The Perfect Something~Chapter 7
Title: The Perfect Something
Chapter: 7. Something’s Missing
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Byakuya, Rukia
Word Count: 1282
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: S/S Arc, Het, slightly AU, doesn’t follow a time line
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or its characters.
Summary: Ever since Kaien’s death, Rukia has been terrified of storms.
Something’s missing
“Well, aren’t you going to welcome me home?” Byakuya asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Rukia simply stood there, blinking rapidly in her confusion. Byakuya watched her face for a moment before continuing, “Rukia?” Her face turned the shade of Renji’s hair, her eyes welled up with unshed tears and her lower lip trembled as she turned on one foot and darted off towards the gardens.
'I think I’ve waited quite patiently for you to acknowledge me as something similar to a person.’ Byakuya thought with a small sigh as he went after her.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Rukia ran immediately to the gardens. She had to regain her composure. She hadn’t just snapped at him like he was just one of her friends! She couldn’t believe her own slip of character. Her eyes widened in shock as she replayed the entire scene in her mind. Byakuya’s expression as he asked if she was going to… It was all just too much. She decided to try to focus on something else. Thinking about this was making her head spin, her stomach turn and her chest tighten painfully. She stopped to gaze up at a blooming blossom and let the sun warm her face in an effort to focus on nothing. Before she knew it, she felt his presence wash over her and she was enjoying the peace of his cherry blossom trees.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
“Rukia…” He whispered, not entirely caught off guard by the tightening in his chest and the roll of his stomach. He had been growing more and more accustomed to these feelings anytime he happened upon her during one of her daily strolls through the garden…
He watched as Rukia walked slowly through the winding paths and noticed, not for the first time, how she stopped at each cherry blossom tree, closed her eyes with a slight upturn of her face and smiled faintly. It was in these times that he felt like he remembered how to be himself. With the confinement of being one of the most powerful and respected captains of the gotei 13 and the head of his noble clan, it was really no surprise that he had forgotten how to be himself. Hell, given the fact that he was trained to do just that for nearly his entire life it was a miracle that he even remember at all. But when he watched her, when she forgot about the outside world, when the only thing that existed to him was her, he felt things. He felt emotions that he had almost forgotten were even there; emotions so strong they nearly knocked him over with the sheer force of them.
Only in this garden, in his sanctuary, did he feel at ease enough to relax a bit; but he never lost control, something he prided himself in. Now was no exception. He may have been lost in his thoughts, but he was still within his armor of stoicism. A slight fluctuation in the air around him brought him out of his thoughts, just a little and Byakuya raised an elegant eyebrow ever so slightly at the feel of a familiar presence. “Yoruichi.” He stated simply. The Goddess of Flash stepped out from behind a tree and smiled a real smile, something most people hadn’t seen in over a century. “Bya-boo!” she chirped cheerfully, making her way over to him. “I never would have guessed!” she lied easily. With a dramatic sigh, Byakuya gave her a stern look. “I haven’t the faintest idea of what you are talking about, Yoruichi.” he said. She simply gave him a knowing look and redirected her gaze to Rukia. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Byakuya.” She stated simply. “It’s no wonder really…” she began, a bit of awe in her voice. “She really has grown up to be quite the little beauty. I’d even say she is more beautiful than Hisana was.” She finished. Byakuya tensed immediately, completely closing himself off. “Don’t be like that with me. I know you better than almost anyone else. You can’t sit there and just deny it.” Yoruichi began. “You can lie to me all you want, but you cannot lie to yourself. And Rukia isn’t something you can just shove away into some dark recess of your mind… Not anymore.” She finished it off with a whisper. Byakuya wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself.
It didn’t really matter, he supposed. Rukia may have been worried about him, but that didn’t mean she felt anything close to what he suspected he felt for her.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Quite a few hours later there was a storm. It was late at night, the air was thick and he could feel her agitated spirit energy. Ever since Kaien had died, she had hated storms. Tonight was no different. Byakuya walked down the hallway and towards her room. He was on his way to his own rooms and had only gone to check up on her. He heard the door open before he saw it. He looked down into Rukia’s terrified eyes as she lunged for him. Byakuya just stood there in shock as her arms crept around his waist and she buried her face in his chest. He felt his arms move on their own as he placed his arms around her shivering frame and he instinctively pulled her closer. Rukia made a muffled sound into his hakama as she tightened her arms even more. “Hmm?” he inquired. Rukia turned her face a little to the side and repeated in a whisper, “Please stay.”
Byakuya blinked in surprise and conceded to himself that these last few days seemed to be full of strange events. He decided it would probably be best for him to just go back to his own rooms, as he had every other time it stormed. Rukia released him and he let his arms drop to his side. Byakuya opened his eyes, wondering when they had closed and started to tell Rukia that he would see her in the morning when he felt himself being tugged into her room. He found that he didn’t really have the will to deny her, since she had never asked for anything in all of the years she had lived here. And he couldn’t deny her his comfort since she had never really received it before. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning and Rukia stifled a yelp. She jerked him toward her and looked up at him with a new kind of fear in her eyes. This was something that Byakuya had become quite familiar with over his lifetime. This was the fear of rejection. Something in him cracked a little and he felt himself letting her guide him to her bed. Rukia stopped, the hesitation evident her face and Byakuya took the lead. He picked her up off of the floor and bent to lie down, bringing her with him. He leaned back, pillowing his head and shoulders against the wall and Rukia curled herself into him. She buried her face in his neck, her arms were wrapped around him and her legs were curled up so that she was lying entirely on him. Byakuya had intended to let her fall asleep and then creep back to his own bed, but as soon as she drifted off, a small smile playing on her lips and her face looking more relaxed than he had ever seen it before, he realized he just didn’t have it in him. He realized that he was extremely exhausted and found his eyelids drooping and before he knew it, his world went black.
TBC
Chapter: 7. Something’s Missing
Fandom: Bleach
Characters: Byakuya, Rukia
Word Count: 1282
Rating: G
Warnings/Spoilers: S/S Arc, Het, slightly AU, doesn’t follow a time line
Disclaimer: I do not own bleach or its characters.
Summary: Ever since Kaien’s death, Rukia has been terrified of storms.
Something’s missing
“Well, aren’t you going to welcome me home?” Byakuya asked, a hint of amusement in his voice. Rukia simply stood there, blinking rapidly in her confusion. Byakuya watched her face for a moment before continuing, “Rukia?” Her face turned the shade of Renji’s hair, her eyes welled up with unshed tears and her lower lip trembled as she turned on one foot and darted off towards the gardens.
'I think I’ve waited quite patiently for you to acknowledge me as something similar to a person.’ Byakuya thought with a small sigh as he went after her.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Rukia ran immediately to the gardens. She had to regain her composure. She hadn’t just snapped at him like he was just one of her friends! She couldn’t believe her own slip of character. Her eyes widened in shock as she replayed the entire scene in her mind. Byakuya’s expression as he asked if she was going to… It was all just too much. She decided to try to focus on something else. Thinking about this was making her head spin, her stomach turn and her chest tighten painfully. She stopped to gaze up at a blooming blossom and let the sun warm her face in an effort to focus on nothing. Before she knew it, she felt his presence wash over her and she was enjoying the peace of his cherry blossom trees.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
“Rukia…” He whispered, not entirely caught off guard by the tightening in his chest and the roll of his stomach. He had been growing more and more accustomed to these feelings anytime he happened upon her during one of her daily strolls through the garden…
He watched as Rukia walked slowly through the winding paths and noticed, not for the first time, how she stopped at each cherry blossom tree, closed her eyes with a slight upturn of her face and smiled faintly. It was in these times that he felt like he remembered how to be himself. With the confinement of being one of the most powerful and respected captains of the gotei 13 and the head of his noble clan, it was really no surprise that he had forgotten how to be himself. Hell, given the fact that he was trained to do just that for nearly his entire life it was a miracle that he even remember at all. But when he watched her, when she forgot about the outside world, when the only thing that existed to him was her, he felt things. He felt emotions that he had almost forgotten were even there; emotions so strong they nearly knocked him over with the sheer force of them.
Only in this garden, in his sanctuary, did he feel at ease enough to relax a bit; but he never lost control, something he prided himself in. Now was no exception. He may have been lost in his thoughts, but he was still within his armor of stoicism. A slight fluctuation in the air around him brought him out of his thoughts, just a little and Byakuya raised an elegant eyebrow ever so slightly at the feel of a familiar presence. “Yoruichi.” He stated simply. The Goddess of Flash stepped out from behind a tree and smiled a real smile, something most people hadn’t seen in over a century. “Bya-boo!” she chirped cheerfully, making her way over to him. “I never would have guessed!” she lied easily. With a dramatic sigh, Byakuya gave her a stern look. “I haven’t the faintest idea of what you are talking about, Yoruichi.” he said. She simply gave him a knowing look and redirected her gaze to Rukia. “I’ve seen the way you look at her, Byakuya.” She stated simply. “It’s no wonder really…” she began, a bit of awe in her voice. “She really has grown up to be quite the little beauty. I’d even say she is more beautiful than Hisana was.” She finished. Byakuya tensed immediately, completely closing himself off. “Don’t be like that with me. I know you better than almost anyone else. You can’t sit there and just deny it.” Yoruichi began. “You can lie to me all you want, but you cannot lie to yourself. And Rukia isn’t something you can just shove away into some dark recess of your mind… Not anymore.” She finished it off with a whisper. Byakuya wasn’t sure if she was talking to him or to herself.
It didn’t really matter, he supposed. Rukia may have been worried about him, but that didn’t mean she felt anything close to what he suspected he felt for her.
ooooooooooooooooooooooo
Quite a few hours later there was a storm. It was late at night, the air was thick and he could feel her agitated spirit energy. Ever since Kaien had died, she had hated storms. Tonight was no different. Byakuya walked down the hallway and towards her room. He was on his way to his own rooms and had only gone to check up on her. He heard the door open before he saw it. He looked down into Rukia’s terrified eyes as she lunged for him. Byakuya just stood there in shock as her arms crept around his waist and she buried her face in his chest. He felt his arms move on their own as he placed his arms around her shivering frame and he instinctively pulled her closer. Rukia made a muffled sound into his hakama as she tightened her arms even more. “Hmm?” he inquired. Rukia turned her face a little to the side and repeated in a whisper, “Please stay.”
Byakuya blinked in surprise and conceded to himself that these last few days seemed to be full of strange events. He decided it would probably be best for him to just go back to his own rooms, as he had every other time it stormed. Rukia released him and he let his arms drop to his side. Byakuya opened his eyes, wondering when they had closed and started to tell Rukia that he would see her in the morning when he felt himself being tugged into her room. He found that he didn’t really have the will to deny her, since she had never asked for anything in all of the years she had lived here. And he couldn’t deny her his comfort since she had never really received it before. The sound of thunder and a flash of lightning and Rukia stifled a yelp. She jerked him toward her and looked up at him with a new kind of fear in her eyes. This was something that Byakuya had become quite familiar with over his lifetime. This was the fear of rejection. Something in him cracked a little and he felt himself letting her guide him to her bed. Rukia stopped, the hesitation evident her face and Byakuya took the lead. He picked her up off of the floor and bent to lie down, bringing her with him. He leaned back, pillowing his head and shoulders against the wall and Rukia curled herself into him. She buried her face in his neck, her arms were wrapped around him and her legs were curled up so that she was lying entirely on him. Byakuya had intended to let her fall asleep and then creep back to his own bed, but as soon as she drifted off, a small smile playing on her lips and her face looking more relaxed than he had ever seen it before, he realized he just didn’t have it in him. He realized that he was extremely exhausted and found his eyelids drooping and before he knew it, his world went black.
TBC