Simple Like Tea

“Thank you for coming!” Reiko bowed the last of the evening’s customers out, sliding the door shut and taking three steps back into the shop before doubling back and flipping the sign to “CLOSED”.

“Sensei,” Chiyo’s smile was forced and strained. “We’ll stay and help clean up, since we’re closing on time tonight instead of late.”

“No, no, please, don’t be silly. It’s just a little cleaning that I’m used to, there’s no sense in the two of you going through the trouble.”

“Please, Sensei. It won’t be any trouble.” Reiko’s smile faltered when she saw the earnest look on Senji’s face. He so rarely asked for things, her heart felt restricted at the thought of denying him a request.

“Well…” she looked from him to Chiyo, now standing by his side, her hand on his arm as though to steady him, but she could see that it was Senji steadying her, not the other way around. “Maybe a little help would be nice,” she finally relented, and the twin grins that broke on her employees’ faces lit up the room.

She knew she had been all but disastrous these past few days. Since that night she and Renji had spent together, she had been out of sorts, forgetting things, dropping things and breaking four different porcelain cups, effectively ruining their respective sets. She had overslept every morning, and no matter how long she sat up at night waiting for him to come, he never showed. Once she had woken up stiff to find she had fallen asleep at the table where she waited. Twice today, she had given someone the wrong order, and twice again had ruined the tea. Chiyo and Senji had been openly worried about her, and she had started to worry about herself.

“Maybe I’m sick,” she thought to herself as she smiled at Chiyo in thanks for helping her find the blue rag she always used to wipe the tables and chairs with. “Maybe I’m coming down with something.”

But even as she tried to convince herself of it, she knew it wasn’t the case. Renji had not come again since that night, and she had lost sleep thinking about it, wondering where he was and what he was doing, and if the whole thing had just been a hallucination or a dream. She didn’t know why he had left in the middle of the night either, or at least why he hadn’t woken her up before leaving, just to say goodbye. Consoling herself with the thought that it must have been an emergency, she had tried to put it out of her mind. But she had been unable to, even for an instant, forget the way she had felt that night.

She had woken up the next morning with a rapidly beating heart. Her lips had felt warm and tingled pleasantly, as though she had been drinking peach flavored tea. The whole day had been a blur to her, only waiting for night to come so she could see him again, so she could feel his strong arms around her. They had felt safe, comforting. His arms had been firm enough to beat back the loneliness that had consumed her life since the passing of her grandfather, and she felt cold and achey without them. But the night came and passed and Renji didn’t come. She had run into the streets at night, trying to find him, zigzagging at random corners and going down alleyways she had never even seen before. Terrified, she had gone back to the teahouse convincing herself that he was fine, that he probably got caught up in something with his captain and that he would be there the next night.

But he hadn’t come. Her waking hours were spent staving the horror that would envelope her if something had happened to him, the grief that she might have lost her only friend, a friend that in just the last time she had been with might have become something far more special. Her sleeping hours were restless as well.

Twice in the past few days she had woken up flushed and sweaty, shaking and feeling distinctly unsatisfied. She recalled the dreams upon waking, flashes of intense heat and fevered touches that made her feel ashamed. Always the dreams started with that hazy image of him standing over her bed, that small smile on his lips, and always it ended with them in each others’ embrace. In her dreams she had been a goddess and a slave and everything in between, feeling things she had not felt in years.

Thinking about those dreams now caused her to blush, and Senji looked at her curiously before she turned around and walked into a table. She tried to grip it as it fell, but the weight of it triumphed in the end and it clattered noisily to the floor. Reiko looked at it, momentarily unaware of the pain radiating in her side where she had hit the table’s edge. “What is wrong with me?” she murmured, wrapping her arms around herself. “Am I going crazy?”

Silently, Senji picked up the table while Chiyo moved from behind the kitchen counter to look at Reiko. “Sensei… maybe you need to go see a doctor?”

“I-” the sound of the door sliding open interrupted her, and Reiko clasped her hands over her face to recompose herself.

“Sorry, we’re closed for the night,” Chiyo chirped from her place near the counter, her voice full of cheer as though it hadn’t been seeped in worry and uncertainty just a moment before.

“Sujishi Reiko-san?”

Reiko composed her face into a mask of calm. She smiled gently and turned to look at whoever it was that had come in search of her. “Yes, how can I help you?”

“My name is Kuchiki Byakuya.”

Reiko’s heart lurched. She gazed at the man standing in the doorway, shoulders broad, tall and imposing, his face cool serenity that bespoke a heart of steel. The dark silky curtain of hair that hung down his back and his deep voice seemed familiar even though she knew she had never seen this man before. To the finest detail he fit the description Renji had given her of his captain. “Kuchiki Byakuya-sama…”

His cool gaze drifted across to Senji and Chiyo. “You know who I am.” It was a statement of fact, she realized, a mere acceptance of truth, not a question. His eyes swept across the entire store, lingered slightly on the staircase behind the kitchen and focused on her again.

Reiko glanced at the teenagers. They looked cautious. Curious. “Kuchiki-sama, please, if you’ll join me, we can discuss things. Senji, Chiyo, please lock up when you leave.”

Reiko turned around and walked to the staircase, her back straight, her chin lifted. She had no time to think of her feelings now. Something had happened, maybe something bad happened to Renji and maybe their little secret was discovered. Maybe she was in trouble. Maybe. But something must have happened.

She reached the door to her little apartment and opened it without looking behind her. She was certain he had followed her without having to check. She did not want to betray her anxiousness. Stepping inside, she went immediately to the kitchenette and rinsed the kettle. She was relieved when she heard the door close silently behind her. He had followed her after all.

“I apologize for the mess. If Senji and Chiyo were already gone, we could have remained in the store. But…” she set the full kettle on the stove and opened a cupboard to take out the little tea cups of her favourite set. The set was incomplete, with a chipped cup and a broken handle on another, but still very fine. She didn’t have the heart to throw it away.

“I apologize as well for inconveniencing you. But the fact that you know me makes things easier.”

Reiko turned then to look at him. She hid her hands in the folds of her kimono so he wouldn’t see them tremble. Her face was frozen in the calm smile she used for work. “I understand. I am certain you would not have sought me out without a reason. Please, sit, and I will make some tea. I have a blend you may like,” she turned around to the counter quickly and picked up a small bowl of dried herbs before he could see her face crack. The effort of maintaining that smile weighed heavier than it ever had before. The small bowl she held contained small shriveled blossoms, a blend that had been very popular in the spring. She heard some shuffling behind her as the most famous captain of the Gotei 13 found himself a seat in her apartment. Trying not to think about it, she dropped a small sprinkling of the blossoms into the water before it started boiling.

“Abarai is well, so please, do not be so tense.”

Reiko paused with the serving pot in her hands. “Thank you, I will try,” she murmured softly, picking up her little jar of sugarcane. Placing a small piece of the sugar cane at the bottom of the two undamaged cups, she picked up the kettle and poured its contents into the serving pot. Fixing her face into a smile again she turned around with her tray in hand. The captain was sitting on one side of her little desk, the small bowl of mint placed carefully underneath it and the stack of papers moved to the floor beside it. His eyes betrayed nothing. He looked like he was made of cold marble.

Placing the tray on the desk, she went about pouring and serving the tea. He picked up his small cup, examining the contents in a way that Reiko did not care for. He might have been suspicious she would poison him for the scrutiny he was subjecting the tea to. “Sakura and sugarcane,” she said quietly, and his head snapped up to look at her. “The tea is sakura and sugarcane. I assure you, it’s quite good.” She picked up her own small cup and sipped to demonstrate, placing it back on the table and trying not to look too satisfied when he took a sip of his own.

“It is quite good,” he said dryly, placing his own cup back on the table, but for an instant, just for an instant, Reiko thought she saw the expressionless cold mask slip. It must have been her imagination.

***

Byakuya watched the girl sip her tea and forced his face to relax. Sakura tea. Who had ever heard of such a thing? And why sakura, of all flavors? Really, this girl…

“I know you say Renji is unharmed, but I still can’t imagine this is a mere social visit. Forgive me for being so forward, Kuchiki-sama, but you came here for a reason.” Byakuya watched her coolly, sipping the tea again. It was in fact surprisingly good.

“Abarai is currently looking after my sister. He is unaware that I am here to see you.” He paused deliberately, placing the small porcelain cup down and avoiding looking at her. “I am certain, however, that he will remain faithful to you during his visit to Rukia.”

He felt more than saw her stiffen. “Faithful to me? Kuchiki-sama, I fear you misunderstand my relationship with Renji. Whatever he may have told you, we merely enjoy one another’s company. That is all.”

Byakuya met her gaze. He couldn’t fully stifle the surge of admiration he felt for her when he saw that her facial expression was as cool and pleasant as before. Byakuya allowed himself the faintest of smiles. “Yes. If I recall correctly, Abarai merely enjoyed Rukia’s company as well.”

Nothing in her reacted to Rukia’s name. It seemed to him more and more likely that she had never in fact heard it before, and that it meant nothing to her. Interesting. She knew him on sight, but had never even heard Rukia’s name in passing.

“Perhaps it is not Abarai’s relation with you that I have misinterpreted, but rather your relation to him. Perhaps I should be assuring him that you will remain faithful to him rather than the other way around.”

Her lips tightened for an instant before the calm smile was back. “You speak very knowingly for someone who has just met me. Perhaps you have misinterpreted everything about this story from beginning to end, Kuchiki-sama.”

He placed the small cup on the table and met her steady, level gaze. “Sujishi Reiko, daughter of Sujishi Misato and an unknown father. Misato-san was very rebellious and fell pregnant when she was seventeen. She remained with her parents until she gave birth, then ran off and had no further contact with any of her family, including her newborn daughter. Reiko was raised by her grandparents, Sujishi Mai and Sujishi Sadaharo. Mai-san died when Reiko was three, and Sadaharo-san raised Reiko alone, though Reiko displayed many of the rebellious traits of her mother. When she fell pregnant at the age of fifteen, Sadaharo-san convinced her to abort the child. Reiko ran away from home directly after the abortion and returned at the age of nineteen to nurse Sadaharo-san on his deathbed, thereby inheriting the Sujishi Teahouse. Perhaps the rest of Reiko’s life up until now has been lived in a kind of repentance for the life she lead, but who can say for sure? After all, I have just met you.”

Byakuya drained the last of the tea in his little cup, carefully avoiding looking at the tears that had suddenly formed on Reiko’s cheeks. He wished he hadn’t spoken so rashly, but the calm collected nature of the girl troubled him to no end. Not even the elders were so cool and composed all the time. He had wanted to shake her. At least he had succeeded. Finding out about the girl’s history had been a relatively simple task once he had managed to find where the humans kept all their records.

“I am not here to hurt you, Reiko-san. But there are certain facts in your life that do indeed trouble me. What’s more, Abarai is a fool, and his heart is still broken. The last time he fell in love, the one he loved had broken some important laws, and he wreaked havoc. The mere existence of your relationship could wreak havoc.”

“I won’t do anything,” the steady voice surprised him coming from the tearful girl. “I’m not a threat to Soul Society. I won’t break any important laws.”

Byakuya struggled not to let his relief show. She knew about Soul Society. That was a huge weight off his mind. “I understand that you have the best intentions, Reiko-san. But so did Rukia.”

The girl stared fixedly at the table’s surface. Without seeming to realize what she was doing, she poured more tea for herself and Byakuya, picked up her little cup and began to swish it under her nose. The smell seemed to soothe her and she took a deep breath, seeming to recollect herself. “Kuchiki-sama, are you really here because I am such a threat to Soul Society?”

Byakuya smiled before realizing it, and another surge of admiration welled up inside him. She was perceptive. He had to give her that much. “No. I have other reasons.”

“You won’t tell me your reasons, will you?” Her small smile held no humor.

“Not yet. But for now, I will ask you to consider this. I have information for you. If you are interested in it, I will give it to you. If you choose not to hear this information, I will ask you to stop your relation with Abarai Renji for good, and return to your life. I imagine it must be routine enough by now, to live and work in this place since the death of your grandfather. For years, you have had no lovers and no friends, and certainly no family. I am confident that you have not told anyone, and will not tell anyone, about Soul Society, and we can put all this behind us.”

“Information? Regarding what?” she touched her bun in an unconscious gesture, but remained outwardly calm.

“Regarding your mother, and her whereabouts.”

She gripped her kimono until her knuckles turned white. “My… mother?”

“I will give you this information, but you should be aware that it comes with a price.”

“What price?” her face could have been made of stone, and again, Byakuya admired this girl. She was a pillar of strength that no one seemed to look twice at. He hated himself for what he would have to do, but sacrifices had to be made.

“I will discuss the price with you after you have made your decision. I will return here tomorrow to receive your answer.”

Without further preamble, her rose to leave, and was surprised when the girl rose with him. She blinked as if surprised at herself, but was once again the calm, collected pillar of strength he had grown to admire. She would make a fine lady in the Kuchiki house.

The swell of pride that came with that thought jarred him enough that he lost control of his face again. “You are… a fine woman,” he said hesitantly. But the girl smiled, another sad smile that held no humor and turned to lead him down the stairs.

When he emerged in the store once more, he saw the two teenagers that she had identified as Senji and Chiyo still there, trying to make themselves look busy. She ignored them as she glided to the door and turned to face him with her face a perfect mask of pleasant calm. “Thank you so much for visiting me, Kuchiki-sama. I await your return.” She bowed then, a deep formal bow, and Byakuya inclined his head in response before stepping outside and letting her slide the door shut behind him.

A truly admirable woman. If he hadn’t looked closely enough to see that her eyes were red-rimmed, he might have doubted that she had ever cried when they were alone. He wondered if she ever cried at all. Women like that never seemed to, but he knew first-hand that just because someone looked unflappable didn’t mean they were made of stone.

He knew he should have felt accomplished, should have been pleased with the series of events and the inevitable outcome, but for some odd reason, he knew he wasn’t. Truly strange. With an inexplicably heavy heart, Byakuya walked away from the teahouse.



TBC


AN/ ARRRRRRRRGH! What an excrutiatingly delicate chapter to write! It took me ages, and really was probably the hardest chapter yet, so I do hope everyone likes it. I'm glad I've got people wondering about the nature of Renji and Reiko's relationship, and some of the predictions are quite interesting. Hopefully the next chapter won't take me as long to churn out, but for what it's worth, I'm at least happy with the way this one turned out, however difficult I found it.

Please keep reading, and I'll try to be better about updating every week from now on. Thanks mucho! ^^