Bleach Fan Fiction ❯ Total Eclipse ❯ Christmas Rose ( Chapter 4 )

[ X - Adult: No readers under 18. Contains Graphic Adult Themes/Extreme violence. ]

Uyru let forth a rumbling, early morning yawn. Reclining his slim torso comfortably into the welcoming embrace of his sofa's soft cushions, he clutched a tall mug of scalding coffee in one hand; casually flicking his fingers, he parted the rustling pages of a morning newspaper with the other. With a sigh he craned his neck backwards, then forwards, then back once again as his hazy focus failed to decipher the painfully small lettering.

The last six months working at the Kurosaki clinic had been a rather interesting time for the young doctor. Fresh from medical school in Hanabi, his mind bogged down by eight years worth of crammed, intense study, he and his friend Ichigo had taken respective ownership of the orange-haired father's surgery. Ichigo had exercised his typically stubborn attitude by self proclaiming himself the general practicioner and manager. Not that it bothered Uryu, of course. He had always been one to enjoy the more intricate methods of modern medicine. Having scored full marks on what was so delicately referred to as 'patch and plug' work at University, he had taken up basic surgery as his primary treatment focus, along with nursing to backup his varied skills.

With another flick, he curled a slim wrist towards his knee and craned his neck slightly to glance at his watch.

7:32am. Another 28 minutes of relaxation befor-

-THUD-

Perhaps not.

"ISHIDA?!" The bellowing voice of a certain doctor, reverberated through even the thick walls of the large house. "WHAT THE FUCK IS MY LAUNDRY BASKET DOING OUTSIDE MY DOOR?!"

Uyru grumbled incoherent slanders in the direction of the growling voice before whipping his head around to face the open doorway, "Well considering that it's your basket and it was outside my room, perhaps I should be asking you the same thing!" he yelled his retort. Returning to his silent cursing, he abandoned his attempts to decode the recycled mass in his hands; opting instead to chuck it in the table's general direction.

"Uyru? Perhaps I should leave?" Tatsuki propped her chin up on a loose fist, her trim elbow resting lightly upon her thigh as she casually leafed through the colourful pages of a magazine pullout.

"No, it's fine. He's always like this in the morning, especially when he's been drinking with Mr. Kuchiki." Uyru softened his scowl and smiled as she leant towards him, opening her fisted hand to use for support, before planting a small kiss on his slender nose.

She slowly lowered her head, her calm breath clouding the surface of his thin spectacles as she dropped to his level. She allowed a gentle smile to tug upon the very corners of her lips. A rogue strand of loose black hair fell from her ear, swinging to a swift stop aside her cheek as she leant forward and pressed her soft lips against his.

"Thank you," he whispered, the slightest tinge of a soft pink blush seeped through the skin of his pale cheeks. Tatsuki edged her slender frame towards him, elicting a sharp intake of breath from the man as she kicked her over his waist and placed her palms firmly against the head of the tall cushions.

"Don't thank me, dumbass." she scolded, her voice barely trailing higher than a lustful whisper as she pressed her firm breasts against his shirtless pectorals.

"A...Arisawa, it's too early... I have to g-" His bent knees unwillingly stiffened as her firm chest muffled his complaints.

"You work too much. Take a day off, or I'll make sure you damn well pay," she demanded sternly.

"Mmrggh... mggh..."

An evil smirk which could rival that of the devils spread across her finely moulded lips, as she massaged her clothed breast firmly against his mouth. A long, warming breath of reserved enjoyment heaved from Uyru's gaping mouth, seeping through the thin material of her white buttoned shirt. The heat of his bated breath against her rapidly firming nipple, the outline of his firm lips around her maleable flesh, sent a burning twang of excitement throughout the entirety of her trim form.

"Alright, cut it out."

Tatsuki's body froze. Her hands instinctively gripped the thick cushion as she gradually began to register the firm voice's origin.

"There's a reason you two have a bedroom. But still..." He stomped his path through the front room, swinging his lazily clothed frame towards the coffee table. "I didn't think you'd make a man out of Ishida so soon." A slight grin on his lips grew into a toothy smirk as he mirthed at the two's statuesque forms; their muscles refusing to move under the weight of utter humiliation.

"I'm heading out. Hisana called to say that Byakuya screwed his arm and he want me to sort it. So take the day off," he flicked a thick newspaper into his open palm before deftly clutching it under his shoulder. "It looks like you'll need it."

Uyru could feel the cracks in his hard-earned well of pride grow, the contents dripping unaided to the proverbial floor of his soul.

"Maybe I could find out your surname sometime, Arisawa!" His voice grew into a fierce yell as he made his way to the front door.

The sharp click of the door's lock followed its floor trembling slam.

"Uryu..." Her quiet voice peaked through his drawn out name, her eyes still fixated on the last position the orange-haired man had stood. "Did you hear what he said?" Uryu nodded weakly against her chest; refusing to emerge from the comfort of the pillowy darkness he was currently buried within. She craned her neck downwards, nudging away his frames of black hair with her chin.

"We have the house to ourselves... All morning..." She whispered breathlessly. A delayed gust of cool wind passed through the doorway, groping its way along the firm curvature of her bare legs.

Uryu gulped heavily as the cushions of the sofa dipped, Tatsuki's lithe arms encompassed the back of his neck and she dragged her breasts along the full length of his face, before pulling him into a lip-crushing kiss.


"Get your ass out here!"

He slammed the butt of his fist against the car's horn for effect, before falling back into his seat with a hefty sigh. Reaching over to the stereo, he proceeded to increase the already head-pounding volume of the fast paced music.

"Honestly. He wakes me up at seven in the morning and offers me a ride to work, then turns up outside my house and... and... honks at me?!"

Nelliel wiped away a thick layer of condensation from her bathroom's mirror, before flicking her long mane of thick hair over her shoulder. Hurrying to run a comb through the mass of lime green tangles, she sighed in defeat as the stretched mass swiftly recoiled back into an uncouth torrent of waves. Opting to pull the rogue mass into a tight ponytail, she nodded at her fuzzy, yet professional-looking reflection.

-HONK- -HONK- -HONK-

"Ok! I'm coming! Geez..." She bellowed at the obtrusive man, though she was doubtful that her words actually reached his ears over the white noise that he called 'music'. Rolling her eyes at her bosses sudden urge to be on time, she wriggled her slim feet into her black trainers and buttoned up her shirt; blowing a number of loose hairs from her lips. With an energising, body-heavy intake of air, she grabbed her fleece cardigan and keys before hurrying through the house, onto the porches step and kicking the front door shut with her heel.

He nodded slightly as she made her way around the metallic vehicle and ran a finger down the volume control. The lime-haired woman promptly pulled open the heavy passenger's door and dropped with a high-pitched squeak into the low sports car. "You took your time." He stated, flicking one of the many switches on the dashboard.

An expected statement, and as always Nelliel chose to respond accordingly. "My deepest apologies, Mr. Kurosaki!"

His eyelids fell as his body visibly shuddered at her forced, squeaky, painfully high-pitched tone. "Forget it, you're forgiven. Just don't use that voice." Nelliel allowed a brief sigh to pass her full lips as she threw her torso back into the chair with a loud thud, and proceeded to buckle herself in.

"Erm, Ichigo?"

The orange-haired, fiery-tempered and extremely hungover man lazily turned his attention towards the woman at his side, bouncing his right leg restlessly upon the balls of his feet as he inspected her deep pout. He perked a brow as she continued to tug, twist and scratch at her seat belt. "What?" he inquired.

"It keeps pinching my boobs..." she whined pathetically. Demonstrating her discomfort, she allowed the strap to snap back against her cleavage with a loud crack. Ichigo rolled his eyes in a resolve-strengthening attempt to keep his calm, before facing forward once more.

"It's a five minute drive so just put up with it," he groaned. With a deft flick of his wrist, he dropped the car into gear before shunting the peacefully humming engine into a full-throttled roar. "And stop talking about your boobs."

"Well it's nice to know that you, at least, are comfortable." She furrowed her leaf-green eyebrows and folded her bare forearms over her lap in resignment, biting her lip in pain as the tight strap tugged firmly at her chest.

"I'm tired, hungover and was woken up by the very same dude that caused this entire fuckin' situation. So gimme a break." He unknitted his aching eyebrows slightly to gain a brief respite from the tensed muscles.

"Would a kiss help?!" Nelliel exclaimed, lifting two fingers to her mouth as she chuckled girlishly at the slight curvature of his slim lips.

"My mind's still scarred." He dropped the handbreak with a metallic thud and spun the steering wheel, jarring the car into an ear-piercing screech of rubber tyres on tarmac; firing small torrents of thick, soggy mud from the rear of the roaring machine.

Nell used her advanced knowledge of the man beside her, and waited until he was driving at a spine-tingling speed before asking him any questions. While Ichigo was an amazing driver, he wasn't much of a multi-tasker. Asking him questions while his attention was focused on the road was one of the easiest times to get information from him.

"Still scarred from what?" She inquired curiously.

"I walked in on Arisawa and Uyru in the front room earlier," Ichigo stated simply. The statement crumbled Nell's peaked interest somewhat, and she cursed herself for asking. However, it was also strange that Ichigo was so open about something regarding... Intimate circumstances.

"Oh well, it was bound to happen eventually." She dismissed what could only be described as a touchy subject with a wave of her lithe fingers. Partially because she wasn't surprised, and also because she knew Ichigo well enough to expect a tantrum if her inquisition progressed.

Yet, nothing happened.

With gusto, she dared a stealthy glance at her strangely calm companion, her eyebrows perked slightly as she noticed the small smile still graced his lips. A soft, warming smile of her own slowly curled itself comfortably along her previously pouting lips; shadowing the slight dimples within each of her cheeks.

"Are you smiling?" She queried. Her stomach fluttering slightly as the a hint of white peered through a crack in his lips.

"Yeah, is it a problem?" He questioned, tightening his fingers around the leather-clad steering wheel; eyes set firmly on the road ahead as he increased his speed.

"It's just nice to see a real smile, now and again." Her usual dramatic tone vanished under the weight of her words as she shifted her gaze down to her limply crossed arms.

"Just kinda happy for 'em. I don't really know her though." A loud screech from the back tyres tore a similar sound from the throat of his unsuspecting passenger.

Nell slowly blinked, calming her rapidly beating heart with a deep breath before answering. "You'll have plenty of time to get to know her. If Uyru wanted her to move in, then she must be a decent person."

"I guess so," He shrugged half-heartedly along with the lazy reply. "They're so fuckin' different though!" He mirthed, shaking his head slightly as he pictured the sight that had assaulted his morning vision.

With a slight rotation of her slim neck, her eyes roamed the slim face of her compainion. As she studied his warm expression, the prominent smile on his firm lips caused his cheeks to puff slightly into clean-shaven mounds. His gaze darted to meet hers, prompting a gentle blushing of her cheeks as she curled meekly into the seat.

"Well, they do say that you'll fall for the most unlikely of people..." Nell rolled her head against the leather seat, a silent sigh passing her lips as her eyes turned to follow each of the rapidly passing trees.

"Opposites attract, huh?"

She rotated her head back towards the smiling man at her side, nuzzling her cheek slightly against the slick leather surface as she elicted a quiet chuckle.

"Yes, I'd say that's true."

-CLUNK-

"Shit." His eyes shot back to the slick road as he stomped his foot down on the breaks, his smiling lips instantly reverting back to their usual tight line.

The car came to a sharp halt, the beginnings of what would soon turn into a cloud of smoke poured through the edges of it's silver bonnet. "Shit!"

"Nell, do you have your cell?" He begrudgingly raised both hands to his now scowling face, digging his forefingers into each side of his nose's bridge. Nell sighed and reached her hands up to her shirt pocket, after unbuttoning the small pouch she retrieved the small object and silently poked his arm with it. He dropped his hands to his lap and let out a sharp breath, nodding his head slightly in appreciation, he lifted a hand up to the device.

"Tatsuki..."

The slender woman barely managed to muster a lusty moan in response, silencing her lover with her tongue as her entire being writhed with pleasure. Uryu intermingled her invasive organ with his, digging his fingers firmly into the taught flesh of her behind.

"Oh... my..." Her wanton, detached words of delightful sexual reprieve grated through her throat, pouring the words out as a hot breath, that acted as a welcome coolant for Uryu's burning flesh. She fell forwards, her firm breasts grinding against his slim chest, prompting throaty groans of pleasure from both.

"I'm..."
"Me... too..."
"Ury... shi..."
"Mmmm..."
"Oh my god yes!"

-RING-RING-RING-

Uryu felt every inch of his impending release disperse at the devilish sound of his work phone. Tatsuki felt tears of disappointment line the outer edges of her glazed eyes as she dropped her head into the slick curve of Uryu's neck.

"I need... to get that, Tatsuki..." he uttered painfully through deep, heavy breaths. Tatsuki responded by gyrated her hips, her arms tightening their grasp of his neck as he stretched a long arm out for the bedside table.

-RING-RING-RING-

"I'm not moving... When you're done, we're finishing." She half stated, half demanded. Her own words spurred a deep sensation of excitement in her stomach; raising and dropping her body, she permitted herself one last moment of pleasure before having to sit through the asexuallization of the upcoming conversation.

"Hello?" Uryu shakily answered.
"Ishida, that you?"
"Yes, Kurosaki... What do you want?"
"You need to get to the surgery."
"If I remember correctly, you informed me of a day off."
"And now I'm informing you of a day on."
"That doesn't make sense."
"Don't start with me right now. I'm really not in the mood."
"And neither am I, you need to start taking responsibility for your actions."
"Save me the damn lecture, ok? Byakuya's on the way to the surgery and my car's fucked."
"It's 'fucked'?"
"Yes, fucked. I'm about to call a mechanic but Byakuya's probably already there. I'll call ahead and tell him you're going, owe you one."

-BEEP-

"Uryu..." Tatsuki whined, gyrating her hips in an attempt to absorb just one more moment of pleasure; knowing exactly what was about to happen.

"I need to get to work... I'm so sorry..." he responded in much the same fashion, with an exasperated sigh to finish.

Interruption of sex with Uryu was a punishment worthy of death to Tatsuki Arisawa. But, today was different. She could hear the desire in his voice, the way his hands lustfully grasped her behind, and the way his voice remained the same, yet his hands slowly released their vice-like grip to glide up her lithe body, and lovingly wrap themselves around her waist.

In the seemingly short year Tatsuki had been dating Uryu, he had always been a reserved character. He enjoyed quiet lunches at home, reading a book with a cold drink beside the sakura tree in the garden, getting mildly drunk at home with friends rather than within the humid atmosphere of a bustling nightclub. He took to quiet time, alone time, a set period for an hour or so each day where he could shut himself away from the world and relax. He kept his personal life seperate from his work as much as possible, though as a doctor, there are times when the two simply will inevitably collide. His personal life was also distinctly seperate from his social life. Only after eight months of dating, did Tatsuki finally meet all of Uryu's friends.

His controlled approach to problems and aggravations alike was a forced act, as she had learnt after entering the surgery unannounced and hearing what could only be described as the clash of the titans. Of course, it was a verbal dispute between Ichigo and Uryu. Tatsuki had thought that she'd discovered the beginning and end of his personallity's spectrum, but to her delight, there was yet another hidden aspect to her man's varying personallity.

That was who he was, and that was exactly why she had fallen in love with him. How could she blame him for an unfortunate turn of events when it was hardly his fault?

"Uryu...?" Her breath poured softly over his ear before pressing a light kiss upon his firmly set jaw.

"Yes?" He panted in reply, gulping down a humid breath of thick heady air, before averting his eyes from the ceiling to the smiling woman at his side.

"When you... get home..." she paused through her broken words, prompting a perked eyebrow from her boyfriend as he waited expectantly for her to finish.

"Is something wrong?" His eyes thinned slightly, a pang of worry tugging at his chest. Tatsuki had never cut her sentences short.

"No," she chuckled. "Nothing's wrong." Her fingernails began to trace small circles around the tall man's chest as she gathered her courage. "I was just wondering if you'd like to read with me, out by the tree."

Uryu's eyebrows instantly shot high up upon his forehead, the steely surface of the dark-haired woman's affronted visage, had lowered. A rare moment in the life of Tatsuki, and even rarer for Uryu to bare witness to.

"Why... Of course you can, you didn't need to ask my permission." He replied, the worry that had tugged painfully at his heart's strings disappeared as quickly as it had begun. Replaced by a warmth that even a scholar of his caliber would be hard pressed to place into words.

"Now go, Ichigo's probably pissed off enough as it is."

They shared a silent laugh, and a long, slow kiss before the tall man pried himself from the mattress.


"Ichigo?"
"Byakuya?"
"Ichigo?"
"Byakuya?"
"Ichigo?"
"Damnit, Byakuya!"

The tall man snickered to himself, much to the confusion of his two daughters who had sat themselves back in the car to avoid the biting chill of the morning wind.

"Sorry. Now, what's the problem?"
"The car broke down, a mechanic's on the way."
"I see, should we go to the hospital instead?"
"Ishida's on the way, he'll be there soon."
"Okay. Get them to send the bill to my house."
"Huh? Why?"
"You left in a hurry to help me, therefore I am reimbursing you."
"Not happening, thanks though."
"It wasn't a friendly offering, I'm telling you to send the bill to my house."
"And I'm telling you that it's not happening."
"Ichigo."
"What?"
"Do it."
"Guh... Fine. You're such a pain in the arse sometimes."
"I could say the same for you. Oh, and I hope that the fault is repairable, otherwise you're going to be mowing my lawn for the rest of your natural born life."
"Thanks and ye... Wait! What?!"
"Goodbye Ichigo-kun!"
"H-Hang on a minu..."

Byakuya flicked his cellphone shut and poked the power button several times to prevent a certain orange-haired man from arguing his case. Sporting a devilish grin, he dropped the device into his flannel pyjama pockets and reached over to the car's rear door. With a swift motion, he yanked the metal mass open and dropped himself into the warming embrace of a suede seat; supressing a pained grimace as the flesh of his open wound grinded against the rough surface of it's makeshift bandage.

"What was that about?" Rukia inquired coolly, her folded arms tightening their grip of the dressing gown to guard herself from the sharp bite of frigid air.

"Ichigo's having car trouble, Uyru will be coming instead." He amswered meekly, shielding his face with his injured arm. A pathetic attempt to prevent any abuse from his youngest. Rukia let out a long, slow, alleviating breath.

"Not to worry Rukia-chan!" Byakuya exclaimed boyishly, along with a shit-eating smile. At least, that's what Rukia referred to it as.

Why the hell does he care? Why does he want me to meet this guy anyway? He could be a complete moron for all I know. She glanced at her father, who was now making no attempt to hide his disgusting art of nose picking. Rolling her eyes, she faced forwards once again.

Especially if he gets along with him so well.

"Don't worry so much, Rukia." Nanao entered the conversation with a careful whisper, aware that any talk between the two about men would simply provoke their father's moronic behavior.

Rukia perked an eyebrow and turned to her sister. "Who the hell's worrying?" She assumed her usual response would give her sister the time to back off hint. However, the speed of her reply and tone of her voice were not overlooked by the tall woman.

Nanao turned her gaze onto Byakuya. "Father, we're going to get some fresh air."

"I see. Well don't go too far, and don't catch a cold." He replied simply, focusing his attention on a fierce, unrelenting itch beneath the tea towel that he failed miserably at scratching, but earned himself flying colours for causing himself pain.

"Let's go, Rukia." Nanao stated, smiling softly as she opened the drivers seat and stepped out. Rukia debated for a moment. Should she get out and face the bitter cold, or should she stay in the warming confines of the small car with a man who currently resembled a rabid wolf; gnawing at his arm.


"I know it's cold, but the air will clear your lungs." Nanao started, clutching the lapels of her black trenchcoat tightly around her waist, while her plimsoles silently rolled against the tarmac road.

"Yes, it's actually rather nice," Rukia responded.

The two women walked silently. Eight in the morning within the suburbs of Karakura would forever be a peaceful time. Commuters had already left the city an hour beforehand, and many of the central city's businesses and establishments were run by commuters from other cities, leaving the outer reaches undisturbed.

"So..." Nanao propped her glasses into position, blinking several times as she adjusted to the change in focus.

"So..." Rukia allowed her eyes to roam around the thick hedges and small flowers that lined either side of the slim road.

"It's really been a really long time since we last did this, hasn't it?" Nanao chuckled in realisation, her reminiscent mind conjuring up images that she had long since forgotten about.

"A walk?" Rukia queried, Nanao turned her head slightly and nodded. "It really has... I've missed it." Rukia continued. Her lips curled into a sad smile as their feet grew to match each other's snail-paced movements. "I met Tatsuki there, but she's hardly one to enjoy a walk. The one time I did try, she ended up running around the block and joining back up with me." she sighed.

"Well, you're back now..." The two turned their gazes to each other briefly, sharing a short smile before facing forward once more. "It's been rather strange not having you at home for the last three years. I thought at first that I'd get used to it, but as time went on, I just missed having my little sister around even more." Nanao sniffed audibly, her gaze falling back to the ground in front of her as she tightened her loosening grip of the coat.

"I've missed you too... I missed our late night talks about guys, the lessons you used to give me on the piano. I even missed our arguments over shoes." They both smiled in the rememberance of their younger years.

"My my. We're talking as though we're on our death beds!" Nanao exclaimed, taking a mildly sullied Rukia by surprise at sudden outburst.

"That's true! we've got all the time in the world to talk about those things!" Rukia perked her attitude to match her sisters.

"Yes!" Nanao practically shouted.

"Yes!" Rukia mimicked, before turning to Nanao; her lips curling into a mischevious grin.

"What...?" Nanao remembered that grin well, too well.

"How are things with Shunsui?" Rukia playfully inquired, her grin growing into a full-blown, toothy smirk as Nanao's cheeks flushed a deep pink.

"I...I wasn't expecting you to ask something like that." She poked the bridge of her glasses, averting her gaze from the foresight of her younger sister. However, Rukia wasn't one to be deterred.

"That doesn't answer my question," she stated. Running her tongue under her top lip, she perked her eyebrows in preparation for the response.

"Things are good... Very good, in fact..." Nanao cursed herself. Oh dear lord... If Shunsui-kun finds out about this, I'll never get his ego down from the stratosphere...

"Great!" Rukia replied, content with the level of answer. Afterall, at eight in the morning, who wants to know intricate sexual details? Not anti-morning Rukia.

"Now, what about you?" Nanao questioned. Rukia's head snapped to the left, her jaw dropped involunarily as her cheeks immediately fired up. The heat of which, Nanao was sure could warm her frozen fingers.

"W-what about me? I've been at University for three years, like I've had time for that kind of thing." She weakly stammed her reply, diverting her gaze from Nanao who was beginning to swoop in for the kill.

"So there's noone you're interested in?" She pressed her interrogation, knowing that when Rukia began to blush, the answers would flow; be it voluntarily, or accidentally.

"I didn't say that!" Rukia blurted out, her head now fully turned to the right but her sister's gaze was burning a deep hole in the back of her head.

"Who is he?" Nanao inquired.
"Who?"
"The man you're interested in!"
"Noone."
"Then there is someone."
Damnit!
"No!"

"Who is he!?" Nanao demanded. Rukia's shoulders slumped under a heavy sigh. They were at least ten minutes away from the car, even if they turned back now, Nanao was sure to interrogate enough information out of her.

Damn her and her damned business experience.

"It's stupid, just forget it," Rukia murmured weakly, mortified as she imagined how pathetic the words would sound when spoken.

"It's never stupid. Come on, you should know I'd never judge you." Nanao shot her sister a reassuring smile. Rukia turned to her sister, sporting the doubt within her indigo eyes.

"You promise you won't laugh?" Rukia kept her voice straight.

"Of course I won't laugh," Nanao replied.

"It was..." Rukia stalled, taking a deep breath. "That... That guy you were playing music with the other day..." Rukia sighed in resignation. Her stomach sank as the words passed her lips exactly as expected. Pathetically. She wanted to crawl into a hole. A deep hole, with plenty of sand around the outer edges so she could be sure to bury herself.

"Ichigo?" Nanao gasped, her eyes widening at her sister's unexpected revelation.

"It's stupid, I don't know him. He doesn't know me, I've only seen him once," she spat her words out in a strangled flurry, before taking another deep breath and weakly shaking her head. "Just forget about it," She muttered as she brought her slow pace to a complete halt. With a sigh, she turned her petite form, blinking in confusion at the contortion of her sister's usually stoic facade.

"His eyes, yes?"

Rukia blinked once more. "What?" She squeaked.

"Mother told me about the two of you watching us last week, so when you said that, it was the only thing that would make any sense."

Damn her and her damned deductive skills. And damn my damned Mom!

"His eyes, I know that if I were single they would have blown me away too." Nanao inclined her head to the left, a half smile gracing her lips as she studied her sister's stunned expression. "Don't get me wrong, I'm devoted to Shunsui-kun. I love him more than anything, but Ichigo's eyes... They speak volumes to me. It's the same for you, no?"

"What... How...?" Rukia blathered senselessly, her jaw unhinged with utter shock.

How the hell...

"Would you like me to tell you a little about him? After all, he's coming to dinner tomorrow." Nanao offered with another gentle smile. Rukia blinked once more. She couldn't feel the breeze anymore, only the burning heat of her cheeks under the frequent, biting gusts.

"That would be nice." She congratulated herself for forming a sentence, rather than a series of cave-woman grunts. Nanao straightened her neck and nodded, her smile growing as they both spun on her heels and began back towards the car.