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Chapter 14
Pinning from the Shadows
Later that night, Rika stomped through her house and to her bedroom, slamming the door behind her. Violently throwing her zanpakuto to the floor, she gnashed her teeth.
"Damn that Miyako!" she screeched as she threw herself onto her opulent cream futon. She quickly grabbed a fluffy scarlet red pillow and started to assault the poor thing.
"I hate her! I hate her! I hate her! Why is she with me in my intern group?! Why did she have to be placed under Captain Kuchiki?! Why does he keep praising her and not me?! What does he see in her?! Why doesn't he notice me?! Why, why, why?! After all of the work that I've put in?!" she cried.
Her eyes burned with salty tears. She gave up bullying her pillow soon after. Sniffling, she reached under another pillow and pulled out a lone photo of Byakuya, one that she acquired from a member of the Shinigami Women's Association.
Staring at the most prized possession, she sighed as she focused on his features.
'Captain Byakuya Kuchiki— the only man that I truly have feelings for. I remember the day I saw him for the first time…'
The sun shined down on the Seireitei once more, bringing another hot, sunny day.
A young Rika slept soundly in her luxurious futon, trying not to let her day start too soon. Her sleep was abruptly broken when a large hand shook her awake.
"Rika...wake up, Rika…"
Stirring awake, she opened her brown eyes. Her father, Mainosuke, greeted her with a smile.
"Good morning."
"Good morning, father." she replied sleepily.
"Wake up and get dressed, dear. I'm taking you to the barracks today."
Processing his words, she rubbed her eyes as her vision continued to clear.
"The barracks..? Why?"
"I think that you'll enjoy spending some time there, that's all." he replied with a smile.
Rika frowned as she sat up, letting out another yawn. "Is this one of your ways to convince me to become a shinigami, father? I have no interest in doing so!" she huffed, making her displeasure known with crossed arms.
Mainosuke let out a sigh. "Please, my little mochi?"
Rika glared at him. She hated when he called her that; just because she loved the colorful snacks didn't mean that someone had to tease her about it.
"Princess Miyako will be there as well today. It would be nice for you two to get to know each other better. Afterall, she'll be our superior one day and there's nothing wrong with being close to someone with such prestige."
Rika huffed again. 'He woke me up for this? What a waste of time!'
"No."
"Please?"
"No."
"Please, princess?" he begged.
Rika glared at him as he gave her a puppy dog eye stare; she hated when anyone pulled her most used begging technique. Besides, there was no way that she would be locked into a pathetic back and forth begging session with her father all day. The longer she engaged in this, the longer she would suffer. Suffering wasn't her cup of tea; it was something she preferred to bestow upon others instead.
"Fine. I'll come with you."
Her father smiled. "Great! Get ready in ten minutes and meet me in the foyer!"
Rika scoffed. "Ten minutes?! That's barely enough time to comb my hair!"
"I know that you'll make it work! See you in ten minutes!" Her father replied before excusing himself out of her room.
Huffing again, Rika threw the cover away from her.
'This better be worth my while!'
An hour later, Rika walked with her father to the Division Two barracks. She looked around the courtyard and observed Captain Shihouin and her grandfather Marenoshin, training their subordinates. Golden eyes looked over to them soon after their arrival.
"Morning, Mainosuke! I see that you brought a tagalong today?"
Mainosuke nodded. "I hope that you don't mind, captain. I was hoping that Rika could learn more about shinigami duties and get to know Princess Miyako better since they are around the same age." he explained, looking at Rika as he finished expressing his desires.
Rika scoffed at her father's words. Despite knowing exactly what her future held for her, she had no interest in becoming a shinigami, something that she had expressed several times to her father. She believed that fighting was mostly for dimwitted men and women that lacked the femininity that she aspired to achieve. Combat was beneath her since she was more well off than most of the citizens of the Seireitei. What really ground her gears was the mentioning of his desires of her bonding with the silent doll princess Miyako. Every time she saw Miyako, she was always dressed elegantly, but she wasn't very sociable, exchanging pleasantries only when necessary. She was always silent with a dull, blank stare in her eyes. She found the girl to be awkward and had no interest in befriending her. It made her sick thinking that one day, she would have to take orders from such a stiff person. She wished that she could trade places with her - she'd be a better princess than Miyako!
Yoruichi shrugged her shoulders. "I don't see why not."
Mainosuke bowed with a smile. "Thank you for your kindness, Captain!" he replied before patting Rika on her head, annoying her further.
"See, Rika? Today is going to be a great one!"
Rika instantly rolled her eyes. 'Yeah, right!'
Summoning her compliant facade, she smiled. "You're right, father! Thank you for bringing me today!"
Moments later, Soifon approached the group. "Lady Yoruichi, Captain Kuchiki is here to see you."
"Ginrei is here? Is it that time already?" she pondered.
"Don't tell me that you've forgotten about our lunch date, Yoruichi." Ginrei's raspy voice chimed in as he closed the gap between them.
She replied with a smile. "I could never do that to you!"
Rika looked up to Ginrei; his elderly appearance made her wonder why the old man was still a captain.
Looking over to her, she was caught in his intense stare. Not forgetting her manners, she bowed.
"Good morning, Captain Kuchiki."
"Good morning, young lady and good morning Lady Miyako."
Rika gasped and quickly turned to look behind her to find Miyako standing behind her, scaring her greatly.
'When did she get here?! She's going to give me a heart attack! Damn that weirdo!'
Dressed in a violet kimono with a golden orchid pattern, she smiled.
"Good morning, grandpa Ginrei!"
Looking around, she frowned. "Where's Baka-bo?"
Shocked at Miyako's extended vocabulary, she questioned her words.
"Who's...Baka-bo?"
Before Miyako could respond, they heard his voice in the distance.
"Grandfather!"
Turning her head to put a face with the voice, Rika instantly found herself smitten with the young teenage boy that approached them. He was tall, handsome and appeared somewhat strong - something that she found appealing in men.
"Have you been waiting long? I apologize for my tardiness!"
She noted his politeness as she got a closer look at him. Enamored by his smile and bright slate eyes, she found herself speaking out of turn.
"Who are you?"
Looking over to her, he gave her a quick bow.
"Hello! I'm Byakuya Kuchiki and I'm training to become the head of the Kuchiki Clan someday!"
Rika's heart started to race. 'He's the mysterious heir to become the next head of the Kuchiki clan?! I can't believe that I'm meeting him! He's rarely seen outside of the Division Six Barracks! I can't believe how cute he is!'
Miyako's scoff snapped her out of her thoughts.
"How many times are you going to say that? You've said it a thousand times already. Can't you come up with a better introduction?"
Rika was shocked once more at hearing how rude Miyako was to Byakuya.
"While you're doing that, you could learn how to be on time for prior engagements, Baka-bo! Get to work on that shoddy shunpo technique of yours!"
Irritated at her attempt to humiliate him, Byakuya started to gnash his teeth.
"My shunpo is just fine! It's better than yours!"
Byakuya had to resist turning red as Miyako let out an unlady-like laugh.
"Careful, Baka-bo! The King of the Soul Society will strike you down when you tell such lies! With the way you shunpo, I'm worried about what kind of leader you would become!" Miyako spat before she looked up at Genrei. "Are you sure that letting him become the next Kuchiki head will be a good idea? He can't shunpo to appointments on time!"
She turned her attention back to Byakuya. "What's even worse is that you can't even catch me when I'm wearing a kimono, of all things."
Ginrei couldn't help but smile while Yoruichi chuckled. Byakuya gnashed his teeth.
"Don't patronize me, Shihouin!"
With a sly smile on her face, Miyako quickly undid her kimono and dropped it to the ground, shocking Byakuya and Rika. Wearing a matching Onmitsukido outfit, she quickly snatched Byakuya's ribbon from his hair and disappeared. Yoruichi burst into a fit of laughter while Ginrei observed Byakuya's pale face turning red with anger.
"Dammit, demon child!"
"I'm not a demon child!" she screamed out from far away. Miyako stood on top of the division gate, looking down at them like a bird perched in a tree. "Since you keep calling me that, this demon child is leaving!"
In a flash, she was gone and reappeared behind Byakuya. "And I'm taking your stupid wooden sword, too!" she declared before sticking her tongue out at him. Grabbing his sword before he could react, she dashed away again. Byakuya let out an aggravated scream.
"You will not make a fool out of me again!" he yelled before he flashed stepped away.
Yoruichi laughed again. "Well they're at it again for the upteenth time!"
"Let them be," Ginrei replied. "This is good training for the both of them. Like she stated earlier, he needs to work on his shunpo, anyways. Now while they're out and about, why don't you treat an old man to some tea and snacks?"
Yoruichi grabbed Miyako's kimono and ushered Ginrei to her quarters.
"Soifon, I'll be back. Keep an eye on the kiddos, would you? Round them up in an hour or two."
Soifon looked off to the distance, her grey eyes keeping up with Miyako and Byakuya's impromptu game of tag. Their back and forth manter could be heard from a distance.
"Get back here, demon kitten!" Byakuya huffed.
"I should've left my kimono on if it was going to be this hard for you to catch me! You're a million miles behind! A sloth is faster than you!"
Soifon sighed when she heard Byakuya's discontented screams filled everyone's ears.
Rika couldn't believe her eyes. How could someone like Miyako be so friendly and chatty with such a person as Byakuya Kuchiki? She was awkward and not to mention rude to a fellow noble...her behavior wasn't lady-like at all, even going as far as to calling him a demeaning name and basically stripping in an open courtyard for everyone to see! And most of all...tag was for children! How dare she make such a hard working, rich and handsome specimen bow down to her and force him to do whatever she pleased? Surely, she could impress Byakuya better than she could! But then, she thought about it - their shunpo was miles ahead of hers. She had little to no swordsmanship skills and her reiatsu was weak as a small child's would be. At her current stage, there was no way she could compare herself to the both of them, let alone impress Byakuya and take his attention away from Miyako. Now she found herself wishing that she could have what Miyako had.
"I'm sorry, Rika." her dad interjected before her mind could go any further. "I didn't know about Captain Kuchiki bringing his grandson with him to train with Lady Miyako today. I'll take you home for lunch and maybe she'll have time for us afterwards?"
Silent for a moment, she looked out to where Miyako and Byakuya were before they had disappeared.
"I don't want lunch." she replied quietly.
Mainosuke gave his daughter a confused look. "You don't? Then what do you want?"
"I want you to train me instead! Train me to become as good as Miyako! No! Even better!"
Mainosuke's heart skipped a beat. "Do you really mean it?! You want me to train you to become a shinigami?!"
"Yes, father! I want to become a powerful shinigami!"
'From that moment, I worked hard to catch up to them, but it seemed like it took forever. I had many stumbling blocks and the path to becoming stronger was a long, arduous one. Miyako and Byakuya continued to train together. I could never join them because my progress was so slow. I was jealous of Miyako being able to spend more time with him. Since I couldn't train with them, I watched Byakuya from afar, admiring everything about him. Years later, I finally grew skillful and confident enough after failing numerous times. I had planned on confessing my feelings for him and showing him what I could do...but then it was announced that he was engaged.'
'He married a ragamuffin from the Rukon district, a frail looking woman named Hisana. I remember hearing how much his decision caused a huge uproar with his family. Many women were heartbroken, myself included; heartbroken wasn't even the right word to describe how I felt. I had so many mixed emotions...I stopped training as much as I had and the world lost its luster. My hope to be with him had died...until Hisana died.'
Rika's frown turned into a crooked smile. She should've felt terrible for feeling elated about Hisana's death, but she wouldn't apologize for being honest.
'Officially a widower, he was once again a prime target for many women. I quickly resumed my training and became skillful enough to enter the academy. I continued to climb and become one of the best students. When the internship program was announced and I found out that I was placed in the Sixth Division, I was ecstatic to say the least!'
Now Rika's crooked smile collapsed into a frown.
'But then she was placed in there with me! I didn't think much about Miyako getting close to Byakuya again. Miyako was always in the Second Division and barely left the barracks. Byakuya had stopped visiting after he was engaged. In the beginning, Miyako seemed disinterested in Byakuya, but enjoyed getting under my skin about my feelings towards him. Now, they seem much closer and I can't stand it! How I wish that I could be the proverbial fly on the wall to see what they're getting involved in! As much as Miyako tries to deny it, their bond is getting stronger; I can feel it!'
Mulling in her thoughts and emotions, Rika huffed before wiping her tears away. It didn't take much longer for exhaustion to consume her, but before she fell asleep, she knew one thing was for certain ー she couldn't lose Byakuya, especially to Miyako.
Rika's emotions continued to burn brightly as the week went on. Day after day, she aspired to earn the top ranking, but kept being overshadowed by Miyako. The glow in Miyako's eyes was undeniable. Byakuya's slate eyes seemed to be a bit brighter as well whenever they were focused on Miyako. Jealousy quickly bubbled over and she decided to stalk the duo.
"You're all dismissed for the day." Byakuya stated before quickly making his leave.
"Thank you, sir!" the interns replied before quickly leaving.
Rika made note that Byakuya had made his way back into the barracks while Miyako had headed to the exit with the rest of their classmates, leaving her by her lonesome.
For the next few days, Rika had stalked them both, but her attempts proved to be futile; she never managed to catch the two together. Miyako tended to retreat back to the barracks while Byakuya had only stayed behind late one day before retiring to the manor.
On the fourth day, her first target was Byakuya. After work, he decided to take a stroll outside of the barracks. Mid-stroll, he was stopped by Jushiro, Kyoraku and Toshiro, ending up in a brief conversation right outside of Restaurant Row. After the conversation had reached the ten minute mark, Rika grew frustrated as she hid near a restaurant that sat by the entrance. Miyako was nowhere to be found and it seemed like Byakuya wasn't going to wrap up his business anytime soon.
'This is ridiculous! I know that those two are up to something...but I can't catch them in the act! I need some leverage!'
Lost in her thoughts, she didn't notice someone approaching her.
"What are you doing?" a familiar voice asked, making Rika suppress a scream. She turned around to find Isshiki giving her a suspecting stare.
"Isshiki! What are you doing here?!"
Putting two and two together, he quickly realized what was going on.
"I was getting my dinner before I headed back to the dorms." he explained, showing her a bag of food that was in his hand. "But I should be asking you the same question. Why are you stalking Captain Kuchiki?"
Gasping, Rika quickly tried to dismiss his statement. "What are you talking about?"
Not impressed, the young man folded his arms. "There's no need to be coy, Rika. It's obvious; your undesirable behavior in this moment points to you having feelings for Captain Kuchiki."
Rika felt her heart pause momentarily before she tried to save herself. She was caught and there was nothing she could do to change the situation. "So what?" she spat. "Me and a million other women have feelings for Captain Kuchiki. He's cute, rich and powerful. What's your point?"
"My point is that you don't have to stalk him like a creeper. Just send him a love letter like everyone else."
Rika scoffed. "I'm not like every other woman! I'll win him over with my talent and skills!"
Isshiki raised a brow. "Well I can't argue with you there, you do have talent and skills. You are right under Miyako and I in the class ranking. Third place...that's impressive!"
Rika clenched her fists at hearing Miyako's name, which didn't slip past Isshiki.
"Oh? Did I strike a nerve?"
"It's none of your business!" she spat back.
"You don't have to be so hostile, Rika. Having the third highest rank really isn't terrible. I'm sure that you've worked hard for that, just like Miyako and I have."
Rika gritted her teeth. "You're damn right I have! But it's not good enough as long as Miyako is the best!" she stressed. "It seems like she's always the best lately!"
"Well of course Miyako is the best! She works very hard. I admire that about her." he replied with a smile. "She's hard working, determined and beautiful."
Rika glared at her classmate. His admirable words were too sickeningly sweet for her liking. "You seem very fond of her." she replied in a not so pleasant tone, not shaking Isshiki for a second.
"I'd be lying if I said that I wasn't fond of her." he replied with a warm smile.
Rika continued to glare at Isshiki. Running his words through her mind once more made the gears start turning. Soon her scowl turned into a devious smile, prompting Isshiki to raise a brow.
"Is something the matter, Rika?"
Rika chuckled. "No, nothing's the matter, Isshiki...nothing at all…if you'll excuse me, I need to be heading home. Goodnight!"
Walking towards the exit, Isshiki watched as she departed.
"Goodnight, Rika." he replied, walking away in the opposite direction.
Looking at Byakuya one more time before he disappeared out of view, she had a wicked smile on her face.
'You'll be mine soon...thanks, Isshiki!'