Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Dark Heart Dawning ❯ Chapter Eleven ( Chapter 11 )

 

Chapter Eleven

 

Renji laughed quietly in his sleep as he rolled over onto his back, a small smile tugging at his lips. He mumbled to himself almost incoherently, saying something about how he always knew Rukia loved him and that she was right about him being more of a man than Byakuya could ever hope to be.

 

“What kind of man fights with flowers?” he asked in his sleep, wrapping his arms around the comforter and holding it tightly to his chest. “I'll protect you, Rukia.”

 

A knock sounded on his bedroom door and he slowly opened his eyes to find himself making out with his comforter. Jerking his head back, he blinked a few times and spit out some lint that had gotten stuck in his mouth, his face turning the same shade as his hair as he looked around, attempting to find out what time it was. There was no clock, but the sun was shining in through the window on the opposite side of the room, so he knew it must already be morning.

 

Standing up from his futon, he grabbed an elastic band off the small table by the bed and hastily pulled his long hair up into a messy ponytail before answering the door. He expected it to be Ururu, come to wake him up for breakfast. Jinta wouldn't have patiently waited after knocking - if he'd even bothered knocking at all, since he normally just barged right in and hit him over the head to wake him up. Kisuke would still be in bed, and likely stay there until well past noon while everyone else was up and busy working around the house and shop... one of the benefits of being the master of the house, he supposed. Tessai would be too busy in the kitchen to go wake everyone else, and Yoruichi was too lazy to do it, preferring to lounge around in her cat form most of the day when she wasn't off doing whatever it was she did when her services were needed of her.

 

Stifling a yawn, Renji slid open his bedroom door and let out a surprised noise when he found Daria standing on the other side. His senses were suddenly on full alert, and he stood up to his full height as he forced a smile.

 

“G-Good morning, Daria,” he said as cheerfully as he could, attempting to laugh. It came out a bit strangled, and he knew she'd be able to tell he was faking it. “I wasn't expecting to see you so early.”

 

“I was having trouble sleeping, so I've been helping Tessai with preparing breakfast,” she told him, taking a step toward him. Renji automatically took a step back, causing her to frown. “He asked me to wake everyone up, which was fine with me, since I had something I wanted to talk to you about.”

 

“What might that be?” he wondered, taking another step backwards as she advanced toward him once more.

“Why the hell are you so afraid of me?” she asked him, laughing a bit.

 

“I... I'm not afraid of you,” he lied.

 

“You keep backing away every time I take a step closer to you, Renji,” she pointed out, taking another step toward him to prove her point. He immediately took another step back. “See?”

 

“I'm just... I'm nervous about those things that are after you,” he said, coming up with the most believable excuse he could think of.

 

“That still doesn't explain why you're afraid of me,” Daria argued. “Besides, you didn't even know about them the first time I met you, did you? I was under the impression that was the first time Kisuke had told anyone besides Yoruichi about them.”

 

“I heard about them from Rukia,” he replied, finding it increasingly easy to lie to her. He knew Rukia had been with Ichigo when Daria had been attacked the first time, so he figured she must have seen the creatures then, too. He'd just have to be sure he told Rukia to cover for him in case she tried to verify his story.

 

“I see,” Daria said, nodding slightly, not sounding entirely convinced. She sighed a bit and tucked a strand of hair that had come loose from her ponytail behind her ear, then crossed her arms over her chest. “So then why did that all suddenly not matter after I was attacked last time?”

 

“Excuse me?” Renji said, confused about what she was asking him.

 

“You didn't hesitate to pick me up and carry me back here,” she reminded him. “Even though you'd just been faced with those very same creatures you claim to be nervous about.”

 

“Because I knew we had to get out of there and back here before more of them attacked,” he explained. He hadn't even really realized what he'd done until they were already back at the shop, and by that point he'd just shrugged it off as his preservation instincts kicking in.

 

Daria sighed, letting her arms fall back down to her sides, and looked away from him. Of all the things he'd said to her since she first showed up at his room, that had been the most genuinely honest statement to come out of his mouth. She still didn't understand why he was acting so jittery around her, but Kisuke had said it himself: Trust has to be earned.

 

“Breakfast is ready,” she informed him. “Jinta said you better hurry or you won't get a chance to eat before he puts you to work.”

 

“That little brat!” Renji growled as Daria stepped aside, and a moment later he took off running in the direction of the stairs, bumping into her and causing her to stagger backwards into someone.

 

“Sorry,” she apologized, looking over her shoulder to see who she'd backed into. Her eyes went wide when she came face-to-face with Yoruichi.

 

“Good morning, Daria,” Yoruichi said sweetly, giving the girl her best smile. “How was your first night here? Did you sleep well?”

 

“I... It was fine,” Daria stammered a bit nervously, attempting to smile back at the other woman. “And you? I trust you slept well, last night?”

 

“Of course,” Yoruichi told her, nodding. “I always sleep well in Kisuke's bed.”

 

Daria averted her eyes and blushed a bit, trying not to think about what, exactly, she and Kisuke had been doing in that bed.

 

“Something wrong?” Yoruichi asked, bending down slightly to get a better look at her face. “Don't tell me he's been hitting on you.”

 

“What? No!” Daria denied any accusations that she had been on the receiving end of the man's subtle - and sometimes not-so-subtle - flirting. Her eyes met the older woman's, and she felt as if she was about to spill everything, starting with the way she'd nearly kissed him the previous evening in her room. She bit her tongue, though, remembering just how threatening the woman could be.

 

“Of course nothing's happened between us, Miss Shihouin,” she stated, laughing as if she had just told her some sort of joke. “Kisuke's been a gracious host, but his actions have never crossed the line. He's never been inappropriate with me.”

 

Yoruichi hummed thoughtfully. “You just called him by his first name. Are you sure he hasn't tried to get a bit... familiar with you?”

 

“N-No,” Daria stuttered, backing up as the other woman advanced on her until she was stuck against the wall in the middle of the hallway. “I swear, nothing's happened.”

 

Yoruichi watched her silently for a long moment, her gold eyes narrowed into menacing slits as she stared the other woman down. She knew she was being sadistic, but she enjoyed making the girl squirm, letting her know that she wasn't someone to be taken lightly. She knew that threatening her meant running the risk of her running off, but Kisuke had assured her that the girl wouldn't try to go anywhere.

 

It wasn't that she cared whether or not the two of them ended up sleeping together. Hell, she knew that if anyone needed to get laid this century it was him. Mostly, she was just concerned for her best friend's safety. If Daria did turn out to be dangerous, she didn't want to have to be worried about Kisuke being wrapped up with her and whatever mess she was into.

 

“Alright,” she finally said, her voice low and menacing. “But you'd better not let me catch the two of you doing anything.”

 

Daria nodded, and Yoruichi backed off, satisfied that the girl seemed to be taking her warning seriously. Daria waited a few seconds to see if there was anything else that she needed to hear, then scurried off down the hall and back downstairs to the sitting room, where Renji and the children were sitting at the table, eating. She was about to take her own seat next to Ururu when Tessai came over to her, carrying a tray loaded with food.

 

“Miss Daria, could you please take this to Urahara-dono in his workshop,” he requested, holding the tray out toward her. Daria took the tray and raised an eyebrow in question, turning to look at Yoruichi as she entered the room behind her.

 

“I thought Urahara was upstairs with you?” she asked the purple-haired woman. Yoruichi shrugged as she sat down where Daria had been planning to sit and began filling up her bowl with rice.

 

“You never asked,” Yoruichi said, smirking a bit. “Just because I slept in Kisuke's room doesn't mean he was with me.”

 

Sighing a bit, Daria turned back to Tessai and smiled at him as she carefully took the tray from his hands.

 

“I would be happy to deliver this to Mr. Urahara,” she said, deliberately referring to him in a formal manner as she glanced over her shoulder at Yoruichi, who was watching her intently with her chopsticks clenched tightly in one fist.

 

Daria headed to the workshop, following the directions Tessai had given her to find the door leading to the small building that was connected to the side of the house. She carefully balanced the tray on one arm as she knocked on the door, then waited a full minute before trying the handle. Finding the door unlocked, she opened it slightly and stuck her head through the gap between the door and its frame.

 

“Mr. Urahara,” she called, slowly pushing the door open the rest of the way and stepping into the room. “I've brought you some breakfast.”

 

The workshop was dark, and judging by the walls it was really nothing more than a wooden shack that had been built onto the side of the building some time ago. She had expected it to be like any other workshop, full of tools for woodworking or auto repair - the usual hobbies men had workshops for. Instead, she found herself surrounded by beakers and test tubes and various other equipment that would be better suited to a research laboratory than a workshop.

 

Daria followed the sole source of light in the room, walking through the banks of metal shelves by the door and carefully picking her way around several tables covered in glass contraptions containing various bubbling solutions. She discovered the source of the light was a small lamp situated on a large desk at the very back of the room where Kisuke was sitting, hunched over.

 

“Mr. Urahara?” she called as she neared him, but received no reply.

 

Frowning a bit, she approached the desk and set the try down on the edge before leaning over and peering at his face. His head was propped up in one hand, but his eyes were closed and she smiled as she realized he had fallen asleep while working on whatever it was he had been working on all night. Daria looked over her shoulder, making sure no one had followed her into the room, then stepped over to him and reached out toward him, placing a hand on his shoulder and giving it a gentle shake. Kisuke merely muttered incoherently in his sleep and put his arm down on top of the desk, laying his head down on top of it and shifting a bit in his chair to get more comfortable in his new position.

 

Laughing quietly, Daria reached up and pushed some of his messy blonde hair back from his face. It was the first time she had seen him without that hat he always wore, which he'd placed on a mannequin bust at the corner of the desk. He was actually rather handsome, in an unconventional sort of way, and she caught herself smiling as she gently traced the line of his jaw, his stubble tickling her fingertips. The touch was enough to alert him of her presence, and she watched as he slowly opened his bluish-grey eyes, groaning softly in protest.

 

“Daria?” he said, his voice thick with sleep, and sat up as he blinked at her. “What are you doing in here?”

 

“I... I'm sorry,” she quickly apologized, taking a step back from him as he pushed his chair out from under the desk and stood up, stretching. “Tessai sent me here with your breakfast, and you were sleeping so I thought I'd try to wake you.”

 

“Well, I wish I'd managed to stay asleep just a bit longer,” he told her in a teasing, flirtatious tone. “Maybe you would have tried kissing me.”

 

“I would not have kissed you!” Daria insisted, blushing. Kisuke grinned and took a step closer to her, leaning down until he was practically close enough to kiss her, himself.

 

“It's quite alright, Daria,” he whispered. “I wouldn't mind if you took advantage of me while I'm sleeping and vulnerable.”

 

Daria gasped in indignation, completely unable to believe that not only would he think she would do such a thing, but that he was actually encouraging her to do it. She brought up a hand and placed it on his chest, pushing him away as she took yet another step from him, and ended up bumping into the tray sitting on the edge of his desk. The tray toppled over, and she quickly lunged for it, trying to catch it before everything ended up spilled across the floor of the workshop. She managed to catch the tray, but several of the dishes on it slipped off and fell, spilling their contents and shattering on impact. Kisuke tsked behind her, causing her to glare at him over her shoulder.

 

“Now look what you've done,” he admonished her, though his voice was full of humor. “You've gone and made a mess all over my workshop.”

 

“Maybe if you hadn't been getting fresh with me, this wouldn't have happened,” she angrily replied, setting the tray back on the desk before kneeling down to pick up the broken dishes off the floor.

 

“You want fresh?” Kisuke asked under his breath, smirking. “I'll show you fresh.”

 

He knelt down behind her and reached for the same piece of broken ceramic that she did, intentionally sliding his hand across the top of hers, his breath blowing into her ear as he leaned over her shoulder in order to reach the piece she had been after. Daria shivered, involuntarily leaning back against his chest, and his lips curved upward into a smile.

 

“You should let me clean this up,” he quietly told her. “Wouldn't want you to go cutting yourself.”

 

Daria turned slightly and looked up at him, their closeness causing her heartbeat to pound loudly in her ears. He simply watched her silently with half-lidded eyes, smiling lazily as he continued leaning forward until his fingers closed around the broken piece of the dish she had dropped. She leaned away from him as he got closer to her, in order to avoid their lips coming into contact, and had to grab the front of his shirt to keep from toppling backwards into the mess on the floor.

 

“Well, well... Look at you,” he said seductively, his other hand moving up to support the small of her back. “Clinging to me like some girl on the cover of a romance novel.”

 

Daria opened her mouth to reply, but fell completely still when she heard someone approaching.

 

“Kisuke?” Yoruichi called as she neared the doorway of the workshop. “Everything okay in here? I thought I heard something breaking.”

 

Daria quickly pushed Kisuke off her, sending him sprawling onto his back on the floor, and hopped to her feet. Her foot slipped in the food on the floor and she lost her balance and ended up falling forward, landing on top of him. She had just started to get up off of him when Yoruichi rounded the corner of the metal shelving units. The older woman stopped dead in her tracks, her eyes going a bit wide at the sight before her.

 

“This is not what it looks like,” Daria said, her own eyes wide with fear.

 

“Of course it is,” Kisuke insisted, wrapping his arms around her waist and pulling her back down on top of him.

 

“Kisuke!” Yoruichi said sternly, placing her hands on her hips as she glared at him. “Let her go.”

 

He pouted, but complied to her demands, releasing Daria and letting his arms fall limply to his sides on the floor. Daria wasted no time in pulling herself to her feet, and she averted her eyes from Yoruichi's icy gaze as she began making her way toward the door of the workshop. Yoruichi's hand shot out and grabbed her arm as she tried to skirt past her, and Daria winced as her fingers bit painfully into her skin.

 

“I thought I warned you to stay away from him,” she growled, looking at her out of the corner of her eye.

 

“It was my fault, Yoruichi-san,” Kisuke called to her, sitting up. “I tripped and Daria tried to help me regain my balance, but I ended up falling anyway and pulling her down on top of me.”

 

Daria turned her head and looked back to him, blinking in surprise. He had just lied to the woman he was sharing a bed with - a woman who appeared to be very dangerous.

 

“Is this true?” Yoruichi asked, turning her head to fully look at Daria. Daria turned back to her and nodded mutely.

 

“Fine,” she said after considering her for a moment, reluctantly letting go of her arm. Daria reached up and rubbed the sore limb, wondering how badly she would be bruised from the vice grip she'd had on her. “Get out of here.”

 

Daria didn't hesitate in making her way out of the room, happy to put the scene that was about to unfold as far behind her as she could. She couldn't begin to imagine what Yoruichi might do to Kisuke once she discovered what had actually been going on between them in that workshop. She just hoped she didn't kill the poor man.

 

Kisuke watched Daria walk out of his workshop, sighting as he stood up, and retrieved his hat from its perch. He placed the hat on top of his head as Yoruichi came up behind him, and he could feel her glaring at the back of his head. He knew she didn't buy his explanation about what had happened, but thankfully she had pretended to and let Daria go. The girl was already frightened of her more than enough, without having to witness her wrath in person.

 

“What the hell were you doing, Kisuke?” she demanded. “You're supposed to be finding a way to identify that dark reiatsu in her, not playing hanky-panky.”

 

“I'm sorry,” he apologized without turning around to look at her. “I was just having some fun.”

 

“Well stop it,” she demanded. “I refuse to watch something happen to you because you're busy being your usual idiot self and skirt-chasing after some girl when you should be on your guard around her because she could possibly be dangerous.”

 

Kisuke blinked and turned around to look at her, surprised by the tone of her voice. It wasn't often that Yoruichi Shihouin let her famously tough composure fall aside, but the urgency in her voice had shown him a rather sizable crack in that protective outer shell. He knew why she was getting so upset, and he sighed heavily as guilt washed over him. He was the reason she had left Soul Society behind, after all, abandoning everything she had known for her entire life.

 

“I really am sorry, Yoruichi-san,” he told her sincerely, hanging his head in shame. “I promise, no more fooling around. From now on, I'm all business.”

 

“Alright,” she replied, nodding. “I forgive you.”

 

Kisuke looked back up at her and smiled, then knelt by his desk and began cleaning up the mess once more. Yoruichi sighed a bit and bent down to help him, her eyes moving over to him after a moment.

 

“Are you really going to stop messing around with her?” she asked.

 

“For now,” Kisuke replied, grinning a little. “Once I've figured out some things, though... all bets are off.”

 

“Why do you insist on doing this to me?” Yoruichi wondered, sighing a bit.

 

“Oh, come on,” he said, turning toward her on his heel. “Admit it. If you weren't so worried about her being dangerous, you'd be having just as much fun with this as I am.”

 

“Alright, you got me there,” she admitted, allowing herself to return his smile.

 

“So, are we okay now?” he asked.

 

“Yeah,” she told him. “Just don't let me catch you trying to get it on with her again.”

 

“Too many bad memories, huh?”

 

Kisuke winked at her and she rolled her eyes at him, remembering the one time she'd had the misfortune of walking in on him and one of his girlfriends when they were younger and he was still living with her and Tessai in the Shihouin family estate. He'd been amused by how outraged she'd been by him having sex within her home, and he'd laughed and asked if she wanted to join them - which had earned him a kick to the head. Yoruichi reached over and and smacked him up the back of his head, calling him a disgusting pervert for reminding her of the incident.

 

Kisuke simply smiled, glad that things were back to normal.