Don't get strung out by the way I look

[fightsforpride]

Who: Shiba Kaien, and it's open to anyne in Las Muertes!
Where: Las Muertes
When: December 12th, after dusk
What: The real Shiba Kaien makes himself known!

Comments

[deadwife]

Hisana was very fond of walks. The exercise did her a great deal of good, despite the chill of winter. It was advised that she not spend more than half an hour outdoors with the snow so thick and the temperature so dismal. But the sickness no longer had a claim upon her, and she had to admit that it was a somewhat guilty indulgence of hers. She'd been bedridden for weeks before she'd passed away. How good it was to move about upon her own two feet again!

Bundled up warmly by the servants, she plotted her course through the streets that would lead her on a circuit past the fields and houses of lesser families, to the inner court of the city where the thirteen squads held sway, and back again.

It was at the peak of her route that a man with short, spiky black hair abrupt landed in front of her, drawing Hisana to an abrupt halt. Surprise was writ clearly upon her expressive features, her indigo eyes wide. A shinigami? Admittedly, not an unusual sight here in Las Muertes, but where had he come from?

Yay for dead people!

[fightsforpride]

Hey hey, there was a familiar face! She looked a little older and tireder, but how could Kaien not recognize Kuchiki? He grinned down at her, then grabbed her around the neck, getting his favorite littlest noble into a headlock and scrubbing his knuckles over her head.

"Kuchiki!" He wasn't going to let her go, not any time soon. If Rukia wanted to get away from Kaien, she'd have to do it under her own power! The best part of it was that he could get away with calling it a training exercise. "Hey, what's with this!"

He dug his knuckles into her scalp a little more roughly. "Oi! And what the hell is with this silence? 'Hello, Kaien-dono'. Come on now, Kuchiki, don't tell me I've been away so long that you've forgotten how to be polite!"

I have no traumatized icons. :< Have a dead one instead.

[deadwife]

A startled cry fell from Hisana's lips as she was roughly jerked forward and promptly given her very first noogie. Considering the circumstances, she didn't receive it as the gesture of affection Kaien meant it to be.

"P-please! Unhand me!" she stammered, her fragile little heart beating like a bird's as she clutched at his arm. Her own power? It was not very mighty.

She winced as he manhandled her noble scalp, whimpering. He knew her name. Why did she not know his? ...Kaien-dono? Was he a noble? Perhaps one of the nobility's children, now grown? "F...forgive me, I do not recall you...!"

If she suddenly died at him, he'd be pretty traumatised.

[fightsforpride]

What was this about? Please unhand me? Kaien stopped giving Hisana her very first noogie and looked down at her, rather confused about Rukia's actions. Usually by now she'd have tossed his arm away, or at least begged Kaien-dono to leave her head alone. But there was none of that!

And then Kuchiki said she didn't 'recall' him. That was what really made Kaien let go of her and look down at her face. weird, she looked like Rukia, an older, kinda sadder version of her. He focused on her reiatsu... or lack thereof. What the heck was this?

"Kuchiki Rukia?" Had he been mistaken? Or ... had Rukia actually done the unforgivable and forgotten him?

Hisana = Hyatt?

[deadwife]

Hisana gasped as she was released, clutching thin fingers over her frantically-beating little heart. Th-that was frightening! It took her a few moments to compose herself, giving her head a faint shake in response to his question.

"No...no, I am afraid you must be mistaken. I am Kuchiki Hisana, Kaien-dono." Great, she'd picked up the nickname. Byakuya was going to be absolutely thrilled. "Kuchiki Rukia... She is my younger sister."

Whom she had yet to meet. But it was recommended that the meeting be delayed for a short while, not only because it might be a strain on both of the women, but because Byakuya was entitled to spending what little free time he had with her, keeping her company all to himself. So the servants had explained, and she was inclined to agree with them. She was anxious, even frightened of that meeting, for Hisana had much to answer for. But when she'd heard that Rukia had grown into such a strong young woman, she couldn't help the swelling of happiness and pride within her breast.

I have no idea who that is.

[fightsforpride]

Whoops! Well, wow, it was kind of amazing how much Hisana and Rukia looked alike. Kaien's grin grew wider and he tossed her a salute. "Shiba Kaien, vice-captain of the 13th division." She didn't seem exactly eager to be friendly to him. Those darn Kuchikis were so rude.

He leaned in closer to her, how brow furrowing. "This is the part where you say 'Hello Shiba-fukutaichou! Very pleased to meet you." Really now, it was going to get annoying if he had to lecture each and every noble on how to act! He put his hand on top of her head, turning her face up to his.

"Hello Shiba-fukutaichou." He began, slowly, waiting for her to repeat it.

From Excel Saga! If you have not seen it, you should, it's hilarious.

[deadwife]

It must have been a tradition for Kaiens to bully female Kuchikis. She looked just as alarmed and shocked as Rukia had. It wasn't that she was making an exception in her treatment of the man...she just wasn't eager about anything. That kind of exuberance was unfit for a lady of the household!

Her eyes widened as he settled his hand upon her head...such a familiar and intimate gesture, not even Byakuya-sama did anything like that!...and it very nearly shattered her composure. Hisana drew in her breath, for she was not the type who stammered anything, and waited until her fluttering heart had calmed enough to speak clearly, concisely.

"I was unaware...that you were a fukutaichou. Of what division?" She thought she'd known them pretty well, but things had changed since she'd left the world of the shinigami.

[fightsforpride]

Kaien rolled his eyes, leaning down close to her face.

"Oi," he said. "'Hello Shiba-fukutaichou. I'm very pleased to meet you." Man! What was with with the Kuchikis? Didn't they understand even the easiest of commands? Well, this one hadn't gone through the Spirit Academy, so maybe she just didn't know how to take direction.

But that didn't mean Kaien was going to ease up on her, just because she didn't know any better. He considered this a 'teaching' session. School was in order, Kaien-sensei was ready to knock some learning into anyone who needed it.

"It isn't that hard, you know, and being polite goes a heck of a long way in this world!"

[deadwife]

Hisana paled further. This man was terrifying! Was he one of those unruly rapscallions of the Eleventh Division? Why was he so focused on forcing her to follow his speech patterns?

Clearly Hisana did not possess the toughness a rough upbringing could bestow, as her younger sister did. She trembled, holding her fists to her mouth. Just what was it he hoped to gain from this? Was he after her money? She carried none!

"Please..." she begged, clasping her hands in quiet supplication. "I've done nothing wrong, and if I caused offense, I sincerely apologize. Please release me...!"

[fightsforpride]

The poor little thing looked like she thought Kaien was going to beat her up, steal her lunch money and rub her face in the dirt afterward. He shook his head. She looked like a scared little rabbit, and Kaien certainly didn't want to make her heard explode in terror. He let go of her.

"You Kuchikis," he said, and he shook his head. "Seems like I've got to teach every one of you how to behave!" Kaien thumped his chest. "I'm Shiba Kaien, head of the Shiba clan. Or... I was. I am. I'm not entirely sure how that works, but I'll figure it out later. Vice-captain of the Thirteenth division. Or-- yeah, let's just go with vice-captain of the Thirteenth."

He looked down at her. "And you are Kuchiki Hisana. I'm very pleased to meet you." His serious 'Teaching Nobles How To Behave' look was replaced by his brilliant smile. "Don't be scared, come on. It's just a joke. I'm not going to hurt you, Kuchiki."

[deadwife]

Hisana stumbled at the removal of his hand, releasing the pent-up breath she'd been holding in anticipation of being beaten up, mugged, and having her face rubbed in the dirt afterward

[fightsforpride]

That had taken quite a while, but she'd figured it out. It was pretty clear where all the brains had gone in the Kuchiki family! Kaien was able to restrain himself, barely, from patting her on the head and congratulating her for learning a new trick.

"Well, that's a shame!" He said. "You really ought to meet captain Ukitake. He's a pretty nice guy, a little shy and sickly, but you learn to look past that!" Kaien chuckled, then he looked around. Odd, wasn't it, for a noble lady come back from the dead to be wandering around by herself.

Hey, maybe the Kuchikis were really loosening up! Still, it could be dangerous for a young unarmed lady. He nodded his head at her. "Where are you headed? I'll walk you there, make sure you get there safe as can be."

[deadwife]

"Oh, no, I have no destination," Hisana explained with a small smile, smoothing her hand over the shoulder of her kimono to dust off the snowflakes that had gathered there. A glance at the clouded skies overhead confirmed that yes, snow was beginning to fall.

"My constitution is still rather poor, so I had hoped to improve my health with a daily evening walk," she explained. "But as it is beginning to snow, it may be best to return home." She held her hands in front of her. "You are in no hurry to fulfill other engagements?" Hisana certainly had no objections to an escort.

[fightsforpride]

"That's the best kind of destination!" Kaien said, looking up when she did, then reaching up to rub a bit of snow out of his eye. Ouch.

Kaien offered her his arm when she agreed to allow him to escort her. "It would only make your delicate constitution worse if you were out in this snowstorm for too long, Kuchiki-sama." He chuckled. "My other engagements can wait. It'd be very rude of me if I left you alone in such cold weather instead of making sure you got home safely."

[deadwife]

Hisana smiled. Despite her initial scare, she decided that she liked this energetic and spirited man. It was a shame that she'd never had the chance to speak with him before she'd passed away, but her conversations were confined to only those who paid the Kuchiki manor a visit, which officers seldom did.

"I would like that very much. Thank you." She took his arm with polite dignity, her small, slim fingers curled around the warm black sleeve at his elbow. "You certainly are very lively, Kaien-dono. Are you very fond of the winter weather?" Or was there, perhaps, another reason for his good mood?

Hehe, he's wearing Aaroneiro's clothes. ^^

[fightsforpride]

He patted the back of her hand reassuringly. He wasn't quite sure which way the Kuchiki manor was, so he waited for her cue as to which way they should be walking.

"I'm very fond of any weather right now." He said. Normally, he didn't like to be cold any more than any other person. But today he'd come back to life. The cloudy, snowy and particularly chilly day was more beautiful than the clearest, sunniest day he'd known. "It's been quite a while since I've been outside, Kuchiki-sama."

He could be despairingly sad over events that had happened long ago. And yes, he was depressed that Miyako wasn't here with him. But if he had been brought back, she could be too. He could see her again, love her, live with her. That hope, that realization that he might be able to see her again was what really kept him smiling.

"And it's such a beautiful day, isn't it? The air might be cold, but it feels just so good to breathe that I don't really mind." He looked down at Hisana. "I'm sure you know what I mean, Kuchiki-sama."