229: A Bird Without Wings
The first pairing week I am going to cover is between Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Rukia. The canon relationship between Kaien and Rukia is best described as the role of a master to their student, or an older brother to a younger sibling. Some of the fans of this pairing like to say it is canon that Rukia had romantic feelings for Kaien before he died and some will say that these feelings have shifted towards Kurosaki Ichigo because Kaien and Ichigo look so much alike. There is no canon proof that Rukia was in love with Kaien beyond having a high amount of admiration for the man. Yes, the Hollow that took Kaien's body over said she was upset because she was in love with the man, however... this was the Hollow speaking, not Kaien or Rukia. She also got a pink line between her and Kaien on the tenth anniversary display for the relationships. I am going to make it clear, the pink line does not mean romantic relationships, it means other. While pink has a romantic meaning in Western Culture, in Japan it is the color of the warrior. The last factor, Kaien was deeply in love with his wife, another person Rukia greatly admired. So here is the first day of Kaien/Rukia week.
Title: A Bird Without Wings
Name: Kuchiki Rukia
Suethor: Katsura
Pairings: Kaien/Rukia, also... the writer says that there might be a bit of Byakuya/Rukia (for those who don't know, Byakuya is Rukia's older sister's husband... need I say more?)
Stats: 2,519 words, 5 reviews, 3 favorites and 7 follows
Rating: Ganju
Appearance: Like Rukia Kuchiki
Background: Rukia's pretty much mooning over Kaien.
Sue Qualifications: Rukia is waxing purple prose about Kaien and she is free to do so because Miyako has been dead before Rukia came, so she doesn't have to deal with Kaien having a wife. She does have to deal with him mooning over his dead wife though and the writer has to deal with the fact that the plot for Bleach will change greatly if Kaien doesn't die, and Kaien won't die if he isn't revenging Miyako's death.
Annoying Attributes: A good portion of the writing is retelling the writer stuff that has already occurred in Bleach canon.
Sample:
She flopped down onto her futon and pressed her face deep into the pillow. Other thoughts surfaced to her mind, circling around in a dangerous whirlpool. She thought of Kaien-dono as her salvation in this entirely unexpected world of power and influence. What she wouldn't give to be near him all the time. He was like warm sunshine after a chilly day. Only he made her feel accepted and welcomed, despite her background. Only because of him had the rest of the company been made to see that she was a hard worker, capable (her failure to pass the test notwithstanding), and worthy of their respect as a member of the team. She owed him everything, everything she currently cherished. Her life as a member of the Kuchiki family would have been utterly unbearable had she not had going to the Company barracks to look forward to, when she would see Kaien-dono's face and his easy smile, listen to him alternately guide her with firm directions and praise her with enthusiasm and kindness.
She'd once expressed the opinion that she thought he was being kind to her only because of her new family. His face appeared in front of hers so suddenly that she recoiled back, startled, He wore the most indignant frown she'd yet seen. He'd spoken quietly, but with a firmness she didn't dare to disbelieve. "Never, ever doubt your own abilities, Kuchiki," he'd said, his voice low and firm, and backed by the look in his eyes. She'd been intimidated, and utterly captivated by his eyes. "If you think that you suck, with me as your teacher, what are people gonna say about me?" He'd sat back with a laugh then, full and hearty, shoving food into his mouth as if might disappear before he could eat it. She'd smiled despite herself, and laughed with him. That was just like him, and she vowed to never doubt herself again.
She rolled onto her back, pulling the pillow to her chest and hugging it to her tightly. She would give anything to be a permanent part of his world.