him.
However, that did not abate the tinge of nervous energy that filled him. It was no secret Ichigo had never been big on teams or following orders, and he especially had difficulties with authority at times. For those long, arduous seventeen months without his powers, he jumped from sports team to sports team, renting out his athleticism, and often had an apathetic attitude towards showing up at all, considering he'd quit at the first sign of conflict. Though he felt no commitment nor importance towards those arrangements. They had merely been a way to pass the time, distract himself from the numbing void that was being regular and powerless. This was different however. Now his strides were backed with purpose, and he was dedicated to the choice he had made.
Also, he was not completely dense nor lacking any experience in putting in continuous hard work. During his time as a student, he maintained a spot among the top twenty five of his class. He'd always cared about his grades to some degree and put in the time an effort to do well, even if he didn't really know what for. Looking back on it, he wondered what he would have done if he decided to return home and go to college. Fighting had became his life line and protecting his crux, so the thought of languishing away in some mundane office setting day after day was akin to gnawing on glass. Most likely he would've joined the military or became a cop, and maybe those things would have filled him with a sense of desire, but he saw no point in dwelling on the possibilities, when he was certain that his position among the gotei already gave him that ambition.
When looking down a fork in the road, there was no one right path to take. Both would have been filled with their own unique trials and prosperities, but as Ichigo wrapped his fukutaichou badge around his forearm and faced himself in the mirror, faced the man he was and the decisions he'd have to live with, he felt no regret. This was right for him.
Ichigo's fingers brushed over the badge tentatively. If he recalled correctly, Renji had never worn his badge in all the time he knew the other man, for what reason, Ichigo was unsure of. Briefly his gut swelled uncomfortably at the thought of his deceased friend. For the first time it hit him, that he was replacing Renji - or his position, more accurately. If Ichigo didn't know of how Renji respected his captain with such great vigor, the notion may have left him riddled with guilt, but he knew his friend. He knew Renji would approve of the lengths Ichigo went to be there for his captain.
And though Renji wasn't the reason he decided to take this on, the knowledge only resolved him more. He would always carry this unsurmountable shame for the death of his friend, for not being able to do more no matter what heights his powers reached, but maybe watching over Renji's most important things could be his means of atonement.
With one last brazen glare at his reflection, Ichigo headed off.
Arriving near Byakuya's personal quarters, Ichigo saw an irritable Fujita leave Byakuya's room and the way she threw her arms up in defeat and muttered under her breath.
Ichigo gave her a questioning look. "What's wrong, Fujita-san?"
The woman put her hands on her hips and shook her head in a hopeless manner. "Lord Kuchiki is, excuse my bluntness, being insufferably stubborn."
The young man scowled at the thought that this was going to set the whole tone for the day. If so, it surely be a long one. And it had started off so promising too. "Shouldn't you of all people be use to that?" Ichigo inquired.
"He is being especially stubborn today, Kurosaki-san," she explained, rubbing her temples methodically.
"Great," he muttered, rolling his eyes in suit.
"I understand that he must do things alone, but he refuses any help. Some of which is necessary at this time in his recovery." She sighed in frustration. "He has always been this way, however. It's common practice for high nobles to be bath and dressed by attendants, though he's always found the idea abhorrent, never wanting someone to assist with such basic needs. Now that he needs some assistance, he is putting up quite the fuss."
The thought of a prideful yet bratty noble stomping around in dissent was somehow equal parts annoying and humorously endearing. Ichigo snorted and shook his head. "I'll go talk some sense into that stubborn ass of his."
Fujita nodded at this idea. "Yes, I feel as if you will fair better. He responds the best to these things when they're coming from you."
Ichigo and Byakuya had always had their mutual understandings, and it was these similarities that allowed Ichigo the insight on dealing with the fastidious and all to led headed nobleman. Then again, it was also these similarities that ate at each other's skin from time to time.
As he walked towards the room, Ichigo said, "Don't worry, If I can't talk some sense into him, I'll beat it into him."
With arms crossed, Ichigo leaned against the frame of Byakuya's door and watched the man as he fiddled with his hairpiece. Though he could not see, if only out of ritual, he stood in front of a full length mirror with a visibly embittered expression mixed with hints of valor, as If the noble refused to be undone by a simple hair ornament. Seeing the forever stately Byakuya bumbling around might have been funny and bordering on cute if the circumstances were different.
"Having trouble?" Ichigo asked.
In the mirror, Ichigo could see a mortified magenta fill the nobleman's eyes. He smirked, unable to help it.
"Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya sniffed, "I thought it was implied that you would meet me at the division."
"How is that implied!?" Ichigo asked, "I'm staying here for now, so it made sense to met you here."
"Then what is your reason for standing there?" Byakuya bit, once again trying to place his hairpiece. "Do you find enjoyment in watching me struggle?"
Ichigo shifted against the door slightly and rolled his eyes. "No, I find enjoyment in being berated by stuffy nobles first thing in the morning."
The hairpiece fumbled in the noble's gawky grasp and tumbled onto the floor with a clank. Ichigo could see the frustration in Byakuya's eyes before he closed them and sighed, letting a long tense silence ensue. "This is ridiculous," he said after a moment, "I can not even don myself appropriately or in a timely manner, and I am expected to be a capable taichou for my squad? Laughable."
As he moved closer to the man, Ichigo frowned. He could see how disappointed Byakuya was in himself. With a bend of the legs, he picked up the hairpiece and placed it in Byakuya's hand. With his other, Ichigo coiled the noble's fingers around the silver. Byakuya turned his head and gave the man a careful, unseeing look. "It'll get easier each time, Byakuya. It'll be hard at first, but you just have to go through the motions until it gets there," Ichigo pointed out rationally. "I'll stand here as long as it takes for you to finish, and if you need help," he scowled," don't be so stubborn as to not ask."
Byakuya's hard face seemed to falter momentarily before he shook his head in descent. "I will not allow others to do something of such little significance for me, but time is of the essence."
"It doesn't matter how long it takes as long as you're learning to do these things yourself."
"How can you say such foolish things?" Byakuya asked, his grasp tightening around the piece. "Of course time matters. A division can not have order without a schedule."
"Then you'll get up earlier!" Ichigo countered, invading the man's space with steady steps. "You'll prepare for your days more the night before." Lowering his voice to a stern urgency, he stated, "You'll do better!"
Byakuya stood there unmoved, stubborn, and stone like. He felt edgy, uncomfortable in his own sin, and not much like himself. Inside of him, there was an itch he could not scratch. "You have this amazing ability of oversimplifying complex situations."
The sound of hand slapping wood rang in Byakuya's ears, and he unconsciously flinched. "Cut the crap, Byakuya!" Ichigo boomed. His body was frothing, a hot spring of frustration bubbling from below the surface. "You're overcomplicating things!" Pausing, simmering, his nostrils flared with heavy, contemplative breaths. "This isn't you," he scoffed. "The Byakuya I know, he wouldn't be pitying himself or be making excuses. He wouldn't give up." Jutting a finger in the man's chest, he continued, "He'd fight tooth and nail, crawl through the dirt, whatever he needed to get back to where he was."
Byakuya shifted with guilt and a lump formed in his throat, but his eyes maintained their steely glaze. "Then perhaps you don't know me all too well."
Ichigo leaned forward and Byakuya flushed a bit at the heat he felt on his ear. "This is because you think you're a burden?" he whispered, "You don't want to heal because you think you're a burden on the people that care for you, and that you're not worth the effort. You don't get to decide that you're not worth the effort for others!" Losing his restraint, he looked into those blood orange eyes and slammed his hand down again. "That's what people do, they lean on each other."
Sighing, Ichigo pinched the bridge of his nose. "I get it, wanting to protect people, pushing them away. I did it all the time, but do you think I was out there winning those wars alone? Getting my powers back alone? No, and you're no different. You're not fucking special, Byakuya."
Ichigo pulled a piece of paper from his kosodo an unfolded it, the research he inquired with Urahara's help. "Anthony Clarke, Helen Keller, Trischa Zorn, Tsutomu Aragaki, do you know who these people are?" Ichigo questioned.
Byakuya prompted him with an inquisitive eyebrow lift. "Their fighters, athletes, writers, musicians," pausing, he spat, "and blind!" With a fistful of the captain's haori, he exclaimed, "but do you know what is different? Their human's! You're a shinigami. A fucking god, for kami sakes!" Ichigo's eyes dampened with a passion that turned his voice gritty. "You can do whatever you want, and you have so much worth fighting for."
There was a lot Ichigo did not know. He did not know that the foundation of Byakuya's success was built from the bones of the people he loved. Ichigo did not know the depths of which his desolation grew nor the lengths he had went in molding himself into this cold, detached man. He did not grasp that Byakuya knew no other way to be, that after so long of wearing the mask, it fused with him. It was apart of him. There were so many reasons that Ichigo didn't understand. Each one he'd probably have a perfectly contrived rebuttal for, but Byakuya would never vindicate his feelings verbally.
But Kurosaki Ichigo had this way about him, a tenacity that altered the aura around you, disturbed reality. Pure magic, it was, the way he revived by means of destruction. He'd unintentionally rearrange a person's entire self just by sharing the same breathing space with them, and no one was immune. Without strife, he could shatter a person while simultaneously rebuilding them. He had done this to Byakuya, and if that's not magic, then what is?
Call it naivety, obstinace, what you will, but Ichigo left no stone unturned, no decayed bedrock stagnate in the magnetism of his wake, and when a man like that shook Byakuya with such verve, when he trembled with belief for the noble, Byakuya wanted nothing more than to be the man Ichigo thought he was. Ichigo was special because he never backed down to sorrow and glared resolutely in the face of impossible. In that regard, he was an inspiration, an exemplification of what all in the gotie should strive towards. So for Ichigo to intentionally, almost desperately, try to embark Byakuya's worth on him, he wanted to be just that, worthy. He wanted to deserve it.
Perhaps he would never really change. He'd never tell Ichigo about his ugly, unspeakable parts, and his reasons would still be his reasons, but Byakuya knew sorrow and was adept at overcoming it. He'd go through these motions, crawl inch by inch need be, because when a light that bright directed it's rays towards you, one couldn't help but bask in it.
Ichigo had shown him so much in their short acquaintanceship. Disappointing him was not an option, not when he saw the young man standing there, putting so much stock into him. The idea left Byakuya with nothing but shame and sickness, and he felt so small, needing this man to pick him up, putting Ichigo in a place where he felt the need to stay and help Byakuya out of his pitiful state.
Byakuya knew he'd never see what Ichigo saw, but if even a vestige of that man really existed, he'd allow it to flourish in Ichigo's warmth. He'd obtain the usage of his powers, be the strong man he had always been instead of selfishly succumbing to his own dread. He'd continue on with this painful existence, if only because Ichigo believed he could.
Byakuya looked up to the man with emeralds festooning his eyes. "How did you deal with this, Kurosaki Ichigo," he asked coolly, "living without your powers?"
At the question, Ichigo's grasp released and he took a step back in an attempt to create some space. "I- Honestly, I don't really know. I just did, and I felt.." Ichigo's voice faded into a whisper, "weak, pretty meaningless, actually."
'Do you not see?' Byakuya introspected, 'You too put your whole worth into the protection of people, Ichigo. Always, you have to be strong. Even now, have you once cried over Renji's death? Perhaps when you're alone, but I have to wonder..'
"Then while I'm without the ability to use my powers properly, the only purpose I'll have is working towards that goal," Byakuya stated matter of factly. The statement was not meant to be self depreciating, but merely the naked truth of what Byakuya was now determined to do. He had not expect Ichigo's response.
"Tch," Ichigo scoffed in disapproval, "that's not true." 'You've been here for me, that's meant so much..' "My sister, Yuzu," Ichigo reminisced, the touch of a smile heard in his words, "she was never physically strong, but after my mom died, she held our family together. No one's just purposeful for one thing, and being strong isn't all you are or all that counts. Sometimes it just takes a while to find what that thing is, even if.." he gave a meaningful pause, "it's just being there for someone."
The two allowed a few moments of silence to air out their mixed up energy. Byakuya turned to the mirror once more. "Very well," he said, bringing the ornament to his silken locks. Without turning his head, Byakuya solicited, "Assist me, Kurosaki Ichigo."
Ichigo looked on in momentary awe before snorting and walking over. "You nobles, always so demanding."
"We are also timely, which will not happen if I have to spend another ten minutes fiddling with these hairpieces."
Overlapping his hand with Byakuya's gloved one, Ichigo tingled oddly at the sensation of flesh and steel. "Pfh, you could just not wear them, ya know? They gotta be heavy."
Though he was faced away, Ichigo saw the curve of Byakuya's lips in the mirror. "Are you suggesting that the most powerful taichou in the Gotie should be unkempt?"
"Kami forbid," Ichigo responded playfully, "and you enjoy that position as most powerful taichou, I'll be taking that title after you get your bearings." He smirked and clipped the pieces into place. "Which shouldn't take too long, since you're so powerful."
A brilliant gold dust sparkled the nobles eyes. "I do not have time to prove my superiority to you now, boy. But I take this as a direct challenge."
Unaware of his actions, Ichigo glided his fingers down one of Byakuya's opulent strands, letting them linger as he kneaded the end between two fingers, enjoying the texture. "Good, I meant it as one," he replied smugly, only to jolt his hand away when he realized just what he was doing.
He stared at his hand as if it was the first time, bewildered at what such appendages were capable of. He had been caressing a strand of Byakuya's hair, and it felt almost natural. The noble's change in disposition captured him, as it radiated with such a breathtaking confidence. To know his words got to the man, if even a bit, made Ichigo melt with undefinable feelings. Was that why? He just didn't understand.
'What the hell has gotten into me? I'm glad Byakuya didn't notice.'
Ichigo jerked his eyes from his hand and up towards Byakuya, who had now moved towards the door, when the noble chided, "If you make us latter than we already are, you will not like how I reprimand you, Kurosaki Fukutaichou."
Walking towards Byakuya, Ichigo spat derisively, "There that noble charm I know so well."
xXx
"What are we doing?" As he looked out the window of a horse led carriage, Ichigo slumped back in frustration. "You said you'd explain on the way. I figured we be doing more official stuff, not going on a road trip."
In a manner typical to him, Byakuya folded his hands and closed his eyes. "Do not worry, there will be plenty of paperwork for you to complete too, all in due time."
Ichigo scoffed and sunk deeper in his seat. "Hey, I wasn't complaining. I just usually like to know where I'm going when I get in random carriages, ya know?"
"Oh, and does this happen to you often?" Byakuya asked, a hint of amusement lacing his flat voice.
"Will you just tell me, Byakuya!?" Ichigo pouted, crossing his arms petulantly.
"My," Byakuya pursed his lips to hide a smirk, "how impatient."
The sometimes puerile Ichigo gave a full on growl. "Says the guy who threatened me if I made us late!" Giving the man a probing look, Ichigo took note that Byakuya's eyes were pure gold dust. "You're just doing this for fun!"
"I can not enjoy the scenery," Byakuya poised logically, "I must find someway to entertain myself."
When Ichigo started sulking, muttering under his breath, Byakuya decided to put the man out of his misery. "You would be correct that this is an unusual day," Byakuya explained. "Typically, I delegate the squads into two groups. Each squad is allocated a section of the Rukongai to watch over, exterminating hallows and such, and a section of the living world to perform konsō within. Both groups train with a few seated officer and myself in the morning, breaking up into smaller groups. With my current condition and our depleted membership, my go-seki is handling the training as we speak. Afterwards, the first group performs their daily konsō while certain members of the second group prepares for hallow extermination, which ones depending on the circumstances of the invasion. You will take on a good bit of these duties, but this is not our typical day."
"Obviously," Ichigo snorted.
Byakuya sharpened his eyes and narrowed his brow but just continued. "I'm sure you're not aware of the biggest duty the noble houses retain," Byakuya assumed.
Puffing out his chest and putting on his best Byakuya impression, Ichigo mocked, "Being a shining example of lawfulness and virtue while punishing all those who don't abide."
At the half baked impression, Byakuya let loose a breathy scoff. "If you are going to impersonate me, at least do it correctly. I would never use contractions."
Ichigo smirked and rested his cheek lazily on his coiled fingers while he waffled his gaze from the passing landscape to the noble. "I'll try and remember that."
"It is to protect the power of the Gotei Thirteen," Byakuya went on. "Most shinigamis come from aristocratic houses, and there are two reasons for this. The first reason is higher reiryoku levels are in greater numbers in these houses, the three remaining noble houses holding the most powerful of reiryoku. For this reason, many noblemen from all houses will be forced into marriages in order to produce heirs for the next generation of the Gotei Thirteen."
When he paused, Ichigo mused, "I guess that makes sense, not that I like the idea of people being forced to marry, but I get the need for more members. Still, what's that have to do with what we're doing today?"
"Nothing," Byakuya explained, "the second reason is why we're here. Higher levels of reiryoku create ravenous hungers in konpaku. So many will die of starvation before they reach an appropriate age for joining the academy. I saw this often in my days as a younger officer when I would have missions in the Rukongai. For this reason, I beseeched my clan to start a preliminary school in the lower districts."
Ichigo rectified his sloppy posture to something more attentive at the unanticipated information. "This school, it has a few purposes, one of those is to hone these potential shinigami's abilities, teaching them reiryoku control and the fundamentals of zankensoki to better prepare them for the Shin'ō Academy. Another purpose is to teach advantageous skills, such as healing, gardening, and a handful of other skills like literature and merchantry. This way, even konpaku with low reiryoku can obtain a deftness in survival and maintaining their livelihoods."
A small smile pulled at Ichigo's lips. "You're always full of surprises, aren't you?"
Byakuya tilted his head minutely in question. "And how is that?"
Aloofly, Ichigo shrugged a shoulder. "I just thought a guy like you probably disliked kids, but here you are, building a school so they can not just survive, but thrive. It's nice to be wrong sometimes."
A blood orange as vibrant as a Chinese fire tree burned in his breadth of heather. Ichigo had been unintentionally labeling each color, though it left him feeling somewhat guilty. He did not want to invade the man's emotional boundaries to such a degree, but it couldn't be helped. Purple was irritation. Green was curiosity while blue was sad. Red was anger and yellow was happiness. Gold was amused and magenta was embarrassed. He had identified them all but one, these variations of orange. While he seemed irritated and sometimes happy when nuances of this color appeared, something about them must hold the secrets of an emotion that went nameless. All Ichigo felt when he looked into those embers was an unexplainable intensity.
"Nonsense," Byakuya chided, "every decision I've made is for the progression of the Gotei Thirteen and it's ultimate protection. The more of these konpaku that survive, the more potential soldiers we have, and the more life skills obtained by the ones with lower reiryoku, the less trouble there will be in the Rukongai. This is also beneficial to the Gotei. I would never do something based on frivolous sentiment."
"Sure," Ichigo patronized as he gave a suspicious look, "whatever you say."
Donning a look of disapproval, he went on, "Unfortunately, my clan has only funded one of these schools so far. As of now, this school is under a trial basis."
"You want to make more?" Ichigo inquired.
"Of course," Byakuya verified, "throughout the entirety of the Rukongai if possible. The school has been highly successful, and though it takes an ample amount of resources, this is not the problem. More so, the elders have been weary of putting in the time that is acquired of such a project."
The large vessel shook as it navigated across scabrous roads and filled with the sound of hooves meeting gravel. Ichigo enjoyed it's lulling properties, feeling rather calm in the presence of his new captain. "It's not as if they don't have all the time in the world," Ichigo scoffed.
"Yes," Byakuya said, "I agree."
When Byakuya went silent, Ichigo, with half lidded eyes, observed the nobleman's striking face scintillating in the sun that filtered through the window. His glare was pensive as he rubbed the fingers of his right hand together and across his palm, reminiscing on the feathery sensation of Byakuya's hair against his callused digits. In between deep thoughts of why he would do that and Byakuya's beauty, the moment arrested him.
"More than likely, we will be bringing back a few qualified konpaku with us today. This is my project, so I keep a close watch over it, usually visiting the school bimonthly. This is why I need you here with me today," Byakuya explained, knocking Ichigo out of his trance.
"Because you need me to be your eyes, tell you what these kids are cable of?" Ichigo assumed.
"Yes, there are a few students in my scope, but I need a final assessment."
"Got it," Ichigo nodded. "No matter what your reasoning is, It's still a pretty cool thing you're doing for these kids, starting a school all by yourself."
"I did not create this school myself," Byakuya confessed before reprimanding himself inwardly. It had become all too natural speaking to Ichigo. He was sure he'd spoken more words to Ichigo in the last few days then he spoke to anyone in the past few months. It left him alarmingly vulnerable, and he feared how susceptible he had became to the man. Yet, though it made him anxious, it seemed to flow out of him with reckless negligence.
"Oh yeah" Ichigo cued, "who helped?"
With blue specked eyes, Byakuya responded cooly, "My late wife. It was in the process of finding a location for the school that we met," he found himself explaining. "She was a local healer who tended to many of the children in the area, and therefore, became paramount to the project."
"Oh," Ichigo muttered, feeling guilty for enticing bad memories, "It's nice that you have something you built together to remember her by."
Byakuya gave a contemplative sigh before he said, "I suppose."
Despite the tension caused by mentions of Hisana, Ichigo enjoyed getting to know the nobleman and couldn't find it in him to regret it. That pain and sadness, he could understand it wholeheartedly.
For a while, the two rode in silence until the heavy air dissipated into intervals of comfortably, casual conversation. This went on until the two arrived at their destination.
After coming to a halt, Ichigo hopped out, followed by Byakuya. Ichigo offered his hand, and Byakuya gave a reproving swat. The driver removed himself from the horse and stifled through a compartment. He walked up to the nobleman and extended both hands, in which lied a folded walking cane, much like ones used in the living world only fancier. Once he prompted the noble to take the cane, the man did so with grace, though his eyes revealed hints of embarrassment.
Ichigo walked beside the man, slowing his pace for the other. It was not a drawback of any sort. In fact, Ichigo found himself enraptured by the majestic panorama of the grounds. The preliminary school resided in a valley enveloped by jagged mountain sides cloaked by throngs of dense evergreens.
As they passed through a red torii with kanji reading children's haven of growth and excellence across the gable, Ichigo addressed the oriental garden with a breathless wonder. The estuary was canvassed by Japanese maples fanning out their contorted limbs, whimsical wisteria bark's spiraling into domes of jewel like petals cascading down, and an assortment of other blooming trees and plants. The topiary shadowed the expanse like the looming hand of a guardian angle, creating an ambiance of hopeful refuge.
Ichigo glowered in Byakuya's direction as they walked, knowing how much he would enjoy this sight. By being near Byakuya, Ichigo felt a new level of gratitude for something so simple, something he'd never truly indulged in before, the beauty of the raw nature that made up the world. In the absence of Byakuya's sight and the light of his reverence for the world around them, Ichigo held a new perspective that encouraged slowing down and savoring the small things. This was one more thing he was grateful towards Byakuya for.
"The sakuras are starting to blossom," Ichigo observed as they walked closer to the entrance of the school.
Byakuya closed his eyes against the breeze and inhaled the sweet scents it carried. "Yes, I can tell."
"This place is really something, Byakuya. The kids must like it here a lot." A pause. "I'm... sorry you can't see it."
With eyes still closed, he relished in the euphoric sounds and aromas given off by the area. "There is more than one way to see beautiful things, this, I am sure, you are aware of, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya alluded to Ichigo's gesture with the record player just two days earlier.
Ichigo warmed and staggered when Byakuya opened his eyes to reveal sun yellow specks shining through his grey in the way rays of light break through diminishing storm clouds.
"Y-Yeah, Byakuya, I do."
The harmony of approaching laughter surrounded the two, in which Byakuya responded by stiffly comanding, "And that is Kuchiki Taichou to you, now that we are in the company of others."
"Sure thing, Taichou," Ichigo mocked with a smirk.
"Kuchiki-sama," two young girls yelled in unison as they galloped towards the men.
As they approached, Byakuya explained one of these girls were up for consideration. When Ichigo expressed his disbelief because of their age, Byakuya assured that they we're much older than they looked, and it had more to do with their mental and emotional age. Like Toshiro, one could look young, but be half a century old. Though their dispositions tended to age as slowly as their physicality, so it depended on each individual.
The older girl, who look biologically twelve, greeted, "I thought that was you, Kuchiki-sama!"
The littler of the two gave the man a strange look. "What's up with your eyes, Kuchiki-sama, and that weird stick?" Looking excited, the young girl wiggled in her spot. "Is it a new weapon? Can I try?!"
"It can be if you irritate me greatly, child," Byakuya warned, earning him a twisted grin from the spunky girl.
"If you can catch me," she gloated, "I've been practicing my shunpo." Getting into place, the girl singsonged, "Now you see me, now you don't," before flashing out and in of their field of vision. Ichigo was actually impressed at the speed of which the girl performed, and at such a young age too.
When she flashed back beside the other girl, Byakuya sighed, "I can not see anything, Maki-san. I lost my vision in the war."
"Really!" the girl exclaimed, "No way." Rudely, the girl made silly faces at the noble, fish hooking her cheeks and wiggling her tongue.
"Stop it!" the older girl admonished, elbowing her shorter counterpart. "I am sorry, Kuchiki-sama, she is just showing off for you. We've all missed you!"
"It is fine, Ueda-san," the noble spoke warmly, "I am glad to be back as well. Perhaps you can show me the crops you've tended to this year a little latter."
With a blush, the girl bowed humbly. "Of course!"
Byakuya leaned in a little closer to Ichigo and asked, "And what of this upstart, is her shunpo up to par?"
Ichigo looked down at the smug tyke with a tiny smirk. "Maybe for a tortoise."
"Hey! What do you know?" the girl growled, pointing up to the man. At first, Ichigo thought Byakuya was just being cold with the girl, but now he could tell she was the type who was revved up by taunting. "And who are you anyway?!"
"This is my Fukutaichou, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya responded.
"Yeah, well, Ic-hi-go, I'm the top student here, Maki Nara, and one day, I'll be the best shinigami! I'll show you!"
"I can't wait to see, kid" Ichigo chuckled.
"Maki-san, I'm here to evaluate the students to see if any are ready to move on to the next step. Go tell the others to prepare," he ordered.
With a fire in her eyes, Nara declared, "Right away, Kuchiki-sama, just wait till you see what I've learned since the last time."
Ichigo noticed the older girl look off in Nara's direction with a sad smile. "Will Maki-san be going back with you today?" the girl asked.
"Nothing is decided yet," the noble responded, "but, yes, I believe so."
She shook her head in resignation and put on a fraudulent smile. "Then I am happy for her. That is where she belongs."
Knowingly, Byakuya empathized, "I understand that you wish you could come too, Ueda-san."
"But I don't have enough reiryoku," she finished, raking her foot back and forth.
"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "but this is not all. You also play a key role in this institution. The other children look to you as a leader, and you help keep these grounds running smoothly. I need you here too one day be an instructor yourself."
Watching such a tender moment transpire between the two, Ichigo couldn't help to think this was the most beautiful thing he'd seen all day. Perhaps because the most beautiful things are what you don't expect. Byakuya had read the girl perfectly and seemingly knew just how to comfort her.
"Really?" she exclaimed, her face lightening up. "You think so?"
"I do not say things that are not true. In fact, I have something of great importance for your, but I must make sure you will treat it with care." With a stern, militant look, he ordered, "Stand to attention," and as if the girl had done this before, she quickly took up a marching stance. "Now, hold out your weapons."
As the girl bit back a giggle and held out her hands, Ichigo watched on in bewilderment. Byakuya took a knee and held her hands in his, running a thumb over the tiny palms in inspection. "Hmm," he hummed, "These are the hand's of a seasoned gardener. I do believe I can intrust you with such a task." From the sleeve of his haori, Byakuya pulled out a seed and placed it in the girl's upturned palm.
Her eyes sparked with glee as Byakuya explained, "This is an extremely rare flower, a kadupul, and it takes a master horticulturist to cultivate it. Are you up for the challenge, solider?"
The girl clutched the seed tightly and held it to her heart. "Yes, Kuchiki-sama! I promise when you come back, I will have completed my mission."
"I believe this is true."
Grinning from ear to ear, the blithe girl exclaimed, "In fact, I'm going to go start right now!"
"Very well," Byakuya said, "you are dismissed."
As the girl skipped away, Ichigo poised, "So it's all about the Gotei, huh?"
"Children need purpose to guide them," Byakuya explained, walking forward. "Idle hands make for trouble."
"All I'm hearing is your a big softy," Ichigo chuckled, walking in suite.
"Then perhaps you need to clean out your ears."
"Don't worry," Ichigo smirked, "your secret is safe with me."
The two made their way through the grounds, taking time to visit each individual classroom. The school was constructed in the traditional feudal style of architect and reached four stories high, meaning the examination took quite some time. Byakuya spoke to a few instructors, but mostly asked Ichigo to explain what was playing out in front of them. His answers were sometimes vague, but it seemed to please the noble either way.
It was clear from their visit that the children were happy and well taken care of. They learned a variety of things, from sewing, gardening, and medical aid, to reading, crafts, and history. A lighthearted laughter filled the air, and Ichigo thought it was amazing a place like this could exist within the holds of poverty and crime that made up the lower districts.
The last stop on their visit was the training grounds. Lead by an instructor, the two men stepped into a large dirt covered dome, much like Yoruichi's and Urahara's underground one.
There were a handful of students practicing basic shinigami skills, such as shunpo, hakuda, and low level kidō.
"How is he doing?" Byakuya inquired.
The young and rather attractive instructor situated her sword tied to her obi with a grin. "He is as destructive as always. And as always, he is making my sword hand itchy."
"Ah," Byakuya observed, "I see he has still done no growing up?"
"Small miracles, Kuchiki-san," the woman jested. "His issue is he does not focus on one thing. It's good to be well rounded, but it is better if he tried to have a mastery like most of the students. Instead, he want's to do it all."
"He is very young still. Perhaps in time, he will grow out of this mindset. At least, this is my hope. I'm considering him for my division specifically."
"Everyone here is young, By- Tachiou," Ichigo pointed out.
"Yes, but the boy we are talking about takes on the appearance of a young teen while have only been in the Rukongai for five years. In reality, he is not much older than you," Byakuya explained.
The instructor pointed in the direction of a young man engaged in an intense bout of sword play. He look biologically no older than fifteen and was distinguished by a long main of snow white hair and piercing gold eyes "That's him, Kurosawa Hi-Sora, or as I like to call him, the vein of my existence."
"Crimson sky of the black lagoon. That's a pretty fierce name," Ichigo noted, "but let's see if anything else about him is fierce."
"I did not know you were so hard to impress, Kurosaki Fukutaichou," Byakuya mused.
Ichigo snorted as he watched the spar. "If he's going to have you as a Taichou and survive it, he's gotta be strong."
The nobleman smirked subtly as he listened to the clashing of steel and felt the throb of reiryoku fill the air. He felt secure that Ichigo would be able to discern who was qualified and who was not and put any worries aside as his second in command gauged the performances.
For quite a period of time, Ichigo observed the group from afar with Byakuya making comments about certain candidates he wanted Ichigo to give special attention too. Of course, there was Mika and the Hi-Sora kid, among a few others. Mika excelled at kidō and shunpo, while Hi-Sora was only slightly above average at everything.
"The instructor was right," Ichigo observed, "he's good at a little bit of everything, but great at nothing. I'm not really one to judge that, though, since I pretty much learned none of the basics. Almost everything I've learned has been in the heat of battle."
"You must realize you are a special case, Kurosaki Ichigo?" Byakuya rebutted.
"Yeah," Ichigo snorted, "If by special you mean really stubborn and a little crazy."
The nobleman perked an amused eyebrow on his otherwise stoney face. "A little?"
With an aslant glare, Ichigo chuckled. "You're probably right though. My way isn't the best way. Sometimes I wish I knew kidō for sticky situations, ya know?"
Amongst the clamor of incantations and laborious grunts of students, Byakuya felt a nervous stirring that had nothing to do with the setting. "When I regain full usage of my abilities, I can teach you how to implicate kidō."
Ichigo faltered, albeit fugacious. "Really? You'd do that?" he smiled.
"I am your Taichou, and as such, it is my duty to help prepare you for any situation." A pause. "Though, I do fear the destructive properties such an unruly reiryoku as yours will produce."
"Oh yeah," Ichigo smirked, "you don't think you can handle the challenge of teaching me? Now that doesn't sound like you, Byakuya," he said, forgetting the title. Byakuya couldn't find it in him to care.
"On the contrary," Byakuya rebutted, biting back his own smirk that tried to flagrantly surface, "I believe I am the only one who could. In fact, my main goal in teaching you is so we'll be able to fight on even terms."
"I'm in," Ichigo said, the smile in his voice brightening the energy around them. "I could stand to learn a few thing from an old guy like you. Thanks, Byakuya."
Breaking up the mutual absorption was a gust of wind caused by a shunpo. In front of the two stood a glistening, heaving Hi-Sora. Standing a few inches shorter than them, the lithe teen wore a wild grin as he began to churn down from the rush of battle.
"Hiya, pops," Hi-Sora greeted.
"I am no such thing, and you will not address me as such," the noble warned.
The relaxed fashion of which Hi-Sora addressed the noble reminded Ichigo of the way he'd call Yama-jii gramps. Though it was disrespectful, the teen must feel rather close to the nobleman to call him his father. It seemed many of these kids respected and cared for the Kuchiki lord, and though he hid it behind his usual taciturn speech and facial expressions, Ichigo knew Byakuya cared too.
The teen laughed. "Alright, pop-sama." When Ichigo snickered under his breath, Hi-Sora threw him a look and insulted, "Whatcha laughing at? You look like someone dyed a porcupine orange and glued it on your head."
"Hey! You punk I-"
"Kurosaki Fukutaichou is here to gauge your performance today," Byakuya explained, "so it would be in your favor not to antagonize him."
Finally, he took notice of Byakuya's walking cane and the odd appearance of his eyes. "What gives, pops?"
Exasperated, Ichigo leaned his head back and groaned, "He lost his vision in the war!" When Byakuya addressed his abruptness with a disapproving sigh, Ichigo muttered, "Sorry, I'm just sick you having to go over it again and again. This is like the twenty fifth person today, geez."
As Hi-Sora waved a hand in front of Byakuya's unseeing eyes, Ichigo felt a desire to educate the punk in basic respect, most likely with a fist to the jaw. Ichigo wasn't known for his politeness nor his formalities, but he would never make a mockery of someone's disability.
"No way," Hi-Sora baffled, "that's lame. There's no way you'd be that wea-" His gesture and words were hampered when Byakuya grabbed his shaking wrist, much to the teens surprise and Ichigo's admiration.
"You are right, Kurosawa-san, I am most certainly not weak, vision or not," Byakuya admonished coldly. "Now, unless you would like your wrist to be returned to you without a hand, I would think twice before doing such a thing again."
Hi-Sora grinned as his wrist was released. "I was just messing with you, pop's. I wouldn't want to be in your division if I didn't know how strong you were. So," the teen prompted impatiently, "am I good enough to be in your division yet?"
After considering, Byakuya turned to Ichigo and asked, "What do you think?"
The second in command tilted his head in deep deliberation. Nonchalantly, he judged, "Not good enough."
"What?!" Hi-Sora growled in question.
"You heard me, kid. I said you're not good enough yet," he reiterated.
"Oh, come on," the teen whined, "Is this because of the hair comment?"
Ichigo snorted and wore his typical aloof scowl. "It's because, as of right now, you're not even strong enough to rank as a seated officer. You have a lot of potential, but you should spend sometime at the academy. When you give your full attention to every area at the same time, you're actually just splitting your concentration, and it hinders your ability to get the most out of what you're learning. The quality of your skill is more important than the quantity."
Byakuya perked an eyebrow at the candor way Ichigo assessed and explained the teen's progress. He was equally as impressed as he was shocked to find that, despite his often hot headed ways, Ichigo was rather intelligent. He had not expected for Ichigo to be able to conclude and articulate what specifically made Hi-Sora's method of training so ineffectual.
"Tch, and what do you know?" the teen spat.
"More than a punk like you does," Ichigo asserted, wearing those resolute eyes.
"Oh yeah," the teen condescended, a devious smirk growing on his face, "then why are you about to get cut?"
Ichigo's face twisted at that, but before he could make any moves, a kunai zoomed by his face, nicking the crest of his cheek before it stabbed the ground in front of him.
Blood trickled down Ichigo's face as a young girl with razor straight bangs and emerald eyes flashed in front of him to retrieve the blade. "What the hell?" Ichigo grunted, whirling from the attack.
"Nice strike," Hi-Sora grinned, ruffling the bob of black hair.
"I do not need your compliments," the girl spoke coldly, twirling the kunai on her finger.
"What did I do to you?! You don't just go around throwing blades at people for no reason!" Ichigo proclaimed loudly as Byakuya lifted a finger to his cheek and sent a pulse of healing kidō through the flesh wound.
"Your hair," she tutted, "it's obnoxious and quite the easy target."
Kidō surged through Ichigo's cheek and closed the wound within seconds, prompting Ichigo to look over at a subtly smirking Byakuya. "Did you train this one yourself?" he scoffed, "sounds like something you'd say."
"This is Hayashi Eiko. You did not see her with the rest of the student's training because she is specializing in stealth, as you just found out. I already knew she would be returning with us, seeing as she is the most advanced in her skills. I believe she will fit well with nibantai," Byakuya mused, "yes?"
"Yeah," Ichigo snorted, "her and Suì-Fēng are the perfect match."
"Well then, I believe we have three that will be returning with us today," Byakuya noted.
"You're taking Hi-Sora?" the instructor asked, trying to hide the relief in her voice.
"Yes, Maki-san and Hayashi-san also."
"It's okay," Hi-Sora hummed, "I know you'll miss me, Senpai." Winking, he flirted "I'll miss you too."
The woman shook her head in disappointment as Byakuya cautioned, "The women in Seireitei have actually zanpakuto's and less patience, so I would be careful of who you harass in the future. Now, go prepare to take your leave, both of you."
Hi-Sora rolled his eyes and Eiko bowed before they both walked off, nabbing Nara on the way.
Byakuya was sure he'd always remember this day. Not necessarily because of the events that played out around him, but because on this day, he first desired something he'd go onto desire an innumerable amount of times in the months to come. For no particular reason, just because he wanted to bask in the others charming expression and read the feelings within the twisted lips and fiercely, expressive eyes, he desired to look over at Ichigo and to actually see him. There was no reason behind it at all, and that frightened Byakuya.
Byakuya stood impassively, his gaze anchored. "What do you think of these three choices, Kurosaki Ichigo?"
Rubbing his newly healed cheek, Ichigo said, "Their..uh..all..quirky, that's for sure."
"I am speaking of their fighting prowess. Their personalities have little to do with surviving a battle," Byakuya corrected.
"Yeah, well, I'm more concerned with surviving the trip back," Ichigo snorted in retort.
Byakuya turned towards the exit and began to walk forward with gradual steps. "I'm sure you are equipped to handle a few children, seeing as you are one also."
"Yeah, we- Hey, what's that suppose to mean?!"
xXx
The majority of the school's denizen gathered at the entrance for their teary farewells. Ueda was giving Nara something akin to motherly advice while the younger of the two tried to hide her sad eyes behind a brave face.
"Don't worry, Nara," Ichigo comforted the girl, leaning down, "you'll get to visit here soon. In the meantime, you'll make everyone proud."
"Of course I will," the tyke blushed, pulling nervously at her braided blond locks. "I'm Maki Nara, and I'm going to be stronger than Kuchiki-sama one day."
Ichigo grinned humorously at the moxie filled girl before patting her on the head. "If you train hard, one day you'll get there. You're already as cocky as him, so that's a good start."
He turned to his right and saw the nobleman getting personal drawings and handmade items from a myriad of starry eyed students, all bouncing around the man in idolization. One little girl, who barely came up to the man's knee cap, tugged at the hem of his shihakushō. "I dew yew a pic-ter, I know yew ca' see it, but I wantcha tew hav' it, Kuch-Keww..Kuchichiii..?"
"You are close, Fuji-san. It's Ku-ch-iki-sama." Taking the picture, he dipped his head slightly. "I'm sure it is lovely, you are a promising artist, Fuji-san."
The girl blushed demurely. "Than' yew, Kuchiki-sama!"
The instructor leaned over with a grin and said, "You must come back soon, Kuchiki-san. Most of these kids admire you and half the little girls have crushes on you." Putting on a more lecherous sneer, the instructor added, "And probably even some of the boys too. Hi-Sora is your biggest fan, just give him a good decade to ripen," she winked.
A blush found Ichigo at the implications, but Byakuya merely tutted. "Perhaps I should come less than."
"Ug, are we leaving yet?!" Hi-Sora moaned, arms crossed childishly.
"Yes," the instructor pushed him off, "please. Go now, Hi-Sora."
With one last group goodbye, the five walked towards the carriage. Nara came to a sudden halt and placed two fingers in her mouth, letting out a shill dog whistle. "I almost forgot to say goodbye to Wakame Taishi."
"Wakame Taishi," Ichigo echoed. "Don't tell my you scare these kids too with that bizarre creation of your?"
Byakuya lambasted the man at his side with one deathly glare. Despite the fact it did not quite met his eyes, it still sent shivers through Ichigo.
"Good dietary habits are of the utmost importance," Eiko scolded
"Are you sure you didn't raise this one personally, Byakuya. She's like your clone," Ichigo muttered in annoyance as a floppy eared, stubby legged basset hound trotted up to the group.
Nara, Hi-Sora, and even Eiko petted the dog, Nara plopping a kiss on it's forehead as it gave her affection laps. "This is Wakame Taishi, Kurosaki-san," Nara explained. "He belongs to the whole school and was a gift from Kuchiki-san and his wife when the school was started way before we came here."
"Woe," Ichigo baffled, leaning down and allowing the creature to sniff his hand before it gave him a lick of approval. "You're an old guy, Wakame." He grinned as he pet the dog behind the ear, and it howled happily. "Still kicking, though."
"Alright, Alright," Hi-Sora declared, "last one to the carriage is an unseated officer!" before he shunpo off, the other two at his heels.
Ichigo stared off at the three with a smile before he noticed, much to his surprise, the noble had taken a knee to rub the scalp of the school's adorable pet. "Uh, Byakuya, what are you doing?"
At the strange question, Byakuya rebutted dryly, "I thought it was I whom had the impaired eyesight."
"I just mean, well, um, dog's have germs and stuff," Ichigo mumbled, feeling embarrassed.
"Yes, and they've created this marvelous product called soap. Do you ever use it, Kurosaki Ichigo?" he deadpanned.
Byakuya bit back a smile at the blush he heard inflected in Ichigo's voice. "I guess I deserve that, eh," he chuckled. "I'm just surprised you like animals." 'I should really stop making assumptions of Byakuya based on this haughty image I have of him,' Ichigo introspective, 'especially when I already know he's more than that.'
As the two walked forward, Byakuya confessed, "I am quite fawned of dogs, actually. It is cats that I despise."
Ichigo grinned at the sincere disgust Byakuya conveyed. "Sounds like there's a good story behind that."
Thinking back to his shameless childhood friend, Yoruichi, Byakuya said cryptically, "Early childhood trauma, perhaps I will tell you about it one day."
"I think you like dogs because their disciplined. Their easy to train and do what you say," Ichigo teased.
"Is that so," Byakuya remarked with a taunting air, "then why can I not reign you in, pup?"
"I'm too feral for you, Byakuya," Ichigo returned playfully as he leaned in a little closer to the man. The vicinity and the warmth of Ichigo's breath on his cheek made Byakuya's body simmer in oddly unexplainable ways. "So did you ever have one growing up?" Ichigo inquired, "A dog, I mean."
"Ah, no. Having pets is an uncommon practice among shinigamis, but especially in noble households. My training always took priority, and my family would have never agreed to it. So I never inquired one way or another."
As they arrived at the carriage, Ichigo frowned and blinked thoughtfully. "It sound's like you never had a normal childhood if you were training that much."
"That was something I was never intended to have, Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya, clad with his habitual forbearing face, explained.
While climbing into the vessel, Ichigo thought 'I guess we really did grow up in completely different ways. It must have been hard for you, but it makes more sense now, the way you sacrifice almost compulsively. That's the way you were taught to be.'
The endeavor back to Seireitei felt longer than the one from, mostly because of Nara's ceaseless chatter and Hi-Sora's constant flow of mocking retort. At one point, Ichigo was sure Byakuya was going to put a sleeping kidō on the two. It wasn't all bad though. Nara climbed on Ichigo's lap and asked him question after question about the World of the Living, and Ichigo's latent brotherly instincts came out. He'd always been really good with kids. With Eiko, he wished he could relate to her somehow, but he wasn't even sure she was a kid, more like a deadly assassin in a child's body.
The academy was one of the only edifice left undamaged, and with the current school year set to start in a week, students would soon be filling in. For a night or so, Byakuya allowed the three to stay at the mansion. By the time they all returned, the sun was setting and the kids were tuckered out, ready to give into sleep, even the all too rambunctious Nara, who insisted that Ichigo tuck her in. For a saucy, jabber-mouth shinigami in training, when all was said and done, she had the heart of a child.
Once he finished, he found Byakuya perched on his deck in a graceful lotus blossom position. He was taking tentative sips from a sake glass and looked lost in his tranquility, so much so, Ichigo was almost tempted not to bother him. Almost.
"Damn," Ichigo said as he walked up, "did the kid's bother you enough to drive you to drinking?"
Byakuya inhaled deeply, enjoying the relaxing properties of the liquor. "No. I am just attempting to lessen the worked up energy such a day causes."
"Worked up energy, huh?" Ichigo quipped, "Maybe we can give some to Nara, that kid can talk for hours."
"Would you like to have some sake?" Byakuya offered.
For the first time, Ichigo noticed there sat another glass just like Byakuya's, as if the man had expected him or maybe hoped for him to join.
Ichigo settled down beside the man promptly. "I never took you for a guy who'd offer liquor to a minor," Ichigo teased as he poured a glass, quick to indulge in a sip.
"Says the man who just suggested we give sake to a child," Byakuya huffed. Together, under the veil of serene darkness, they say quietly. It was a silence that did not think of itself but merely enjoyed itself, easy and free flowing. "You were good with the children," Byakuya observed.
Ichigo swirled his cup thoughtfully as he swooshed some of the sweet liquid around the dry crevices of his mouth. "I have sisters, so I guess I learned something along the way. I always liked kids."
"Yes," Byakuya agreed, "It seemed natural for you." A pause. "Is this something you want one day, children?"
A bit of sake caught in Ichigo's throat at the unanticipated question. "Uh, I mean, I'm still pretty young, so I've never given it a lot of thought. But yeah, I guess I always figured it was just something that would happen one day."
Byakuya sat deep in his own thoughts as he took slow, measured sips of sake. "This is not something easily obtained as a shinigami. Most marriages and children are only yielded from arranged marriages, and even so, many spouses die prematurely in the line of duty. Perhaps you should reconside-"
"I know what you're doing, Byakuya," Ichigo interrupted. "Maybe one day I'll find someone I want to have kids with, maybe not, but right now, sitting here, drinking this sake with you, that's good with me." Ichigo's words weighed Byakuya down like a ponderous cloak, both equal parts comforting and stifling. Ichigo let out a refreshed sigh as he downed the rest of his liquor. "Don't get me wrong," Ichigo smirked, "I'm flattered by the concern."
"Nonsense," Byakuya denounced, "have you considered that I am simply trying to get you out of my hair, or more accurately, my house."
"Sucks for you, because I'm a pretty hard guy to get rid of."
"Yes, much like vermin," Byakuya huffed before pressing the cold porcelain rim to his lips.
Ichigo got to his feet and wobbled slightly when the liquored tainted blood rushed to his head. "You don't fool me, Byakuya Kuchiki," he asserted knowingly. "It's late. I don't want to risk oversleeping so I'm going to head off to bed. Good night."
With those departing words, the sound of pattering steps and his own abnormal heart beat were plangent in his frame. A ringing rippled through Byakuya's body and bounce from his tissuey pillars like a church bell resounding from his chest cavity. Such a soft sound in the grand scheme of things echoed so loudly in his confines. "Kurosaki Ichigo," he uttered softly, "tomorrow is the mass memorial, and therefore, all divisions will be on respite. It is a day of mourning, and there is no need to rise particularly early. So, if you would like, you may stay."
Without word, feeling lighter from the offer, Ichigo turned back and claimed his spot. While Byakuya was tethered to the dark, Ichigo lived amongst his own personal blackness also. His painful memories could, at times, bring down such a wrathful rainstorm that it blinded him, kept him lost and aghast.
For that reason, the two sat in quiet darkness, both just content with the closeness and the knowledge that, if even for just a small while, they didn't have to face that frightening, demon filled tenebrosity in solitude, because alone, the dark that surrounded them seemed so deafening, so impregnable.
xXx
siwon611: Thank you for the review! It means a lot to hear you like this story so much, and I'm glad you can get behind the slow pacing.
Tifanny91:Hey dear! I appreciate the comment as always, and I totally agree, Byakuya's one of the most well developed characters on Bleach. Writing about him is always a treat, so I'm glad to know you enjoy my characterization of him. Hopefully you'll equally enjoy the development between these two cuties in this chapter.
Meadie: Thank you for such a sweet comment. I wanted their characters to seem real and natural, so I'm glad their coming off that way.
tkhiroshi: Thank you! I hope you enjoyed this chapter.
Guest: Haha, Renji could never really die, he's too awesome. :) Thank you for the comment, dear!
xOphiuchusx: Here you are, enjoy
lara5170: Yeah, I know, but hopefully the sweet out weighs the sad.