A Shinigami Valentine

Akina was pulling her hair back in a high ponytail when Byakuya Kuchiki arrived at the hospital to escort her to the dance. He was dressed in human clothes, his uniform abandoned for the evening. A tailored, black tuxedo jacket with tails that reached his knees accentuated his lean body. A black walking cane, disguising his zanpakuto, Black slacks, a white shirt and a white bow tie completed his outfit. He looked good, she thought with a smile.

"You look lovely, Akina." he said with a faint smile as he stepped into the room. She grinned, smoothing out the pink yukata that Zaraki had bought her.

"Thank you, Byakuya. You look good too. All the girls will be jealous of me tonight." she said easily as she accepted the arm he offered. They walked from Division 4 under the watchful stares of male and female shinigami alike.

"How are you feeling?" he asked gently as they crossed the Sereitei. "Are you in any pain?"

"No, I feel great. Captain Unohana gave me some miracle medicine that's taken away all my pain. Of course, she promises that I'll pay the price tomorrow." Akina explained with a smile. The dance was being held in the Division 1 meeting hall. Bright, twinkling lights decorated the exterior of the tall building. The sound of music and laughter spilled out the open doors.

"Ready?" he asked her, patting her hand reassuringly. Akina nodded. Together, they walked through the double doors.

Inside, a large table had been set up. Two young female shinigami were sitting at the table, distributing the escort cards. They both smiled sweetly at Byakuya, batting their eyelashes up at him as they each tried to snatch up his card first. The winner, a pretty young blond with big blue eyes, stared up at him as she sweetly said,

"Here you go, Captain Kuchiki. You're seated at table 2."

"Thank you, Yamada-san." he said easily, accepting the card from her. "And Akina is seated at which table?"

"Oh, let me look." she said, shooting Akina a dirty look. "Here you go. Akina Ito...table...2."

The girl looked crestfallen as Akina accepted the card.

"Thank you." she said with a smile. Byakuya placed a hand on the small of her back, guiding her inside the dance. The rush of whispers in their wake was unmistakable. Great, Akina thought, more gossip.

"I believe it's this way." Byakuya spoke, pointing to the right side of the room. The meeting hall was decorated with red and white streamers. Glittering, colored lights illuminated the room in a soft glow. A large, wooden dance floor had been setup in the center of the room with the small round tables set around it. Each table sat four people. Candles, flowers and white linen table cloths decorated the tables. Soft, romantic dance music played by a group of musicians completed the overall effect. It was beautiful.

"The Shinigami Women's Association has outdone itself." Byakuya noted softly. Akina opened her mouth to agree when she caught sight of Zaraki standing nearby. He was dressed in his uniform but to her, he looked amazing. She smiled broadly at the mere sight of him. She couldn't help herself. He frowned, watching them as they moved closer.

Zaraki suddenly grabbed her by the arm as she neared, jerking her away from Byakuya. He leaned close, his voice low and gruff as he said,

"Quit smiling at me. You're supposed to be pissed at me, remember?"

"Oh, yeah!" she said, still smiling. His lone eye softened tenderly as she looked up at him.

"You're a terrible actress, Akina." he snorted, "Listen to me because I gotta make this fast..."

"Captain Zaraki, if you would kindly unhand my date." Byakuya said coolly, stepping up beside them. Zaraki looked over at him with murder in his eyes.

"Back off, Pretty Boy! I got somethin' to say to her that ain't none of your business." he roared. Passing shinigami glanced at them, then scurried away whispering hotly. When Zaraki's gaze returned to Akina's it was full of mirth.

"That oughta set their tongues awaggin'." he chuckled softly. "Okay listen, sugar. I'm gonna be watching so if you need me, just let me know. And I went ahead and told Yachiru, Ikkaku and Yumichika what was going on. Yachiru got all upset when she heard we weren't going together so I had to tell her to shut her up. I figured that if I didn't tell Ikkaku or Yumichika, they might try to do something to Kuchiki to get even for me so..."

"I understand, Kenpachi." she said softly, longing to move closer to him, to touch him, to hold him...

"Quit lookin' at me like that, Akina. Or I ain't gonna be able to do this." he said sharply.

"What?" she cried out in surprise, unsure what she had done.

"You're lookin' at me like you want me...real bad. You know I can't resist that look. So quit it. Now!" he barked. "Oh, and this whole thing'll look a lot more convincing if you kiss him once and awhile. So be sure to do that." he ordered her, releasing her arm. She stared at him in shocked surprise. He grinned sharply.

"S'okay." he whispered. "I trust you, sugar."

Akina stared at him, unable to tear her eyes away. He trusted her. After everything they'd been through, those three little words were something she never thought she'd hear from him again.

"But no tongue or I'll kill the son of a bitch." he warned her darkly. "Now slap me and get outta here." he snapped.

"What?" she said, confused. He frowned.

"Slap me and make it look good. If we're gonna play this stupid game, I want it to look good." he growled, grabbing both her arms and shaking her roughly. She just stared at him, unable to raise her hand to him. His frowned deepened as Byakuya stepped closer.

"Captain Zaraki, I insist you take your hands off Akina." he said in a low, controlled voice. Zaraki glared at him then looked back down at Akina to yell,

"What are you fuckin' your way to the vice-captain's seat in Division 6 now, you little slut?"

Akina was stunned. Her hand moved of it's own volition, slapping him hard across the face.

"Captain Zaraki!" Byakuya burst out, pulling Akina away from him. Zaraki stared at her. For a brief moment, he looked apologetic, a sad smile on his lips. Then it was gone as if it had never been there.

"Fuckin' bitch." he complained, walking away from them. Akina knew what he was doing but it did little to quell the shock and pain that washed over her quickly. Byakuya slipped a comforting arm around her shoulders, leaning close to whisper in her ear,

"You do know that he was playing a part, Akina?"

"I know." she said softly. He squeezed her a little tighter for a moment as he added,

"It still hurts to hear someone you love speak to you that way. I understand. And I apologize for having to put you through this."

Akina stopped, looking up at him. Zaraki's words were echoing through her head. He was right about the kiss. She stretched up, kissing Byakuya lightly on the lips. His eyes widened, shock marring his handsome face. For the first time, the man looked surprised. His arms were frozen nervously in the air around her as he stared down at her.

"Kenpachi told me to do that." she reassured him in a hushed voice. His eyes darted behind her. She glanced over her shoulder. Zaraki was watching them with a dark, angry expression.

"I think we should find our seats." he said, slowly regaining his composure. His arm slipped around her waist as they walked. It struck her how much shorter and softer he felt compared to Zaraki. She preferred Zaraki's hard, muscular body but, she thought in passing, Byakuya smelled good. It was a warm, green scent that she was sure had captured more than a few hearts over the years.

Byakuya escorted her to a table at the rear of the hall. A placard bearing the number 2 was stuck amid the floral arrangement on the table. Yumichika sat alone at the table, sipping tea. He rose as Akina stepped up to the table.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, taking her hand and helping her to a sit. Byakuya frowned.

"I'm feeling pretty good. I'm really glad that you're sitting with us though. I was worried that we might be sharing the table with Captain Kurotsuchi or heaven knows who." she said, smiling. The befeathered man smiled sweetly as he informed her,

"I have been designated as your guardian tonight."

"Oh?" Byakuya commented quietly. "By whom?"

"Several people actually." Yumichika said brightly as he returned to his seat opposite Akina. "Captain Zaraki, of course. Captain Unohana made me swear to whisk Akina back to Division 4 at the first signs of fatigue or pain. And Commander Yamamoto told me to keep score and referee as needed."

"Really? Referee? There's no need for any of that. I'll look after Akina." Byakuya said as he took his seat beside her.

"It seems they weren't sure you were up to the task, Captain Kuchiki." Yumichika replied easily. Akina covered her hand with her mouth to try and hide her grin. She looked around the large room. There were eight tables in total. Four encircling the dance floor on each side. In between the tables, servers moved steadily, carrying large trays of food and drinks. At the far end, the band played from a raised platform. Off to one side, a buffet table was set up with an illuminated punch bowl fountain at one end and a cascading chocolate fountain at the other.

"They did a really good job." she commented. Yumichika smiled and nodded.

"It looks like you're about to be knocked off your pedestal as the reigning queen of gossip around the Sereitei tonight." he said, a sharp, knowing smile on his pretty face.

"Oh really? Thank god!" she laughed. He leaned forward to whisper and point as he said,

"Lt. Ise and Captain Kyoraku are at the top of tonight's rumor mill. See, there she goes again."

Akina saw Nanao hurry by wearing a flowing royal blue dress. Captain Ukitake struggled to keep up with her. Captain Kyoraku traveled in her wake, calling out to her.

"It's been like that for nearly an hour. I keep waiting for Captain Ukitake to fall out but so far, he's done an amazing job keeping up with her." Yumichika chuckled.

"Why is he chasing her around the room?" Byakuya asked slowly.

"She refuses to talk to him. Captain Ukitake is her companion for the evening. That alone set all the tongues flying. She and Captain Kyoraku have been inseparable since the Valentine Day's fiasco. But today the air between them has been quite tense." Yumichika explained. Byakuya shook his head, looking away. He obviously had little interest in the current gossip.

"I feel bad for Rukia. She's Captain Kyoraku's date tonight but she's been left sitting all alone at table 3." Yumichika said with a sigh. "Now, at table 4, there's been some excitement as well."

Akina turned to look behind them where he was pointing. At table 4, sat Ikkaku and Nemu across from Captain Kurotsuchi and Captain Komamura.

"Oh no." she whispered. "Why did they sit Mayuri at the same table as Nemu and Ikkaku?"

"I think he insisted. Or maybe it was to make-up with pairing him with Captain Komamura. Who knows? Apparently two of the ladies involved with Valentine's Day were still in the hospital after the arrancar attacks." he explained.

"No," Byakuya corrected him. "Only one of the women remain hospitalized and unable to attend tonight's festivities. You are the other missing female."

"That's right." Akina laughed. "Your questionnaire listed you as a girl, remember?"

"I had forgotten about that." Yumichika said with a smile.

"Nemu looks happy despite her father's presence." Akina noted quietly. Ikkaku had leaned forward on his elbow, smiling and chatting with Nemu. She was smiling, a faint blush tinging her cheeks. Mayuri Kurotsuchi was leaning back in his seat, his arms crossed and a sneering expression on his face. He met Akina's gaze as she looked over. He sat upright suddenly, his sneer changing to a smile. Akina pulled her eyes away, glancing at Captain Komamura. He wasn't sitting at the table. He was on the dance floor, dancing with Rukia Kuchiki.

"Ito-san, you are looking well this evening." Kurotsuchi said smoothly, suddenly appearing at their table. She smiled stiffly as she replied,

"Thank you, Captain Kurotsuchi. I am feeling better tonight. Captain Unohana was quite generous with her medication."

"Ah. And I thought it was my presence that brought the roses to your cheeks, Akina." Byakuya said quietly, touching her cheek lightly as he spoke. Akina stared at him, wide-eyed for a moment.

"This is not happening." Chizu's sharp voice cut through the moment. She stood beside Captain Kurotsuchi, who glared at her for interrupting. Yumichika stood.

"Chizu, are you my companion for the evening?" he said sweetly. Akina could tell by the look in his violet eyes that he already knew it was true.

"You're not sitting at this table, are you?" Akina snapped. Chizu shook her head, looking around. All the other tables were occupied. The only empty space left was next to Yumichika.

"At least you're not seated with me." Kurotsuchi sneered, walking away from the group. Byakuya stood, saying quietly,

"Abe-san, please join us."

"Captain Kuchiki, perhaps it was you I was matched with?" she said, smiling warmly up at him. He smiled, turning away from her to look down adoringly at Akina.

"No," he said softly. "Akina and I are together."

"No way." Akina heard Chizu practically growl.

"Would you care to dance, my dear?" Byakuya asked her, extending his hand to Akina.

"Okay." she said softly. She smiled smugly at Chizu as they passed, Byakuya's arm wrapped possessively around her waist. Chizu watched them, mouth hanging open. Akina heard Yumichika comment,

"You'll catch flies like that, Chizu."


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And so the dance begins...I'm curious to know what you think, please leave a review if you're so inclined. And thanks so much to all of you've who have left me reviews so far. I love sharing it all with you. Thank you!!