Karatsu Kunchi

Author's Notes: Written for the Cherry Ice November contest on Japanese Festivals. For the purposes of this fic, we will pretend that Karatsu is close to Karakura Town, as I have no idea where exactly in Japan Karakuka is meant to be located.




*~*~*



Kuchiki Byakuya slid silently into the senkaimon on his estate dressed in a flowing kimono of emerald green with golden dragons dancing along the material. It was rare for him to visit the Living World without being requested to do so, but at least once a year he went on his own, to remember and to forget. He didn't bother to check to see if he was being followed – he knew he was – but that was of no import. The one who followed was no threat to him; therefore his presence was of no consequence.



The gate opened on the outskirts of Karatsu and Byakuya stood within it for a moment, breathing the air and steeling himself for the night to come. While he had made a joke or two – usually at his vice captain's expense – very few had actually seen Kuchiki Byakuya participate in any type of revelry. What he planned to do this night would no doubt bring questions, but that could not be helped. He had made a promise, and he would keep his word.



Resolute, he stepped through the gate and moved with purpose toward the Karatsu-jinja Shrine, well aware that it took the gate several moments longer to close behind him than it should have. As he got closer to the main part of the city the sound of drums became apparent, and despite himself, Byakuya felt the edges of his lips turning up in a smile. The sound brought pleasant memories of the many times he and Hisana had visited the three day festival.



He rounded the corner to be greeted by the sight of people lining the streets, a near solid wall of humanity. There was anticipation in the air and Byakuya could feel it thrumming through him, making him grateful he had not requested his gigai be ready until the next morning. He slipped easily through the crowd without the need to speak to the humans until he found an open spot in the line and allowed himself a small smile.




It would seem he had arrived in time to see the parade of Hikiyama after all.



The first was a large red koi decorated with gold leaf and surrounded by paper lanterns of the same pattern. The drummers set the pace with the music they made, highlighted by the singing of the people of the province that made the float as they pulled it along the street. He found the samurai mask that followed vaguely amusing, shaped as it was to represent the tengu, although he thought the colors distasteful.



On and on it went, Hikiyama after Hikiyama until the fourteenth – and final – Hikiyama made its way down the street. This one reminded him most of Hisana. It had been her favorite. Unconsciously he stiffened as it went past, memories of her voice crying out in delight filling him. The Red Lion was the oldest float in the parade, dating back to 1819 and had captivated Hisana with its fierce snarl and bright colors. He missed her more at the sight of it than he did at any other time.



The formal portion of the festivities over, Byakuya watched as the people around him moved eagerly on to the informal portion; the drinking and general revelry that only this festival brought. His lips twisted sadly as he remembered Hisana telling him to relax and enjoy himself, laughing at the disgusted look he'd made at some of the participants. "No one is criticized for not observing good manners during the festival, Byakuya," she'd said. "It's the one time no one expects it, and noble and commoner alike dine together."



Wanting to leave behind the noise and spend time on his memories, Byakuya made his way to the Urahara shoten, stopping well away from it before he spoke. "Abarai Renji," he said, voice as coolly commanding as usual, flowing smoothly over his shoulder and causing his vice captain to freeze in mid-step. "You have duties to attend to which do not include a surveillance of your captain. Inform Kuchiki Rukia that we will speak when I return to Soul Society."



The dismissal was clear and he sincerely hoped Renji would take the hint. He did not need a minder; he was an adult who knew perfectly well what he was doing. He was in the living world to forget for a time his myriad responsibilities, and to live; to relax and enjoy himself in a manner he'd only been able to do here with Hisana.




"Yes, Taicho," Renji said before flashing stepping in the other direction. Byakuya tracked his reaitsu for a while, and when it was clear Renji was headed back to where the senkai had emerged, he continued his way into the Urahara shoten. He doubted his vice captain would simply leave, but he was gone for the moment, and that was enough.



*~*~*



The second day of the festival dawned bright and sunny and Byakuya allowed himself to do something he rarely did; he lay in bed past his usual time of rising. It was some time later that he heard the household begin to stir, and so he rose and dressing in the simple kinagashi he'd brought to preserve his modesty, then padded down the hall to where he knew the others would be gathered for the morning meal. Urahara would have served him had he stayed in his room, however, he was here to be treated as anything but the noble he was, and so he met them in the kitchen, nodded in greeting and sat down.



*~*~*



Byakuya found the gigai to be far more comfortable than expected as he followed those carrying the portable version of Karatsu Shrine towards Nishinohama Beach. The shrine was followed by the floats from the day before, and he found himself chuckling at the sight of people hauling the huge floats through the sand once they'd reached the beach. Once everyone was settled, the festivities began in earnest and Byakuya made his way from group to group, chatting with those he recognized from before.



At each group he was offered food and drink, and Byakuya took it all with a gracious nod, wishing that Hisana were with him and that they were sitting in their own little spot, offering food and drink to others. He found he drank more than ate and was well and truly drunk when he literally ran into Kurosaki Ichigo.




"Oi!" Ichigo cried before he saw whom it was that had almost knocked him off his feet. "Byakuya!" he added, surprised. He blinked for several moments before he grabbed hold of Byakuya's arm and dragged him to where the rest of the family sat. He'd been trying to find a way to get to know him since it seemed he knew more about all the other captains he respected except for Byakuya. This seemed like the perfect chance.



"Kuchiki Taicho," Isshin grinned drunkenly. "Come, sit with us," he encouraged, sliding slowly over to give Byakuya a spot on the blanket. The action put him directly into the spot Ichigo had been sitting in before he went wandering, and this left no other place for Ichigo to sit except next to the shinigami captain.



Byakuya gracefully accepted the invitation and sat somewhat unsteadily next to the former captain and nodded at Karin and Yuzu. Ichigo plopped down right next to him, close enough for Byakuya to feel his body heat, and smiled at him.



"Kurosaki Ichigo," Byakuya began, a little less smoothly than normal. "Are you drunk?"



"Not yet," Ichigo replied cheerfully. "But almost," he finished with a wink at the austere captain. It was a treat for Ichigo to see Byakuya this way. He didn't know the man knew how to relax and had never even imagined him drunk.



Byakuya looked from Ichigo to Isshin and shook his head. Isshin had been friend with both that woman and Urahara; he shouldn't be surprised at t his relaxed attitude with his children. Although he found himself considering the fact that perhaps Isshin had some idea what he was doing, as Kurosaki Ichigo was a fine young man, not that he'd ever say so out loud.




It was enlightening to watch the family interact, and Byakuya found himself respecting Isshin – and Ichigo – more as the night wore on, despite Isshin's sometimes odd behavior. As Isshin consistently attempted to catch his son off guard, Byakuya could see why Ichigo's reflexes were as well developed as they were, given he'd obviously been getting training from his father his entire life. Granted, he doubted that was how Ichigo saw it, given the vaguely annoyed way he responded, but Byakuya knew it for what it was.



It was unorthodox perhaps, but it was certainly effective, and he toyed with the idea of implementing surprise mock attacks within his division to further enhance their training. He wondered absently if he should invite Ichigo to participate when he did them, then shook his head, bemused. The alcohol and being invited to sit had clearly gone to his head; Byakuya rarely invited anyone to do anything, much less assist in training his division.



As he left his ruminations behind and looked up at the sound of Ichigo's laughter, he found himself thinking thoughts he hadn't had in some time. It occurred to him that Kurosaki's skin was creamy and clear, and he wondered if it could possibly be as soft as it looked given the amount of damage the younger man had undergone in both his training and the many battles he'd been in.



That was the point he decided he needed to leave.



Yes, he'd come to the living world to remember Hisana, remember and act on the promise he'd given her that he would live, but he'd intended to find some nameless person for the weekend to dally with, not someone he knew. He had indulged himself with the willing bodies of male and female alike over the years when the need to feel connected to someone became too great and had planned as much for this year. The fact he found himself considering taking Kurosaki Ichigo – of all people – to his bed had him standing and bidding the family a quiet goodnight after expressing his thanks for their company.



As he made his way back to the shoten, he considered his unexpected attraction to Kurosaki Ichigo. As he thought, he came to realize that it had been there for longer than he thought. He had developed a sort of grudging admiration for the boy who had entered Soul Society to save his sister in law, which had become respect for both his character and his obvious ability. Somewhere along the line, he'd become attracted to the other man – for man he now was – but had ignored the growing attachment.




He entered the shoten, greeted Urahara and left his gigai settled in a corner of the room he was using, then got ready for bed, resolving to think more on the matter the next day. As he drifted to sleep, his last thought was of strawberry blond hair and a face that frowned even as it smiled.



*~*~*



When Byakuya woke the next morning it was to the unexpected news that he had a visitor. It didn't take long for him to figure out who his visitor had to be, as only four people knew he was presently in the living world, including the Commander General. Neither Renji or Rukia would risk his further displeasure with them by arriving unannounced and uninvited, and the Commander General had no reason to visit the living world.



That left Kurosaki Ichigo.



He padded over to his gigai, stepped into it and dressed, then made his way towards the kitchen. He raised a brow at Kurosaki and nodded at Urahara, sipped his tea and then bid the exiled shinigami goodbye for the day. It wasn't until he and Ichigo were well on their way to the place the Karakura team would store their float for the next year that he spoke.



"Did you need something, Kurosaki Ichigo?"




Ichigo shook his head as he responded, "Can't you just call me Ichigo? Ichigo-kun? Something besides my full name? You called me Ichigo last night," he pointed out.



"That was different," Byakuya replied.



"How?" Ichigo asked.



"Formality is inappropriate at the festival," Byakuya answered, voice as calm as always.



Ichigo stopped and put out a hand to stop Byakuya as well. "Look. I like you," he said and was proud his voice was relatively steady. He couldn't do much about the blush adorning his cheeks so he plowed on. "I want to know you better, spend some time with you, and I want you to call me Ichigo. I don't think I'm asking for a lot here, so work with me will ya?"



Byakuya didn't reply. Instead he regarded Ichigo for long moments in silence until Ichigo began to visibly twitch. Finally he nodded and said, "The next time you are within the Soul Society for any length of time, my home will be open to you." It would leave the choice of contact up to Ichigo, but would allow Byakuya the comfort of his home. He knew Ichigo was attracted to him as well, and if nothing else, allowing himself the chance to get to know Kurosaki and allowing the substitute shinigami the opportunity to know him would be a far more tangible form of honoring his promise to Hisana.




Ichigo smiled at Byakuya's response, and for the first time, Kuchicki Byakuya allowed the edges of his lips to curve slightly where someone else could see it.