Waking up this morning was proving to be a little more difficult than usual, my muscles were stiff and my head was slightly aching. Blearily I opened my eyes and scowled as my gaze slid over the reason I was up this early, Nanao. My eyes softened somewhat as I took in her bed-haggled appearance, she was green all over and I could tell that she was no longer singing the same tune as last night when she declared before the whole Eight Division that Kyoraku was the best man in the Seireitei.
“What is it?” I croaked, instantly wishing for cool water to ease my scorched throat. Holding her head in her hands she replied. “We have a SWA meeting in sixty minutes and if we don’t show up early to present Yachiru will make our lives a living nightmare. Trust me.”
I held no doubts that the pastel princess would do just that so with a groan I righted myself to my feet, the throb behind my eyes growing with each movement.
As the dull ache in my head shifted to a steady pound I vowed to never again let Shunsui and Jyuu set the pace for drinking. I was about to voice my opinion on just what I thought about the hero’s of the Seireitei when Nanao nudged me and pointed to the two men sleeping in what I had to guess was the same positions they passed out in.
Covering my mouth to stifle my giggles I had to admit those two fools really could warm your heart. But instead of the wonderful feeling of warmth I was left cold. Jyuu’s affections towards me had been brought up several times now and by several of those I considered closest to me. I had known for sometime now that there was a strong attraction between us, but until Nanao and Rangiku said anything I had no idea just how far his feeling towards me went and it tore at my heart that I was still so unsure.
In truth I was just scared, terrified actually, that in the end it would end badly and I would lose Jyuu forever. It was that thought that stopped me every time, it was a nauseating feeling, the thought of him lost to me. I knew I wanted him but was too scared to take the plunge. He’s one of the best men I know, a truly wonderful person to be around. Witty, funny and handsome to boot, but… I couldn’t tell you what my malfunction is. After all I am intelligent enough to know what a catch he is. But every time I’ve come close to moving forward with him guilt would eat at my heart and I only ended up taking three steps back and the new nightly visits of Lord Sora in my dreams wasn’t doing me any favors.
I smiled as I looked on Shunsui murmuring to himself as he hugged his bottle of sake while Jyuu still propped against Kyoraku’s back still clutching his empty cup, both of them drooling and red in the face.
“Yeah,” I nodded. “Those two idiots are going to feel like shit in a couple of hours.”
She nodded. “Well, there’s nothing for it now. Let’s get back to the Eighth, change and take Unohana’s famous hangover pills and get going, we have a party to plan.”
I whimpered, having totally having forgotten that Nanao and I had both signed on to the decorating committee weeks ago.
This was going to be a very long day.
~
Using shunpo while hung-over was officially the worst thing… ever. The churning of my stomach and the dizziness it left behind had me seeing in triplicate and I feared Nanao was worse, after all she had tried and failed to keep up with Shun-kun all night, even I wasn’t that crazy.
Panting as we made our way through the office and I was secretly wishing for death as opposed to the idea of sitting through one of Madame Chairwoman Yachiru’s insane speeches. After a quick change and a borrowed uniform of Nanao’s I was never more grateful that we shared nearly the same size. It was a little tight in the chest but otherwise fit perfectly.
“Wow,” Nanao gasped when I walked out.
“What?” I asked confused, turning in a circle and wondering if I had forgotten to tie something.
“Nothing,” she replied with a rye smirk. “Just of Jyuu saw you in that he’d have an aneurism, I can’t wait until he see’s your swim suit.”
I grimaced knowing that having us both in next to nothing was not going to do good things for my resolve to just stay friends for the time being. I was extremely attracted to the man but I knew that neither of us were one night stand kind of people and in my heart I feared that wasn’t ready for much more than that. To me nothing was worth the risk of losing my best friend.
“Alright,” Nanao said suddenly, pushing her glassed up the bridge of her nose as she regarded me. “What’s the deal with you and Jyuu? I know you both want each other and I know for a fact that he’s crazy about you.”
My ears flattened as I sighed unhappily. “I know.”“So what’s the problem?” she asked with a slight huff.
“Sora.” I stated, not going into further detail and knowing I didn’t have to. Since my arrival in Seireitei Nanao had become my closest confidante and she knew just about everything about Sora and my overwhelming feelings of guilt.
A warm, reassuring hand found my slumped shoulder as she sighed. “I’m so sorry, Nomi. I know how much he meant to you.”
A small sob left me when the sting of tears biting at the corners of my eyes finally hit but I pushed them down and straightened myself. “He’s dead,” I whispered, finding it harder to fight off the wave of sobs I felt coming. “Why can’t I get over it? I just keep getting the feeling that he’ll just show up somewhere when I least expect it… if only I just believe….”
She said nothing as silent tears streamed down my face. “I’ve got to stop this,” I said firm, furiously wiping at my face with the sleeve of my loaned Kosode. “I don’t even know why I feel so guilty. We were never together… but I just can’t help but feel like I’m doing something wrong.”
She turned, grabbing up the stationary and supplies we would need for the meeting and I thought for sure I heard her mutter, “Idiot” but I couldn’t be sure before we headed out for the Kuchiki manor. Just as we made it to the doorway a hell butterfly halted are movements and Nanao gracefully held out her finger for it to land.
She groaned loudly, cursing under her breath and with aggravated eyes she turned to me. “We have to stop by Squad One.”“Why?” I gasped, suddenly nervous. I had heard stories about that squad and since my recruitment I hadn’t been in there, but I wasn’t dumb enough to think we were being asked there this suddenly for a tea party. No this had to be about last night.
Almost fourty-five minutes later we left the office of Chöjirö Sasakibe, and I wasn’t sure if I felt better or worse. As I suspected we were brought in due to a formal complaint filed against Shunsui and Jyuu for the damages of the bar and to my squad member with the broken nose.
“Do you think they’ll get in trouble for this?” I asked, casting my eyes to Nanao who seemed deep in thought.
“I don’t know.” she answered honestly. “But if I know the Captain Commander, those two will be just fine. He’ll probably just scare the shit out of them."
I giggled slightly at that. “I sure hope so.”
~
Feeling slightly better than I had all morning I waved at several of the Kuchiki staff as we headed out. The meeting was long and boring as I knew it would be but at least we got most of our topics covered, since the war with the Bounts and the slight mishap with the substitute shinigami, things had been a little stretched and this was one of the first real meeting we’ve had since before I was injured.
Things got a little heated between Hinamori and myself again as well as Rangiku and fukutaicho-Abarai. It had all started innocently enough, a simple discussion on the latest gossip in Seireitei: the new Taicho of the Third and whether he would steal the throne for the hottest Taicho from under the prestige Kuchiki when Momo went on a berserk rant. Red faced and teary eyed she was as she complained like a three year old that it wasn’t fair that the previous Taicho Amagai’s fukutaicho-Kira be passed on for the position.
I agreed that Izuru from what I understood was a brilliant officer and a loyal one at that, but as I tried to calmly explain, he hadn’t mastered Bankai yet, hell he hadn’t even reached Bankai and it was a requirement before you could even take the Taicho exam unless you wanted to fight like Kenpachi.
If I thought she had gone crazy before well she really put all her effort after that.
Throwing anything within range she cursed and stomped, claiming that I shouldn’t be in her position of fukutaicho either and how my family name bought out my position. I didn’t bother to tell her that originally I was offered the Taicho’s position but turned it down because I personally felt unable to lead at this time… I figured that would be just a little more than she could handle at the moment and as much as I didn’t really want to see a full-blown, crazy Hinamori I did fantasize just how funny it might be to see how far she’d take it.
Funny enough it was Byakuya who shut her up and in doing so gave Matsumoto the opportunity to get very valuable pictures of the half naked Taicho, still disheveled from sleep with a hand clamped over Momo’s mouth. I could almost see the dreamy look in Nanao’s eyes as she thought about all the money we would raise this year with her idea of the Shinigami trading cars. Kuchiki-Taicho was a big hit amongst the ladies.
“You will cease that whining at once,” He told her, his eyes barely open and his voice cracking from his early morning psycho wake up call. “If you understand, nod.” She nodded, tears of embarrassment forming in her eyes and I literally had Nanao pinching my hand so I wouldn’t laugh.
The second he released her she was out the door like a shot and her wails of injustice rang throughout the halls of the Kuchiki manor and I got the feeling she wouldn’t be making it to the party Nanao and myself had planned.
“Would someone mind telling me what that was about?” Byakuya asked, his steely gaze sliding from one person to the next, feeling out for which one of us would crack first. All heads jerked to Rangiku, knowing without a doubt she’d be the first to spill.
With a giggle from Ran I sighed as I hunkered down and waited for the whole ugly story to be unveiled.
What a morning.
When the meeting concluded my head was a jumbled mess of the party's guest list and reminders of things that still needed to be completed before this afternoon. My head, thankfully had returned to its normal, non-hungover state and was thankfully now, pain free.
Nanao who had been walking at my side cursed. “What?” I questioned, eying her curiously.
With a hand massaging her temple, “I forgot the budget planner back in the meeting hall. Go ahead without me, we still have a lot to do.”
I nodded, watching her for a moment as she disappeared down the long hall. I sighed and made to turn in my own direction when I bumped into something hard, and sweet smelling. Opening my eyes I was flush with a warm wall of black and the scent was as sweet as a flower… flower? No, it was definitely a cherry blossom. My eyes widened marginally as I took a step back and raised my head.
Steel grey eyes met mine and I fought to take another breath. “Kuchiki-Taicho, forgive my clumsiness?” I said bowing my head in respect.
“Think nothing of it,” he replied, but didn’t move.
“Is there something you needed, Taicho?” I asked, feeling more than slightly uncomfortable under his scrutiny.
“May I see you out?”
I blanched taken totally off guard by his question. “O-of course.” I stammered as he offered his elbow to me in a perfect courtier manner.
We walked in silence for the longest time and I wondered if he knew how shot my nerves already were. The looks I received from some of the other SWA members was only making it worse.
“I received an invitation hell butterfly for the gathering the SWA is hosting, are you attending it with anyone?” He asked halting us just before the gate of the Kuchiki Manor.
“No.” I squeaked out, my face flaming red with embarrassment before I added in haste. “But it’s not that type of gathering so I had never planned to go with anyone.” I trailed of after my rant and I took a deep breath praying he couldn’t hear the pounding in my chest.
I had absolutely no interest in Byakuya Kuchiki but that didn’t mean I was blind and the man was absolutely sinful.
“Alright then.” He smiled, grasping my left hand in both of his as he drew them to his mouth for a kiss. “Until this evening, Lady Shihöin.” His kiss lingered longer than I would have suspected to be proper but I stared in rapt attention as his eyes closed and a faint smile pulled at his mouth.
“Good day, Kuchiki-Taicho.” I murmured as he left me there standing like a fish out of water.
I turned to face her with the same wide eyes. “I-I don’t know. I think Kuchiki-Taicho just asked me out.”
Her reaction was close to mine but she recovered quickly. “If Ukitake finds out about this I don’t think even Kyoraku would be able to stop him from going berserk.”
I nodded my head in agreement, that would be our secret.
~
The party was in full swing by time Nanao and I finished setting out the last tray of edibles and I was happy to see that Kuchiki-Taicho had yet to arrive. It had been too long since the patrols had had a break and even more so for the Taicho’s and Fukutaicho’s and the last thing we needed was a fight to break out between our two most dignified leaders.
I smiled as I looked around at all that Nanao and I had accomplished in one afternoon. The deep hot springs on the edge of Ukitake’s estate was decorated in tasteful decorations that Rangiku had brought back with her from the World of the Living. Paper lantern hung across the pool tied to precariously dug and placed poles. Tiki torches flickered with life at ever available space and brightly colored lawn furniture graced the pools outer edge.
Everyone came dressed in their best fashion friendly swim wear and even though I was constantly fidgeting with my own two piece there was fun to be had. We had thought long and hard about the games we would set up and we held contests for everything from Flash-step tag to Chicken.
After winning my eighth round of chicken I decided it was time for a break and sought out the person I had been meaning to speak with all day. As much as I dreaded it, it was time. But telling an extremely gorgeous man that you just wanted to be friends while he was clad in only pale blue board shorts was probably not the most effective plan I’ve ever concocted and I found myself flirting rather than doing what I had come to do in the first place. I was almost thankful when Rangiku and Nemu rescued me from furthering the hole I was now knee deep in, until the warm water of the spring hit my back and I collided with something muscular. Turning around in steal arms, my face flamed. I had landed nearly on top of the human, and very teenaged substitute Shinigami. His face was red as a cherry as he tried to spit out an apology for grabbing my ass but then his face changed and his eyes shifted to something directly over my left shoulder… then it clicked, he wasn’t staring over my shoulder but at it.
Nervous now and knowing what was coming next I tried to shift away as his hand came up and he asked. “Whoa, what are these?”
There weren’t many that didn’t already know about my spots and how sensitive to touch they were and those that did also knew that it was a very uncomfortable feeling to have someone touch them when the touch wasn‘t wanted, it was akin to being empathic through touch, I would feel every bit of desire coursing though him if that was the emotion he was feeling at the time. I shuttered straining to get away from him before he could reach but as the walls of the others swimmers enclosed around me, I knew it was useless without hurting someone. I closed my eyes and waited for the slimy sensation to wash over me as it always did with unwanted touches, in fact other than Jyuu I’ve never found pleasure in the touching of my spots.
Clinching my eyes tighter I knew it wouldn’t be long but as I waited a low growl rumbled from somewhere near me, too loud for humans not to detect and I was sure that Zaraki, Yachiru and Sajin would be wincing from the ferocious noise. “Those are not for touching.” The voice spat, irritated, angry and very familiar.
I recognized it immediately and the reaction was instantaneous. My eyes snapped open and I was at a loss for what my eyes beheld. At first I blinked rapidly, thinking that I had to have sustained a head injury and I was hallucinating, but as I blinked and the figure didn’t move I felt the ground sway. My head was swimming with different theories and emotions of how he could really be here. His elegant mane of silver was drenched by the warm water of the pool as where his white robes, still embroidered at the left shoulder with the red chrysanthemum.
With wide eyes I stared. He was just as beautiful as I remembered, possibly more so than I remembered. Every feature down to the minuscule scar on his eyebrow that he received in a training exercise with his father was the same. As his honey golden eyes held mine I felt the earth shift again and my heart tugged in my chest.
“S-sora?” I asked, my voice weak and my body growing lax. He nodded, it was small and if I hadn’t been a demonic being I never would have seen it. My stomach turned within me and the last thing I saw was his face before everything blurred and went black.
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