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The Depths
Clams Casino I'm God
Unfortunately Rukia's evening didn't go as romantically as Isane's and Unohana's did. She arrived at the 13th and went to her quarters without greeting a soul. She put her bags down then removed her outerwear and hopped in bed, burying herself in the white sheets and amongst the pillows. She had taken a while to get home and so she was pretty cold.
The warmth of her bed brought her comfort. She smiled, grateful for the fact that she had such a large and comfortable bed all to herself. And immediately her smile faded because she realized that her bed was all to herself, that she had no one to share it with.
Rukia rolled onto her side, reached out, and ran her hand down the mattress longingly, imagining Isane lying there with her. She curled up as if spooning as she wondered what Isane would wear to bed. Would she sleep in her underwear? Something more modest? Rukia slept topless, wearing only her underwear and the thought of her and Isane in bed together like that, skin on skin, began to turn her on. She hugged a pillow and clenched her inner thighs as her mind spiraled down into fantasy and her thoughts became sexual.
What type of lover would Isane be? Would she take a leading role, a following role, or be somewhere in the middle? Rukia envisioned Isane as being somewhere in the middle. She imagined herself walking into her bedroom to find Isane sitting on the far edge of the bed with her back to the door, waiting for her, beckoning. Isane sat clad in white underwear and a simple bra, leaning back on her arms for support. Her thin long braids ran down her back, the crack of her butt peeking above the hem of her low-riding thin white underwear. Isane turned her head to the side with a greeting smile as Rukia crawled across the bed to join her.
Rukia shivered and slid a hand into her Chappy panties as she imagined running her hands down the sides of Isane's long lean and pale torso and kissing her neck before unclasping her bra and freeing the squishy warm boobs beneath.
Rukia was oh so wet and warm down below. She massaged her anatomy as she imagined kissing Isane all over and Isane kissing her. Now touching her external genitalia with greater force and squeezing one of her own boobs she envisioned Isane looming above her and looking down. Looking down at her naked body, ready with legs spread and then burying her face in Rukia's crotch.
Rukia spread her legs wide and rubbed her clit, moaning softly as she squeezed on a hardening nipple. Eyes shut tight, she imagined what is Isane's long thin fingers could do to her as she inserted two of her own deep within. Becoming louder she rolled over and continued touching herself face down, lost in this lewd and beautiful fantasy.
Vocalizing into fabric she rode the growing wave of pleasure as she penetrated her flesh deeper and rubbed her clit faster and imagined every sexual detail possible about Isane. They way she'd moan, the way her face would look if Rukia touched her, how she'd taste, how she'd smell, if she'd like her nipples to be pinched or bitten softly as she would, all of it.
In time she reached the crest of the wave and came crashing down in orgasm with it. Writhing as it flowed through her body.
It was physically satisfying but not emotionally so. And so as she came down from the sexual endorphins the shame and guilt she felt toward her feelings returned in force. She looked at her glistening fingers with disgust and wiped them off on the sheets then got up, dried herself, and put on a fresh pair of underwear and a t-shirt.
Then she fell back into bed and let out a long sigh.
"Fuck this." She muttered to herself.
"Rukia." Sode No Shirayuki called from within her Zanpakuto which lied propped up upon the shelves.
"Yes!" Rukia said surprised as she got up to retrieve the sword.
"Let me out."
"O-k." Rukia said then unsheathed the sword and placed her other hand upon the blade, letting her energy flow into it and allowing Sode No Shirayuki to manifest.
She sheathed it again and put it down as her Zanpakuto spirit's form coalesced before her in all her white snow themed glory.
"Sorry you saw that Yuki." Rukia said apologizing for masturbating in her presence.
"It's fine. I gave you privacy when things became... graphic." Sode No Shirayuki responded. "But still. We need to talk."
"About what?" Rukia questioned a bit red in the face.
"About you, about this, about your feelings for Isane." Yuki said as she sat on the bed.
Rukia looked down at her pale legs dejected and ashamed.
"You can't go on like this. Wanting, wishing, and hating yourself for it. I've held back on telling you this for too long but you have to do something."
"Like what? I can't get over her and it's not like I can tell her…"
"Yes you can."
Rukia's facial expression changed to that of someone who was hearing pure insanity.
"No I can't, no one would accept it. Even if she does."
"But if she does? Isn't that enough?"
Sode No Shirayuki was right and Rukia knew it. All that matters in love are the people involved, the lovers themselves and no one else. But she persisted with her resistance.
"I am a Kuchiki. An adopted Kuchiki at that. I can't insult tradition like this." she said.
"I know. But you are also you. And you are in love with her. It isn't fair to live your life denying yourself to satisfy the world. At least talk to Byakuya. If you get his blessing then you won't have an excuse to not pursue her."
"And if I don't get his blessing?"
"Well," Yuki said then paused and wondered about the likelihood of this possibility.
"Well then at least you won't be the reason you don't have her." Yuki said somberly.
Rukia looked off pondering the possibility.
"Ok. I'll do it." She said, accepting the fact that she had to try.
"Good. I hate seeing you this way." Sode No Shirayuki said.
Sode No Shirayuki was a good friend. She truly cared for Rukia and wanted the best for her. They sat silently for a couple moments. Rukia thinking about when and how to ask Byakuya and what he would say. And Yuki about what to do if he said no.
"Yuki." Rukia said.
"Hmm."
"Do you have someone you love?" she asked.
Sode No Shirayuki smiled. "No." she responded honestly. "I don't. Love is… a great inconvenience. It distracts and preoccupies the mind and makes the heart vulnerable to pain. Pain from the one you love abusing your love, pain from not being able to have them, and pain from having them taken away. And yet it seems to be something beautiful. It seems to be the happiest most satisfying feeling one could feel. More pleasurable even than acts of intimacy with that special person. In a way love is weakness wrapped in a shroud of beauty. Personally I've never felt that way about anyone, and I'd be satisfied with my life if I never did. But if I did start to feel that way about someone, especially if I felt that way to the extent that you do now, I don't think I would fight it."
"Wise words." Rukia said as she took a moment to consider what Sode No Shirayuki just said. Thinking that her feelings for Isane were indeed a burden on her heart. And realizing that this was in fact the first time she had actually loved someone.
All of her attractions before this were primarily physical, some were vaguely emotional, but this attraction, this infatuation with Isane was something more. Her heart longed like it never had before. Of course, given her actions in bed tonight and given the movements of her wavering eyes upon Isane's body it was physical as well. But by far the attractiveness of Isane's character and her radiant soul was what drew Rukia the most. After all, Rukia never felt this way toward Renji, her first, who she had slept with a couple times when they were much younger. Nor did she ever feel this way about either of the girls she had brief and secretive flings with during her Shinigami Academy days. People had attracted her eyes before and three had touched her flesh, but this was the first time someone had attracted her heart. It was a beautiful feeling that she felt for Isane. Despite the stress it caused her. Oh how magnificent it would be if Isane returned it in kind and they grew and cultivated their love together. And if Sode No Shirayuki were to begin to feel that same feeling she would see the beauty too.
"Tell me if you find somebody Yuki, somebody to love and I'll make it so that you can be with them." She said knowing that the existence of a Zanpakuto, one where they live their life in a sword, their very existence a fragment of a soul, was not conducive to maintaining a romantic relationship with another being.
"I will if I do Rukia. I will if I do." Yuki said.
At that moment a hell butterfly phased through the wall and flew slowly and gracefully toward Rukia. She put her hand out and it landed on her finger.
"It's from Isane." She said.
"What does it say?"
And Rukia conveyed the message.
Hey Rukia. My captain just told me that there is supposed to be a meteor in the sky tonight and that it should fly by anytime now. We're outside waiting for it now. I thought you might like to see it too so I send you this message in case you didn't know it was coming. Anyway I hope this gets to you on time.
-Isane
"A meteor." Yuki said with interest. "Let's go outside and see it."
"Ok." Rukia said.
And so Rukia put on some pants and a warmer top and they went outside. In a few minutes the meteor flew across the sky leaving a bright streak behind it as it flew and then disappeared. It was a pretty sight and after it passed they went back inside and said goodnight to each other.
Sode No Shirayuki returned to the blade and retreated within and Rukia took a hot bath, brushed her teeth, and went to bed. She slept deeply and soundly.
. . .
Rangiku unfortunately missed the meteor. She had spent the evening indoors playing cards, chilling, and drinking very lightly with Renji, Shuuhei and Izuru. When they all began to get tired her three visitors went home and she went to bed early getting a good night's sleep.
. . .
Meanwhile at the Fourth, Isane was in bed dreaming of ridiculous things while Unohana was engaged in the dance of death. Bodies lie on the ground around her and the air smelled of blood. She was surrounded on every side by her foes, hundreds of them coming in droves, and she cut them down in droves.
It was a dark scene, not because of the gore, but because it was literally dark and poorly illuminated.
Unohana was enjoying herself. Part of her wished her opponents were stronger, that they'd put up more of a fight. But the other part of her realized that there was strength in numbers and that if she didn't stay on her toes and stay aware she could conceivably lose.
Focusing up again she smiled with glee as she continued to glide her sword through flesh, slashing, stabbing, and killing. One managed to take her off guard, causing her to dodge last minute. She kicked them into the air and dug a dagger into his gut, eviscerating him midair. Then she withdrew her weapon, pushed the horde back with Kido, and assumed a defensive stance, before his corpse could even hit the ground. They stood encircling her, looking on with faceless faces, not one amongst them was unique in form. They was merely a vast mass of empty unknown souls.
They cocked their swords and came at her stronger, two, three, four at a time. Even with the assistance of defensive Kido she was beginning to struggle to keep up. She suffered a stab through the back. The enemy's blade slid clear through her her body oddly painlessly. But she grabbed the crimsoned blade protruding through her stomach and spun on her heel bifurcating the one responsible with a single powerful swing before jumping up above.
Standing in the sky she saw them in concentric circles beneath her and decided to use her Bankai and see how many she could kill at once.
She pulled out the blade lodged in her torso and chucked it down. It turned once on its way down impaled someone through the head then she smiled, proud of her aim. Then she directed her attention back to her own sword and said the words. "Bankai. Minazuki."
Her power surged through her body, the release nigh orgasmic, and the the cold cruel steel of her blade disintegrated. A dark red viscous fluid flowed forth from the hilt and gathered floating in globular orbs around her. A new blade formed, small and short with a shiny reddish black color to it that looked as if it was stained with the blood of all she had slain in her past.
She hadn't seen her Bankai in centuries. Ever since she became a healer and put her old life behind her she had sheathed it away, both in her mind and in her swords scabbard. But it was back now and she was happy to revisit an old friend after all these years.
She turned her focus to the fluid her Bankai produced and gathered it together in a flowing swirling ball. Then she hurled it at the ground below. It splashed about covering a significant number of people. Their flesh immediately began to sizzle and melt, dripping off and leaving only bones behind. A quick but very painful death.
She smiled as she descended onto the ground to stand amongst them, those screaming and holding their burning faces and bodies, and those who hadn't been graced with her treatment yet. Then with a wave of her hand she flung more acid about leaving more pain and death and bones in her wake.
She looked like she was dancing at this point, the way she turned about and moved her arms, the way she stepped gliding through them unimpeded, the way her Bankai flowed around her and crashed into the masses. No one could get near her though they tried. All souls fell as she walked through the masses unimpeded, whittling them all down.
And then, she came upon one lying on the ground with her body melting. It was cowering in fear and crying. Still alive but defeated and dying.
This one was different. It was distinctly feminine while the others weren't distinctly of either body type. Lying face down and covered with more fabric than the others she made no attempt to crawl away from Unohana nor turn and attack.
"Dying face down is ignoble. Rise and face me while you can!" Unohana said as she kicked a sword toward her hands.
She obeyed grabbing it feebly but then let it go. Enraged Unohana raised her sword and placed a foot on the dying woman's back. "Die then." she said as she swung her sword in a downward arc and decapitated her. Clean and with no resistance.
The head rolled away from its body, and Unohana saw its face. It was the only face she'd seen in the entire massacre, the only one she'd recognized.
It was Isane's.
Isane's eyes were wide and her face twitched with silent pain, and her mouth moved screaming a slient scream. Unohana was horrified and felt a sickening turn in her stomach.
She let go of her sword and dropped to her knees picking up Isane's head from the ground with hands shaking and began to scream "no" again and again and again.
But Isane's face changed became calm the moment she saw her captain's eyes.
"Save me Taicho." she said with pure sweetness and love.
Unohana fumbled with the head. Crying and breathing raggedly as she tried to reattach it to the stump to which it was once attached.
But the blood kept flowing, and the acid kept eating and she realized she could do nothing.
"It's ok Taicho. It's ok." Isane said.
"No!" Unohana screamed as she continued to try holding it in place and connect the flesh only to have the head fall off its limp body, onto the floor, and into the acid again, the meat making an audible sizzle.
"It's ok Taicho. It's ok."
"No!" She screamed crying as she held Isane's ever more faceless melting head to her chest.
"No!"
And within moments her flesh was gone, her hair was gone, the hordes were gone. The realm was now white and one set of bones remained with its lifeless skull in her burning shaking hands.
She felt herself being shaken now. Carefully yet firm. She was being pulled away from this. The scene was fading. But she resisted not wanting to let Isane, or rather what was left of her, go.
"Taicho." A distant voice called.
"Taicho!"
Unohana woke up in confusion. Covered in sweat. Isane stood above her in a loose shirt and wore a look of worry on her face.
"Taicho it was just a dream." Isane said reassuringly, comfortingly, knowing nothing of the dreams contents.
Unohana realized what had happened, shot up, and hugged Isane tight. Then she let her go and held the sides of her face, confirming to herself that she, that this was indeed real.
Then she let Isane go, finally breathing normally.
"What is it captain?"
"Nothing, it... just... you're fine." She said relieved looking at the smooth unblemished skin of Isane's neck.
With a bit of confusion Isane said "I heard you tossing and turning and saying "no" from my room. So I came to see if you were ok."
"Thank you." Unohana said as she wiped the sweat from her forehead and pulled her nightgown tighter around her. She didn't want Isane to needlessly see her scar. She didn't like the way Isane looked at it. With sadness, confusion, and a tint of fear in her eyes.
"It was just a dream."
"Are you ok?" Isane asked with concern.
"Yes. I am now." Unohana responded. She was lying. In reality the dream had made her quite worried. She had buried that side of her, the bloodthirsty battle loving side of her, and tried to leave it in the past. So what was that dream then why was she so gleefully killing hundreds upon hundreds of people. And why was Isane there in the way that she was? What did that mean? Was the dream somehow symbolic or was it a literal manifestation of her buried joys and exaggerated fears? She didn't know what the dream meant if anything but still found it somewhat revelatory.
The entire evening was revelatory for Isane as well. She got to see sides of her captain that she never saw before. She found everything that was happening strange. The tender closeness between them earlier and now this nightmare her captain had. Usually she was the one having nightmares and then waking up to find Unohana sitting above her, comforting her, offering her water and companionship until she fell asleep again.
"Do you want a glass of water?" Isane asked.
"Sure." Unohana said with an appreciative smile.
Isane fetched her a glass and Unohana remained in bed wondering what was happening to her, what was changing in her. She never had nightmares, she never craved emotional companionship. But now she felt fear, she felt uncomfortable, and she wanted nothing more than to have Isane hold her again.
She felt guilty for wanting it, for being in a position of weakness for the first time in years, for making Isane worry, but it didn't change the way she felt.
And when Isane returned with her soft smile and her big caring eyes all she felt was comfort.
"Here you are Taicho." Isane said handing Unohana the glass.
"Thank you Isane," she said taking it and drinking a sip of the cooling liquid.
She watched as Isane hesitatingly sat at the edge of the bed in the same way she would.
Isane was thinking in silence about Unohana's dream and how she seemed to be in it given the way Unohana held her face upon waking up and what she had said. Seeing how shaken Unohana was from the dream she decided it was probably best to let it fade and instead offer comfort.
"Would you like me to stay with you until you fall asleep?" Isane asked. "You always do so for me."
Unohana smiled. "Sure. Thank you." She said.
Then she paused for a bit and thought to herself for a moment.
"In fact you could spend the night if you like." Unohana said, slightly hating herself for making such an invitation.
"Would you like that Taicho?" Isane said, erroneously thinking that her captain must really have been quite shaken to suggest such a thing.
"Yes."
But she didn't wish to manipulate her lieutenant.
"Would you like that Isane?" She asked, returning the same question and hoping to see some element of Isane's desire for her manifest itself.
"Yes." Isane said in a tone with desire subdued but apparent, averting her eyes nervously for a moment in the manner she did when she was nervous.
Feeling warm and happy, Unohana moved over on her small twin sized bed to make space for Isane and Isane climbed into the sheets with her.
"Oh, I cannot believe I forgot. The sheets aren't sweaty right?" Unohana said recalling the state she woke up in.
"No." Isane said settling in. "Just nice and warm."
Relieved Unohana said "Ok good." and stared at the blank ceiling.
Isane lied staring at the ceiling as well. They lied motionless beside each other on their backs, each with their hands folded on their stomach like a mummy crammed into an imaginary sarcophagus. Isane's toes stuck out beyond the end of the covers and she wiggled them about as she thought to herself that they were indeed quite close to each other right now, probably closer than ever. She noticed the scent of Unohana's body embedded in the sheets and she liked it. It humanized her captain and made this whole moment feel more intimate. This was special for her.
She also could smell the soft sweet aroma of Unohana's hair which was apparent in the atmosphere as well. She, being somewhat self-conscious, worried for a moment about the smell of her own body, but then recalled that she had showered before bed and her thoughts returned to the woman beside her.
Though quite close neither felt comfortable nor satisfied. Isane wanted to wrap her captain in her arms again and Unohana wanted to kiss her lieutenant deep and hard. Yet each resisted the desire to get closer to one another. Unohana because she felt things were already going too far, Isane because she had no idea Unohana felt she same way she did.
"Do you have enough space Isane?" she asked rising up a little bit to see how close Isane was to the edge of the mattress. Isane was right on the edge and her considerable height took up the entire length of the bed yet she responded to Unohana's question in the affirmative saying that it was sufficient.
Unohana knew this wasn't the truth, she knew Isane slept sprawled about and usually on her stomach but she let the subject rest figuring that Isane was trying to keep this as proper as possible. It's what Unohana thought she should have done all night, keep things proper, and what she decided to continue to do despite her desires.
She rose up a bit to grab her glass of water from the nightstand and drank it down in its entirety.
While she did this Isane couldn't help but notice the curves of Unohana's body through the sheets and her long loose black hair which though unmoving seemed like it flowed down onto the surface of the bed. The sight was so inviting. It called her and she wanted nothing more than to run her hand down from Unohana's shoulder to her hip. To do so would be entirely too forward and sexual so when Unohana lied back down and turned on her side, back facing Isane, to give the girl more room should she wish to take it, Isane instead rolled to her side and positioned herself almost against Unohana. She left the smallest bit of space between their bodies and held her captain with a delicate hand at her waist, almost shaking as she did so.
Unohana was quite shocked, she never expected Isane to go this far but damn did she like it.
"On second thought I don't want to roll off the edge after I fall asleep." Isane said providing pretense for her maneuver and praying that Unohana would not become angry and kick her out then and there.
"Then hold me." Unohana responded as she grabbed Isane's hand and pulled the girl's arm around her chest then backed herself up against her.
A great sense of relief came upon Isane and her body relaxed into their arrangement. But her racing heart did not slow one bit. Woman to woman in full contact under the sheets Unohana could feel Isane's heart wildly pumping along.
Unohana knew Isane was oh so nervous. It was quite cute. She was proud of Isane's calculated and conservative pursuance of her desires tonight, and grateful for this contact. It felt so right to them both, being together like this. If only they both knew that it did. Perhaps they'd be in bed facing each other other instead, sharing a touch more intimate than this. What a thought.
"Thank you Isane." Unohana said.
"For what Taicho?"
"For tonight." Unohana said. Speaking as transparently as she thought reasonable.
"You'd do the same for me." Isane responded.
And with that they fell silent and slowly found sleep in the comfort of each other. Isane wondering how far this could go, Unohana wondering how far it should.
. . .