Hello everyone! I hope that you're all safe and well!
First off, a big thank you to ladyfujin, SenSen-chan and Artemis615 for reviewing!
Thank you to everyone else for favoring/following the story!
Enjoy this lengthy chapter. I hope it was worth the wait!
Chapter warning: Language and high emotions.
Bye-bye for now!
Chapter 17
Breaking Boundaries Pt 2
Miyako quickly sought refuge in her secret compound. Hot and panting, Miyako didn't waste any time shutting the door behind her. With scarlet red dusted checks and faded golden eyes, she fell to the floor with the steamy scene replaying in her mind. She could still feel the firmness of his warm lips crashing against hers; him taking over the kiss and practically starting a make-out session. The ecstasy sent her mind swirling into an erotic laden mess.
When did they get to this point? Miyako didn't care at the moment; the only thing she cared about and desired even more was kissing him again. She could kick herself for ending it so abruptly. Who knows what would've happened if she let him continue his conquest? Oh, the things that she would've let him do to her - the fantasy made her body tremble with raw desire.
Feeling a little embarrassed by erotic daydream, she quickly retreated into her bathroom and subjected her face to a cold splash of water. Grateful for the slap back to reality, she made her way back to her room and focused her attention on the lovely gift he had given her and listened to the soothing melody again.
'I could listen to this over and over…Byakuya...'
Soon later, her lips started to tingle. Then she realized something. Eyes opened wide, she started to piece the puzzle together.
'Wait a minute...he kissed me...HE kissed me...he wouldn't have done that unless…'
"He has feelings for you." she could hear Unabara say.
Her heart skipped a beat.
'He has feelings...for me?'
Blushing again, she couldn't fathom when his feelings started to go down that road. She never would've thought that this would've happened, especially with her, the woman he used to loathe. Now he was friendly and very thoughtful; it showed especially in his most recent gift that was accompanied by his kind words. Now his sudden kiss was speaking volumes to her.
Miyako was quick to curse herself. How could she make such a big mistake?
'I ran away from him! He must think that I rejected him!' she panicked. 'He must think that I hate him now!'
Miyako took a moment to calm down and took a deep breath. 'It's okay...I'll talk to him tomorrow.'
Suddenly, she felt a warm sensation gather in her chest. With a cheerful smile, she softly placed her new treasure next to her futon and grabbed Unabara as she headed out to the open training field.
There was no way she was going to sleep soundly while all wound up over Byakuya; especially when she knew that everything would change between them tomorrow.
The next day, despite feeling the consequences of staying up too late, Miyako wasted no time in getting ready and flash stepped to work as fast as her feet would allow. She didn't want to waste any time to make things right with Byakuya.
Stopping in the courtyard, she caught her breath. Looking around her, she went to gather with the rest of the division as Byakuya made his morning announcements. Wriggling her way to the front to see him, she rested her golden eyes on his tall frame, eager to lock eyes with him.
Fervor quickly transformed into anxiety when they finally locked eyes; she could never forget the icy glare that used to stare her down not too long ago.
'Shit…'
To say that the day was nothing short of fantastic was an understatement. Byakuya spent the majority of his energy avoiding Miyako's eyes, much to her despair. It also didn't help that she ended up having Rika as her sparring partner for the day. Rika took complete advantage and was more aggressive than normal, which Miyako summed up the root cause of said aggressiveness was from their confrontation from before - that was strike two for Miyako. As much as she wanted to put Rika in her place, she had more important things to worry about.
Finally, the moment had come for the day to come to an end. After everyone had dispersed, Miyako took a minute to calm down and gather her thoughts.
It had been quite a while since the end of her shift. Miyako stared the opulent double doors in anxiety. She grew tense with every second she spent outside his office door. She grew nauseous; her stomach felt like it was being sucked into a black hole. Twiddling her thumbs, she prepared herself to confront Byakuya.
'You can do this...it'll be okay.'
She took one more deep breath before knocking on the door.
"Come in."
Miyako greeted him with a small, worried smile. "Pardon my intrusion Bya—I mean, Captain Kuchiki."
He gave her his default stare as she closed the door, not saying a word. She instantly felt guilty again; she could feel the coldness in the room, especially when his back was facing her. Byakuya readied himself to talk and turned to see her; although it hurt more than he'd like to admit. This time the night before, they were locked in a sensual kiss; now it was an awkward encounter.
"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly.
Miyako's guilt worsened upon hearing his icy tone. Before she could answer him, he continued to speak.
"I mean, are you in need of assistance with something?"
Miyako's heart throbbed at his questions; her throat swelled in a nervous pain. "I was hoping to discuss something with you. Is that alright?"
An awkward silence fell on them. After a moment, he nodded, giving her a little relief. She crumbled her robe in her hands as she found her heart beating loudly in her ears.
'Calm down, Miya, calm down…'
With a heavy sigh, she began to speak.
"I know after last night, you must be very upset with me and I don't blame you if you are...but I'm asking that you listen to what I have to say before saying anything."
He continued to stare at her, prepared to listen, although he knew what her response would be.
"I know that I ended the kiss abruptly...and I apologize. I can see how my actions could make you think that it was unwanted."
Byakuya's eyes widened as she started to close the gap between them.
"What are you doing?" he asked tensely.
Ignoring his question, she proceeded.
"Byakuya...I didn't think that it was possible for you to have feelings for me, because I knew how you felt about me all these years. But the truth is that...you kissing me was what I've always wanted for so long…what I desired for so long..."
"...what?" he asked, clearly dumbfounded. She could tell that his defenses were crumbling, encouraging her to continue. His defenses started to crumble; now she was even closer. Blushing bashfully, Miyako finally closed the gap between them and they were quick to look into each other's eyes. He waited with baited breath for her to continue.
"Byakuya...I kept my feelings hidden for so long, it was very difficult to do so, and with that incredible kiss you gave me, I can't do it any longer…"
He gasped as Miyako cupped his slender face with her hands.
"I'm in love with you," she confessed with a small, sweet smile. "And I always have been."
She gave him a moment to compute what she had said before seeking out his lips. The coldness in the room disappeared as he wrapped his arms around her small waist and began to kiss her in return. The spark that they felt consumed them. Miyako fell into ecstasy again as he deepened his embrace, wanting to be devoured by him.
She got her wish when he pinned her against the wall; giving her the chance to feel his abs against her soft skin, making his power known. Although Byakuya rocked her world yesterday, he broadened her horizons as he showered her with various kisses, all passionate in nature. How did a man know how to balance his male dominance with soft, sensual kisses? He demonstrated that he had the ability to make her head swirl, make her lose the strength in her legs and drive her mind to a deep, unexplored sensuous place. All of this was a mystery to her, but she was loving every bit of it.
What was a dark, cold day ended up being bright and hot; her heart felt as hot as the summer sun.
As quick as it came, her experience came to a screeching halt when Byakuya abruptly separated himself from her. He hastily turned away from her. Fear started to fill her chest; she could feel the coldness return. She didn't want to feel that again - she had to get that warmth back.
"Byakuya? What's wrong?"
"...I can't do this…" he uttered.
Gasping, Miyako could start to feel her heart break and her eyes began to swell.
"Byakuya…" she choked. She tried to reach out for him.
"I can't do this…" he repeated again, causing her hand to pause midway.
"...why not? I know that it might be inappropriate now because I'm interning with you, but…"
"Not now, not ever!" he said coldly.
Her heart breaking more, she managed to speak.
"Why not?"
He quickly turned to her with darkness in his eyes, sending shivers down her spine. She didn't want to hear his answer, but on the other hand, she needed to know. The conflicting emotions made her nauseous.
"Because I have a wife!" he shouted. "And you are not Hisana! You'll never be Hisana!"
Shocked to her core, she was heartbroken. 'Hisana?!'
She was confused and had so many questions in her head. How did this go south so quickly?
"But why? I-I mean...you kissed me...and...the things you had said to me...and gave me that lovely gift...I...don't understand!" she replied with tears. "Please don't do this to me…"
"Are you dense, woman?! I obviously made a mistake last night and now; I got caught up in the moment. It never should've happened! I'm in love with Hisana and that's never going to change! Not even for you!"
She couldn't believe the words that came out of his mouth. Shaking, her anguish turned to outrage.
"So you're telling me that after everything we've been through, you'd throw it all away for her?! For someone who's no longer here and will NEVER come back?!"
"DON'T YOU DARE SPEAK ILL OF HISANA! YOU DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL ABOUT HISANA!"
"AND YOU OBVIOUSLY DON'T UNDERSTAND HOW I FEEL ABOUT ALL OF THIS!" she screamed with fury.
"YOU ASSHOLE! I HATE YOU!" she screamed before running out of his office.
Miyako flash stepped far away from the barracks and landed somewhere outside of the Seireitei in an open field that was surrounded by trees. Broken inside, she fell to the ground, sobbing heavily. She couldn't understand why this happened - why would he throw everything away so quickly? Miyako continued to weep for what seemed like forever in anguish, but it didn't last for very long.
"YOU. CONNIVING. BITCH!"
Gasping at the voice, Miyako was locked into Rika's rage-filled glare. After noticing the odd behavior from Byakuya and Miyako earlier, she had decided to investigate the issue, only to find out what she had been accusing Miyako of all along - trying to take Byakuya from her. Miyako had denied her wrongdoings and thwarted her plans to get closer to the captain. She went and sunk her teeth - her lips, rather - into her man, and more than on one occasion, no less. Rika had had enough - hearing about their romantic encounters was the straw that broke the camel's back - and Miyako had hell to pay for her sins.
"HOW DARE YOU!" she screeched. "HOW DARE YOU THROW YOURSELF AT MY MAN AND PUTTING YOUR DISGUSTING LIPS ON HIM?! HE'S MINE, MIYAKO! MINE! I'LL KILL YOU!"
If looks could kill, Miyako would've struck Rika dead where she stood. The anger and frustration that she had been carrying exploded into fiery rage. Rika had poked her nose in her business one too many times...and she was about to make it the last time. The waters in her inner world had grown terribly violent and the moon started to lose its luster. Growing worried, Unabara had to speak up.
"Miyako, don't fall for her taunts!"
It was no surprise when Rika drew her zanpakuto. Unabara could feel Miyako's thoughts getting darker as her master's eyes made contact with Rika's zanpakuto.
"Miyako, please don't do this! You're better than this!"
Also readying herself, Miyako drew Unabara.
"I'm sorry, Unabara...but she's gone too far...and I'm going to end it...for good…"
Gasping, Unabara tried to reach out to her master. No good was going to come from this.
Miyako ignored Unabara's pleas as Rika charged at her.
"Blow them away, Kyoufuu no Fan!"
Rika threw wind blades at her rival and Miyako dodged with gnashed teeth. "Drag them under, Unabara!"
Turning into a ribbon of energized water, she quickly whipped her ribbon towards Rika, who was quick enough to dodge.
"Is that the best you can do, you lying bitch?!" she taunted.
She quickly countered the ribbon with her wind blades, the two were equal. The two fought fiercely with all of the fury they had in them. Blow after blow, the two kept injuring each other. The shockwaves from their strikes shook the trees wildly. Another strike pushed them away from one another. Miyako had had enough.
"Hado #33: Soukatsui!"
In the air, Rika managed to dodge the destructive lightning, but she barely avoided getting hit. The fight hadn't been in action for very long, but the both of them had several rips in their robes and bloody cuts all over their bodies. Miyako had already managed to dislocate Rika's right arm and was now going for major bodily harm. She panicked as she could still feel the static from her attack; she really dug herself into a hole and she was starting to see that she might end up staying in said hole. 'This twat is trying to kill me!'
Rika was growing weary and was starting to reach her limit. She wanted to run away, but she felt something quickly wrap around her ankle. Before she could react, Miyako used her zanpakuto to drag Rika from mid air straight into the ground; the impact almost sounded like an explosion. Screaming upon contact, Rika knew that she couldn't move quick enough to retaliate now that her left leg was throbbing violently. Miyako suddenly appeared over Rika, her eyes shrunken in animosity. She commanded the ribbon to wrap around her arms to form drill-like weapons. Spinning rapidly, she was ready to strike Rika down. The fear was evident on Rika's face; tears were threatening to fall. She could only imagine what the energized drills would do to her. She wanted to beg the princess to have mercy on her, but she knew that she would be giving up and she wasn't going to give Miyako the satisfaction; she would rather die.
Miyako paused a moment before swinging her arms down. Half way down, a stream of cherry blossoms came between them, prompting Miyako to dodge. Surprised, Byakuya appeared, glaring at both of them as Senbonzakura returned to its sealed form.
"What is the matter with you two?! Fighting each other like mindless hollows?!" he screamed before focusing his scowl at Miyako. "You were going to kill your own comrade?"
Miyako's glare didn't falter; in fact, it grew stronger as he scolded her. 'I could kill you!' she thought. The words of his rejection hit her much harder than she thought.
"So what if I was?" she replied coldly. "My life would be more peaceful if she was out of it!"
Her dark words struck a nerve in the both of them; Rika, for knowing she was two seconds away from death and for Byakuya, the death of the woman that he thought was the perfect woman. The soft, purity that he remembered and was fond of was nowhere to be found.
"Miyako...how could you say such a thing like that?!" he asked.
"BECAUSE," she started off with a lone finger pointed at Rika. "She needs to know her place! She had the nerve to fight me over you by getting in our business over and over again! Spying on us and such!"
Byakuya's eyes widened as he looked between the two. Rika barely managed to get on her feet as she wiped the blood from her mouth.
"She did what?" he questioned, glaring at Rika, who smiled nervously. She knew that she was not on his good side any longer. Byakuya quickly turned his attention back to Miyako; he had to get control of the situation and fix it.
"That was no reason to fall for her taunts! As a shinigami and a noble, you should一"
"YOU STAY OUT OF IT!" she screamed as she pointed her weapon to him.
She couldn't believe that he would be lecturing her at a time like this, completely ignoring her feelings, brushing the issue aside and failing to see that he was the cause of the whole melee. Tears threatened to fall again. All Byakuya and Miyako could do was exchange glances with one another; both filled with pain and confusion. The silence was uncomfortable.
"...are you planning to fight me now?"
She stayed silent as she held her stance; she refused to let them see her cry, even if her emotions were as turbulent as three hurricanes. Overwhelmed and fed up with it all, Miyako grew numb. Lowering her arms, her drills unraveled and returned to its sealed form. She narrowed her eyes as she sheathed her sword and turned her back to him. It was like looking into a mirror and it sent a shiver up his spine as he got a taste of his own medicine.
"Stay away from me, Kuchiki." she commanded with an icy tone. "And you," she continued as she cut her eyes to Rika. "You're lucky that he stopped me. Stay away from me too, or you won't live to see another day."
Before they could reply, Miyako disappeared. Byakuya pursed his lips and clenched his fists, his back to Rika.
"You need to leave," he commanded. "And if I ever catch you doing something like this again, I'll fail you in an instant. I better not hear what happened tonight leave your lips or I'll be sure to report this immediately. Do you understand?"
Rika wanted to protest, but she knew that her desires were on the line. Reluctantly admitting defeat, she bowed deeply. "Yes, Captain Kuchiki."
With those words, she left him alone in the tattered field.
Miyako flash stepped back to the Second Division as quickly as her feet could take her. She had to run away from it all, she just had to.
Darting past the gate, she didn't want to see anyone. Entering the secret portal and exiting into the place she called her safe haven, she ran to her tiny home away from home. Miyako slammed her door shut and fell onto her futon, not caring that she soiled it with dirt and blood. Once her body grew still, ugly tears stained her cheeks and the plush pillow as she sobbed in her brokenness.
The whole evening kept replaying in her mind, torturing her to no end ー she had entered her own personal hell.
She clenched her bedding harder the more she sobbed.
I remember him from long ago; I'm reminded of him every time the aroma of cherry blossoms greets me...and now the aroma that I've grown to know and love makes me absolutely sick.