Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Redemption ❯ The Meeting ( Chapter 1 )

"Byakuya?" The studios captain looked up from the bottom of a long flight of stairs and stared at the beautiful woman. There was an air about her, he could discern by her apparel she was clearly someone of great importance and at the same time he had a nagging feeling he had met her before. He met her gentle but powerful gaze, and time seemed to stop. The warrior's body froze and his mind blanked. "Well are you?"

"Hmm?" He questioned after realizing he had zoned out on the third step. The nobleman had been on his way to the official meeting place of the captains of the gotei thirteen after being summoned for some mysterious meeting. His mind flickered to life. Was she the unexplained reason?

"You are Kuchiki Byakuya are you not?" She smiled down at him with a great confident, womanly smile. "You were Hisana's husband, yes?" He froze again only this time a bit closer to her and moved his eyes up from her beautiful mouth to her dark Persian indigo eyes; she looked eerily like the very woman she had just mentioned. "Do you not have a tongue Noble?" His brow twitched at the subtle insult.

"Who are you?" He inquired sharply but before she could answer, the first lieutenant requested her presence inside but Byakuya managed to catch a bit of the conversation as he finished ascending the staircase. He had addressed her as 'Kikyo-sama' and had informed her Yamamoto wanted to speak to her before the meeting began. Now aware that she was someone very important and that she may very well have some connection to today's sudden calling, he glanced at her as he passed them, his face revealing nothing to her. Just who is she and why is she so familiar?

However, she caught him off guard with a friendly smile and furthered the feeling by saying, "Byakuya I do hope we can talk again, can I call on you at your home sometime?" Before he knew what he was doing, he nodded in acceptance and before she could bewitch him further, he hastily walked into the captains' hall.

Once inside the eighth and thirteenth captains, Shunsui Kyoraku and Jushiro Ukitake greeted him rather impersonally. "Kuchiki." The white-haired captain said grimly. He nodded back, and from their behavior, he deduced that neither elder captain knew why they were beckoned but didn't think it for a positive reason. The sixth captain went to his place as a few of the other captains mingled and as he counted, he discovered two were still missing. The eleventh captain, Kenpachi Zaraki and the fourth, Retsu Unohana, the healing captain. Byakuya found the latter's tardiness rather odd; it wasn't like her to be one of the last to show. He wondered if it had to do with the injuries, they had acquired which were the result of their latest battle with the rogue fifth captain, Sosuke Aizen and his misguided vagabonds. Byakuya narrowed his eyes, Aizen; he thought murderously, how he'd love to kill the traitor himself.

The first lieutenant appeared, just as Zaraki joined them, he announced that Ms. Unohana would not be attending and asked if one of them would please inform her of the happenings of this meeting afterwards. As expected, it was Captain Ukitake who volunteered for the task. Byakuya wagered it most likely had to do with his own needing to see her. However, his thoughts were shattered when "Lady Kikyo" entered behind old man Yamamoto as Ichigo liked to call him.

The noble lord stood rigid and strong. She could feel his intense masculinity engulfing her as she entered the meeting room. No other stood like him, he was majestic, and yet she sensed an underlying kindness, which was uncommon for a nobleman. When the old man took his seat, she stood next him just like if he were the king and she his council. It was then she felt his eyes on her, though unlike everyone else he appeared not to be looking at her.

Out of the corner of his eye, he had studied her from the moment she had entered up to this very moment. He couldn't stop watching her, every move was lovely and poised, and she had a sharp crisp air about her. She carried herself exceptionally well; however, there was an underlying part of her that reminded him of the former second squad captain that made him study her features and gestures more closely. Was she a fighter as well and if so how powerful was she? Was she here to replace one of the renegade captains? The way he saw, it these were the most important questions, but the others bit at the back of his mind no matter how hard he tried to silence them. How did she know him; how did she know of Hisana and where exactly did she hail from?

The thoughts where filed away when he heard Yamamoto's voice. "We barely saved that town and we failed to save that girl. Luck was on our side as Aizen underestimated our strength but we returned the favor. He will not let it happen again and therefore neither will we." He turned his head slightly in the woman's direction. "This is Kikyo-sama, personal council to the king himself, disrespect her and she will kill you without a second thought." He looked at Zaraki directly, "that is not just a word of caution about her strength but also of her position." He smirked in return of the old man's warning. "Will being staying with us for a while, as an honored guest."

He has such a gruff voice; she thought and looked up from the bald man to the group of captains. So this is Seireitei, how dull.

Byakuya let out a faint sigh as he descended the very stairs he had climbed only an hour ago. "Byakuya." He heard gently, he turned to see what female had sung it out so beautifully. Not surprisingly and yet alarmingly, it was Lady Kikyo again. "Do you have a moment?" Her voice was warm and sweet which triggered the feeling of familiarity again.

"I was just headed to my office to finish up some paper work." He noted the disappointment in her eyes and found himself relenting before he knew it. "But you may join me for some tea if you would like your ladyship, I can spare the time." She smiled beautifully; she glowed with sophistication and refinement. It had been a very long time since he had been in the presence of a true noblewoman. He wondered if he could remember all the proper etiquette.

The aristocrat watched as she floated down the stairs like a gentle mist and stopped in front of him two stairs up. "I would love to as long as I am not delaying you from any urgent business." Something tugged at the corner of his mouth, forcing him to look away from her. She had responded with such a cocky tone it felt almost like she was taunting him.

"Of course not, your ladyship, I would have not extended the invitation if I had had pressing issues." She chuckled a bit at his courteous insult. If she didn't know any better, she would have thought he was teasing her back and finding it all rather amusing.

"Then shall we continue together?" He looked back at her with no emotion present on his handsome face and offered her his hand. She took it quickly, descended the final few steps with him, and then promptly let go but her skin continued to feel his warmth long after the departure. The Lady flexed her hand beneath the cover of her formal kimono as they walked down the pathway to his unit office, trying to shake the tingling feeling that lingered uncomfortable in her joints. She looked at the ground, it wasn't the feeling itself that made her uneasy, it was the fact that he could give her such a feeling, there had only been one other male that did that and she hadn't seen him in seventy years.

They entered his headquarters as silently as they had walked, it was only broken when he asked his lieutenant Renji Abarai for the tea. The young man hesitated which brought on a menacing glare from his nobility born leader, "yes captain." His voice was low and she thought for a moment the underling had glared back, before quickly leaving. He extended his hand to a cushion by a table and waited until she sat down before he did so himself across from her.

They remained in silence, watching each other, like two tigers circling, gathering data, and debating whether to strike or retreat. As Renji entered the room, he stiffened, as the air seemed to crackle, it was completely charged from their battling auras, and it almost suffocated him. The silence was deafening, it nearly drove him mad, and so he quickly put down the tray and left without asking if they needed anything else. She finally broke away from the intoxicating man's commanding stare to watch the lieutenant leave. Out of the corner of her eye, she noticed his brow twitch as he noticed the same thing she had. That idiot.

"Did you want or need anything else?" She smiled and shook her head slightly, for some reason she didn't want to embarrass him further though she had no overly good reason not to, especially since it was him. She let out a silent sigh and smiled as she picked up the traditional Japanese teacup. "You speak so familiar and wished to speak to me personally, why?" She nearly dropped the cup.

"My, you are quite blunt, aren't you? Has it been that long since you were in the presence of a noblewoman? I imagine your woman would be ashamed right now." She stifled a shiver as she met his malicious glare. Oops, crossed a line…oh well.

"No. I know many noble woman, it's just the ones I tend to associate with are generally normal." Her eyes flared for a heartbeat but she calmed herself quickly. He was every bit the arrogant and cold aristocrat that had been described to her. He took her bait, spat back but with almost no emotion expressed.

She smiled faintly," are you not acquainted with Yoruichi-sama?" Kikyo suppressed a smug smirk as she watched several different emotions race across his beautiful eyes though again she noted that they were the only thing that showed his inner workings. The man seemed made of stone but it was his enchanting eyes that told her otherwise.

"Why are you sitting in my office?" He asked her abruptly and before she knew it, she let her tongue loose.

"Because that's where you lead me." Both their eyes meet before she looked away to pour them some tea and nonchalantly sipped hers. This would have been a moment where others would have simply laughed and enjoyed the silliness but not them they were battling each other even when there was silence. He wanted her to submit, she could feel it in every fiber of her being and she absolutely refused, there was only one she submitted to and he was the king.

Renji sat outside the door, twitching every so often as the two powerhouses behind him struggled for dominance over each other. He had no idea who she was but from her attire, she was clearly somebody of importance. What intrigued him the most was the question why? Why was a noblewoman of such high level talking to his captain?