Taste of Salt
Title: Taste of Salt
Characters: Juushiro and Shunsui from Bleach (forever apologies to Kubo-san)
Note: In Soul Society, first year(-ish) of Shinou Academy, when they were teens. (Not quite kid!fic, but almost ^^)
For ravens_rising the enabler, of course XD
Juushiro Ukitake lay with his back to the thick trunk of the tree, face to the sky but eyes closed to the sun streaming through the leaves. Hot tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Perhaps if he could not see the world, the world would not know that he was crying. Stupid logic, but somehow stupid logic seemed to just come easily when one was upset.
His family had similarities to any other family - he had been often told that young men should not cry. Especially the eldest brother. He did not want to cry, he should not cry. So he cried out here in the middle of nowhere. He could not see the world and it could not see him.
This world was so not fair. A popular person might be liked by lots of people, but they were also envied by many, many more. His charisma was his one blessing, but now so often it felt like a burden - no, a curse. Sometimes it seemed like the whole world loved him. Perhaps that's why when someone said that they hated him, it broke him. So selfish. So incredibly egotistical.
"So responsible, that eldest Ukitake, taking care of his siblings." "Ukitake is so well liked and people surround him." "Top of the class again! Ukitake, you are amazing! Your marks are strong even with everything else you do."
"Why can't you be more like Ukitake."
Moronic adults. Didn't they know that such a sentence damned?
Damn them, he thought, the words not able to come to his lips because his breath was coming raggedly in sobs.
He could taste his tears now, they had streamed to the corner of his mouth. So salty. He had heard once that tears tasted differently if they were cried in joy or in pain. He would never taste tears of joy. Never. He would get up from this tree, go back home with a smile, take care of the kids, do his homework and go to bed early just as always. He would get up and go to school and perfect every class, just as always. And every day he would rot a little more on the inside because... because...
He wanted so much for someone to care for him, to support him. He spent every day doing that for others, but he wanted it for himself. So incredibly selfish.
A slight breeze of wind stirred the branches overhead, but he heard nothing over his sobbing. So he didn't hear someone approach, and didn't notice the other presence even as it settled right before him.
After what was an awkward pause for the other person who had arrived, for he had not been acknowledged at all, he reached out his hand and placed it on the other man's white haired head. Ukitake's head jolted forward and his eyes opened in surprise.
"Kyoraku!"
"Hi," he replied with an awkward grin. "I'm sorry to get you like this, but... I just couldn't leave it alone."
Ukitake was hurriedly wiping his tears away with the white sleeves of his uniform but his breathing still had not settled.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"Thank you for standing up for me. Those guys-"
"It was n-nothing. Really. Th-They were teasing you over su-ch a stu-pid thing..." Ukitake tried to breathe more deeply to regain control, but his lungs were aching. At least he was being distracted from crying.
"Yah, but all the same, thanks. But when I saw your face after what that one guy said, I just couldn't leave it alone..."
"You prissy aristocrat. Ukitake is barely even a noble family! How do you get off doing things like this? Quit pretending to be so righteous! I hate you." Every one of those sentences had been punctuated by a shove from the guy who had been harassing Kyoraku, but that last sentence had been like a full blow to the face.
"You're fast!" Kyoraku continued, giving a bit of a laugh. "Took me forever to catch up to you to the point that I could sense your reiatsu."
"I didn't want t-to be found," Ukitake growled, shifting to get to his feet. Kyoraku quickly put out his arms to either side of Ukitake, pinning him to the tree.
"And I wanted to find you. So tough. And if you're all worried about 'boys aren't allowed to cry', well you can forget that. So happens that I cry all the time." He grinned again and with a light voice said, "I figure it's what keeps a person youthful-" and was interrupted by Ukitake's head bashing into his forehead. "OWW!" He bellowed, hands going to his head. Now that Ukitake was free he followed up with a blow to the stomach.
"You don't know anything about me!" Ukitake cried, throwing the doubled over Kyoraku to the leafy ground and pinning him there. "Don't bother getting close to me! You might be attracted to my charisma, but if you see the true me-" With a powerful shove Kyoraku turned over and grabbed at Ukitake, shoving him to the forest floor.
"If I see the true you I'll what?" hissed Kyoraku, looking Ukitake closely in the eyes. "Why didn't you just run away again just now?" Ukitake's eyes frantically shifted away from looking at Kyoraku's. "You're fast. You could have been way far away by now. But you stayed." Ukitake struggled to get up, but Kyoraku was much more heavy set and stronger than him. His lungs burned.
Kyoraku leaned back a bit but still kept Ukitake down as he pondered for a bit.
"Ukitake, what do you need?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you must need something from me otherwise you would have taken off. You opened up for just a moment with me, even though you almost opened up my skull in the process. So, Ukitake Juushiro, what do you need from me?"
Ukitake looked to the side sulkily. "I don't need anything from you."
"Mmm. So, what would you like?"
Ukitake didn't answer.
"So how about this then. Allow me to decide what I'll do when I see the 'true you', instead of you presuming what my action will be." Ukitake's eyes finally found Kyoraku's. "After all, people are naturally selfish, contrary and all-around nasty. But if you find someone to accept you despite these things, perhaps you can come out a little more giving, honest, and all-around better. Um, quit looking at me like I've grown horns, Ukitake. Should I let you up now?"
Silently the other young man nodded so Kyoraku stood up and offered a hand to Ukitake, which he gratefully took.
"Hey, hey, I didn't hurt you that bad, did I?" Kyoraku asked with concern as Ukitake started to cry again.
A tear reached the edge of his mouth and he tasted it.
It didn't taste salty.
---
The image of the first paragraph came to mind, then the rest wrote itself. I like where it took me ^^
And it didn't come out in the story, but the reason 'those guys' were harassing Kyoraku was because he can grow a beard. And none of the other guys can. I figured it was a dumb but realistic thing for teenage boys to get riled up about.
Characters: Juushiro and Shunsui from Bleach (forever apologies to Kubo-san)
Note: In Soul Society, first year(-ish) of Shinou Academy, when they were teens. (Not quite kid!fic, but almost ^^)
For ravens_rising the enabler, of course XD
Juushiro Ukitake lay with his back to the thick trunk of the tree, face to the sky but eyes closed to the sun streaming through the leaves. Hot tears leaked from the corners of his eyes. Perhaps if he could not see the world, the world would not know that he was crying. Stupid logic, but somehow stupid logic seemed to just come easily when one was upset.
His family had similarities to any other family - he had been often told that young men should not cry. Especially the eldest brother. He did not want to cry, he should not cry. So he cried out here in the middle of nowhere. He could not see the world and it could not see him.
This world was so not fair. A popular person might be liked by lots of people, but they were also envied by many, many more. His charisma was his one blessing, but now so often it felt like a burden - no, a curse. Sometimes it seemed like the whole world loved him. Perhaps that's why when someone said that they hated him, it broke him. So selfish. So incredibly egotistical.
"So responsible, that eldest Ukitake, taking care of his siblings." "Ukitake is so well liked and people surround him." "Top of the class again! Ukitake, you are amazing! Your marks are strong even with everything else you do."
"Why can't you be more like Ukitake."
Moronic adults. Didn't they know that such a sentence damned?
Damn them, he thought, the words not able to come to his lips because his breath was coming raggedly in sobs.
He could taste his tears now, they had streamed to the corner of his mouth. So salty. He had heard once that tears tasted differently if they were cried in joy or in pain. He would never taste tears of joy. Never. He would get up from this tree, go back home with a smile, take care of the kids, do his homework and go to bed early just as always. He would get up and go to school and perfect every class, just as always. And every day he would rot a little more on the inside because... because...
He wanted so much for someone to care for him, to support him. He spent every day doing that for others, but he wanted it for himself. So incredibly selfish.
A slight breeze of wind stirred the branches overhead, but he heard nothing over his sobbing. So he didn't hear someone approach, and didn't notice the other presence even as it settled right before him.
After what was an awkward pause for the other person who had arrived, for he had not been acknowledged at all, he reached out his hand and placed it on the other man's white haired head. Ukitake's head jolted forward and his eyes opened in surprise.
"Kyoraku!"
"Hi," he replied with an awkward grin. "I'm sorry to get you like this, but... I just couldn't leave it alone."
Ukitake was hurriedly wiping his tears away with the white sleeves of his uniform but his breathing still had not settled.
"Wh-What do you mean?"
"Thank you for standing up for me. Those guys-"
"It was n-nothing. Really. Th-They were teasing you over su-ch a stu-pid thing..." Ukitake tried to breathe more deeply to regain control, but his lungs were aching. At least he was being distracted from crying.
"Yah, but all the same, thanks. But when I saw your face after what that one guy said, I just couldn't leave it alone..."
"You prissy aristocrat. Ukitake is barely even a noble family! How do you get off doing things like this? Quit pretending to be so righteous! I hate you." Every one of those sentences had been punctuated by a shove from the guy who had been harassing Kyoraku, but that last sentence had been like a full blow to the face.
"You're fast!" Kyoraku continued, giving a bit of a laugh. "Took me forever to catch up to you to the point that I could sense your reiatsu."
"I didn't want t-to be found," Ukitake growled, shifting to get to his feet. Kyoraku quickly put out his arms to either side of Ukitake, pinning him to the tree.
"And I wanted to find you. So tough. And if you're all worried about 'boys aren't allowed to cry', well you can forget that. So happens that I cry all the time." He grinned again and with a light voice said, "I figure it's what keeps a person youthful-" and was interrupted by Ukitake's head bashing into his forehead. "OWW!" He bellowed, hands going to his head. Now that Ukitake was free he followed up with a blow to the stomach.
"You don't know anything about me!" Ukitake cried, throwing the doubled over Kyoraku to the leafy ground and pinning him there. "Don't bother getting close to me! You might be attracted to my charisma, but if you see the true me-" With a powerful shove Kyoraku turned over and grabbed at Ukitake, shoving him to the forest floor.
"If I see the true you I'll what?" hissed Kyoraku, looking Ukitake closely in the eyes. "Why didn't you just run away again just now?" Ukitake's eyes frantically shifted away from looking at Kyoraku's. "You're fast. You could have been way far away by now. But you stayed." Ukitake struggled to get up, but Kyoraku was much more heavy set and stronger than him. His lungs burned.
Kyoraku leaned back a bit but still kept Ukitake down as he pondered for a bit.
"Ukitake, what do you need?"
"What do you mean?"
"I mean that you must need something from me otherwise you would have taken off. You opened up for just a moment with me, even though you almost opened up my skull in the process. So, Ukitake Juushiro, what do you need from me?"
Ukitake looked to the side sulkily. "I don't need anything from you."
"Mmm. So, what would you like?"
Ukitake didn't answer.
"So how about this then. Allow me to decide what I'll do when I see the 'true you', instead of you presuming what my action will be." Ukitake's eyes finally found Kyoraku's. "After all, people are naturally selfish, contrary and all-around nasty. But if you find someone to accept you despite these things, perhaps you can come out a little more giving, honest, and all-around better. Um, quit looking at me like I've grown horns, Ukitake. Should I let you up now?"
Silently the other young man nodded so Kyoraku stood up and offered a hand to Ukitake, which he gratefully took.
"Hey, hey, I didn't hurt you that bad, did I?" Kyoraku asked with concern as Ukitake started to cry again.
A tear reached the edge of his mouth and he tasted it.
It didn't taste salty.
---
The image of the first paragraph came to mind, then the rest wrote itself. I like where it took me ^^
And it didn't come out in the story, but the reason 'those guys' were harassing Kyoraku was because he can grow a beard. And none of the other guys can. I figured it was a dumb but realistic thing for teenage boys to get riled up about.