Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ 30Kisses ❯ Custom ( Chapter 6 )
[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
By: Niu Shiy-Ue 
#23 Candy
Part of the 'What If?' universe.
Anime/Manga: Bleach Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.24.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 801 | Visits: 746 | Status: Work In Progress
#23 Candy
Part of the 'What If?' universe.
Anime/Manga: Bleach Fan Fiction | Genre(s): Romance | Type: Other | Uploaded On: 02.24.2007 | Pages: 1 | Words: 801 | Visits: 746 | Status: Work In Progress
The first one was a small cube, wrapped in shiny purple, sitting inside his shoe locker. The second was on his desk, round in blue tissue paper, a third was on his chair tied with a white bow. Another was on the desk of his first class and in his second there was a pile.
They were all accompanied by strange looks. Envious or amused from his coworkers, insolent smirks from the ryoka. By the time lunch rolled around, he was fed up with the mystery and became determined to discover what all the ridiculous packages meant. To facilitate that, he delayed Rukia after class and took her to lunch.
She cooed at the pretty (flashy) red and white package he presented to her. "That's so-" she hesitated for a second. "Cute, Niisama. You have an admirer. Is this the only one you got?"
"No," he dumped out the other 23 packages from the messenger bag he carried. To her credit, she did try to stifle her laughter. "What does it mean?"
"Well," she smiled. "Today's a holiday. Valentine's Day."
"I have never heard of it."
"Yeah, it's fairly new. They didn't have it here in Japan when I started patrolling, but it's grown more popular in the last twenty years. Anyway it's a celebration of love."
"Love?" He eyed the pile of gaudy boxes and tried to connect them to the concept.
"Romance, perhaps, rather than love. These-" she picked up a box with an unusual V-shape, wrapped in pink. "-are gifts. People give them to the ones they love or admire or just want to, ah, well, you know."
"How typical" he said, giving her a muted incredulous look. "So how many have you received?"
She laughed and he felt grateful that she finally felt relaxed enough in his presence to do so. "None. How did Ichigo explain it to me? Oh, right, traditionally only girls or women give gifts today to their male friends or lovers. Men reciprocate the gifts a month from now, on White Day."
"I see," he made a mental note to purchase a gift for her before then. "So what are these things?"
"Well, you won't know until you open it, will you? Traditionally, their supposed to be chocolate."
Byakuya frowned. "Chocolate?" He vaguely remembered a hot, bitter drink from over a hundred years ago. He also remembered that he hadn't been fond of it at all.
"Yes," Rukia was rapidly tearing open a white, tissue-papered box, revealing small cubes of varying shades of brown that looked nothing like he remembered chocolate being. "It's a popular dessert. Here, try one."
He selected a round, dark, almost black mound. The bittersweet coating broke easily, surprising him with a too-sweet, syrupy red filling. He swallowed quickly, then tried to wash away the taste with the cheap Oolong tea that he had purchased with his lunch. "And this is a popular dessert?" The experience was even more unpleasant than his last encounter with the substance.
"Yes," She shot him a quick look. "I take it you didn't like it? You're eyes tightened a little," she added.
"Would you like some?" His sister had been eying the multitude of boxes since he had placed them on the table.
She beamed up at him. "Thank you, Niisama!"
Frankly, he couldn't stand chocolate. But at least now he knew what to get her for White Day.
"Niisama!"
He slowed his steps to let Rukia catch up with him. He hadn't seen her since lunch, so he now had accumulated another pile of boxes to give his sister.
She caught her breath then handed him another box, this one unwrapped, with some commercial label all over it. "I remembered our conversation from lunch, so I thought you might like to try these instead."
He gave her a speculative look, but stopped and opened the box. Inside were more blocks, but this time they were white, rather than tan or brown or black. He suppressed a sigh, but her hopeful expression made him try one anyway. This time the coating wasn't bitter, instead sweet and slightly creamy. The filling was softer and had a taste reminiscent of the warm, energy drink that Kurotsuchi was fond of. It was much more pleasant.
She grinned up at him. "That's white chocolate. I thought you'd like it more than the regular kind."
He let a slight smile appear on his face. "Thank you Rukia. It was a very nice gift."
FIN
They were all accompanied by strange looks. Envious or amused from his coworkers, insolent smirks from the ryoka. By the time lunch rolled around, he was fed up with the mystery and became determined to discover what all the ridiculous packages meant. To facilitate that, he delayed Rukia after class and took her to lunch.
She cooed at the pretty (flashy) red and white package he presented to her. "That's so-" she hesitated for a second. "Cute, Niisama. You have an admirer. Is this the only one you got?"
"No," he dumped out the other 23 packages from the messenger bag he carried. To her credit, she did try to stifle her laughter. "What does it mean?"
"Well," she smiled. "Today's a holiday. Valentine's Day."
"I have never heard of it."
"Yeah, it's fairly new. They didn't have it here in Japan when I started patrolling, but it's grown more popular in the last twenty years. Anyway it's a celebration of love."
"Love?" He eyed the pile of gaudy boxes and tried to connect them to the concept.
"Romance, perhaps, rather than love. These-" she picked up a box with an unusual V-shape, wrapped in pink. "-are gifts. People give them to the ones they love or admire or just want to, ah, well, you know."
"How typical" he said, giving her a muted incredulous look. "So how many have you received?"
She laughed and he felt grateful that she finally felt relaxed enough in his presence to do so. "None. How did Ichigo explain it to me? Oh, right, traditionally only girls or women give gifts today to their male friends or lovers. Men reciprocate the gifts a month from now, on White Day."
"I see," he made a mental note to purchase a gift for her before then. "So what are these things?"
"Well, you won't know until you open it, will you? Traditionally, their supposed to be chocolate."
Byakuya frowned. "Chocolate?" He vaguely remembered a hot, bitter drink from over a hundred years ago. He also remembered that he hadn't been fond of it at all.
"Yes," Rukia was rapidly tearing open a white, tissue-papered box, revealing small cubes of varying shades of brown that looked nothing like he remembered chocolate being. "It's a popular dessert. Here, try one."
He selected a round, dark, almost black mound. The bittersweet coating broke easily, surprising him with a too-sweet, syrupy red filling. He swallowed quickly, then tried to wash away the taste with the cheap Oolong tea that he had purchased with his lunch. "And this is a popular dessert?" The experience was even more unpleasant than his last encounter with the substance.
"Yes," She shot him a quick look. "I take it you didn't like it? You're eyes tightened a little," she added.
"Would you like some?" His sister had been eying the multitude of boxes since he had placed them on the table.
She beamed up at him. "Thank you, Niisama!"
Frankly, he couldn't stand chocolate. But at least now he knew what to get her for White Day.
"Niisama!"
He slowed his steps to let Rukia catch up with him. He hadn't seen her since lunch, so he now had accumulated another pile of boxes to give his sister.
She caught her breath then handed him another box, this one unwrapped, with some commercial label all over it. "I remembered our conversation from lunch, so I thought you might like to try these instead."
He gave her a speculative look, but stopped and opened the box. Inside were more blocks, but this time they were white, rather than tan or brown or black. He suppressed a sigh, but her hopeful expression made him try one anyway. This time the coating wasn't bitter, instead sweet and slightly creamy. The filling was softer and had a taste reminiscent of the warm, energy drink that Kurotsuchi was fond of. It was much more pleasant.
She grinned up at him. "That's white chocolate. I thought you'd like it more than the regular kind."
He let a slight smile appear on his face. "Thank you Rukia. It was a very nice gift."
FIN