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tampered2007-05-08 05:05 pm
reverse-swirled.livejournal.com) wrote in tampered2007-05-08 05:05 pm
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When; March 7th [so very backdated]
Rating; PG
Characters; Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Rukia
Summary; During when Ichigo is 'heartless', Kaien goes to cheer up Rukia.
Log;
Kaien headed on his over to Rukia's apartment so that they could spend the day together. With everything that seemed to be going on with Ichigo, he could tell she wasn't doing okay, so he had to do something, at least to cheer her up and get her mind off things, even if it was only for a little while.
She was sitting on the doormat when he got there. As strange as that might have seemed initially, the apartment just seemed to echo with emptiness right now. And she...didn't want to be there. It just reminded her of how wrong so many things were right now. Thank god for Renji, though. She really owed him for his support, it had been just what she'd needed to kick herself out of the funk she'd been in. It...didn't mean she didn't still feel the same way. It just..made it easier to put those feelings aside and concentrate on what she could do, rather then what she couldn't do. Now the only problem was...figuring out what she could do. Glancing up, she brushed black hair out of her eyes and nodded to her fukutaichou as he walked up. Brushing dust off of the simple blue dress she was wearing, she pushed herself up and bowed. "Kaien-dono. It's nice to see you."
Kaien just smiled back as she saw her sitting there, "Good to see you too, Rukia. Anything in particular you want to do right now?"
Looking thoughtful for a moment, she nodded slightly. "Actually...there is something that I need to do that I...don't really know how to do very well." As embarassing as it was to admit that she really stillhad no idea how to go shopping, she needed things for that 'ballet' thing that Ahiru had talked about. Though...she also didn't really know what ballet was, either..
Kaien arched his eyebrow, "Really? What would that be?"
"Um...." She could feel her cheeks reddening slightly as she dug the toe of one red shoe into the ground. "I....I have to go shopping. For....ballet stuff. But I..don't really know what that is, and....I haven't really...ever been...shopping...before." Oh, the embarassment. If there had been a hole in the floor, Rukia would have sworn she'd have found a way to crawl in it and die right about now. As for Kaien-dono, he would doubtlessly think her such a collossal idiot for not even knowing something so simple as how to shop.
"Ah, I see now. I'm not sure what that is either actually, but we can do that if you like" He nodded, as he just simply grinned at Rukia, soon after "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang that shopping thing in no time"
Well, it could have been worse. At least he hadn't made fun of her for it. With a smile, she nodded, absently fingering the strawberry on her bracelet. "So then....I guess we should get going?"
Kaien nodded, extending his hand in a offer to help Rukia get up "Sure, that sounds good. Let's go then"
She took his hand, using it to pull herself up to stand next to him. "Should I...lead the way? I don't know how well I know the City, but...we can always just explore. I'm sure we'll find what we're looking for eventually..." It would have helped if she knew what it was that she was looking for, but it couldn't be THAT hard to find ballet stuff, could it?
"Yeah, sure. I don't exactly know what you're looking for so that sounds like a plan" Kaien said as they started walking along.
Nodding as they walked, she kept her eyes peeled for something...anything that might help answer her questions. At least...maybe tell her exactly WHAT she had gotten herself into. Pausing as they passed one store, she nodded towards it. "Maybe...that bookstore might have a book on ballet? Then at least I'd know what I need to LOOK for..."
"You don't know either?" Kaien laughed slightly before he turned to head towards the bookstore Rukia was looking at just as they passed it "Yeah, sure they might, let's go look"
Nodding, she pushed the door open and headed inside. Carefully, she meandered down the aisles, slender fingers grazing over the spines of the books. Now where would ballet books be, in the first place. Sports section? Dance section? Was there a ballet section?
As they entered the bookstore, Kaien carefully looked at the titles of the books as made his way through the aisle. Suddenly, he saw a book with with the words Ballet for Beginners on the spine of the one of the book. He quickly picked it up, and motioned Rukia to come over "Hey Rukia, I think I found what you're looking for"
Glancing up, violet eyes scanned the title as she walked over to him. "Really? Thank you, Kaien-dono." Taking the book from him, she turned it over to glance at the cover, eyes widening at the picture on the front. "Wait, does this mean I have to....dress like....that?!"
Kaien blinked as he turned to look at the cover of the book, "...I don't know. I guess so."
Feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought, she studied the picture. How did that girl STAND on those shoes? And....that couldn't possibly be decent clothing. Afterall, it only covered the important parts. At least, as far as Rukia was concerned. It wasn't much better then that "bathing suit" thing Inoue had tried to get her into at one point. And...it had frilly lacy stuff that....was that supposed to be some sort of skirt?! "I hope not...."
Her face fell slightly as violet eyes clouded over with the weight of the recent happenings. "Ichigo. I....I can't do anything right now. I'm...useless. The only one who can return his heart is Ahiru. But....she and Fakir...they said that I could help. By...going to Neko-sensei. And Neko-sensei...says I need to learn this. I don't really know why, but...it's something that I can do."
"Rukia..." Kaien mentally cursed himself for saying that, he was supposed to cheering her up, and from the look on Rukia's face, the fact he asked that, wasn't helping at all. He just listened as Rukia talked, then nodded, "Ah, so that's what it's for. I'm sure you'll do fine with learning how to do this, even if you do have to dress like that"
She shook her head, smile painted over her features. Whether he could tell that the smile was forced, she didn't know. Either way, she chuckled slightly and took the book. "Yeah...I'm sure I will. Afterall, it can't be that hard, can it?"
Kaien smiled back, though he knew that hers was most likely forced, he didn't say anything on it. "Yeah, hopefully not"
With a nod, she carried the book over to the register. Paying for it, she turned to Kaien and nodded. "So....I guess I need to get some of the things in here. Any ideas on where to go for that, Kaien-dono?" It was getting easier, she found, to slip into a comfortable routine with her fukutaichou. While she was still somewhat nervous around him, she didn't feel that same sense of intimidation as before. Perhaps it was because he so resembled Ichigo. And while that hadn't changed or anything, maybe it made it easier to be casual around Kaien-dono. Either way, this was...nice.
Kaien waited as Rukia paid for the book, he paused in thought as he considered the question she asked him, "Hmm, I think I saw a clothing store nearby, maybe that might has some of the stuff you're looking for there"
"Maybe. I guess it won't hurt to look." Heading down the street, a display in one window caught her eye. Within moments, she was in front of the window, palms pressed flat against the glass like a child at a candy store. "Look! Bunny stuff!"
Kaien looked at the display of a store that Rukia was looking at the window of. "You want to go and take a look inside?"
A nod and a wide smile were all he got before she darted inside, quick to find her way straight into the center of the section selling the rabbit-themed goods.
Kaien smiled at that and went inside after Rukia as she started looking around.
Well, at least the store had accomplished one thing. Despite everything that was going on, Rukia seemed, if only for the moment, back to her normal self. Laughing and squealing as she tried to decide which stuffed rabbit or rabbit-themed thing was the cutest, she contented herself with browsing until her eyes landed on a backpack in the shape of a stuffed white rabbit. "Look~, it's so cute!!!"
Kaien looked over at rabbit shaped backpack Rukia was eyeing just now. "You want it?" he asked, motioning to it as picked it up.
Violet eyes widened as she placed it back on the shelf and shook her head, cheeks reddening. "I...I can't, Kaien-dono. I'll just...come back and get it some other time, you don't have to..."
Kaien couldn't help but smile at her reaction "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I can tell you want it though, right? So I'll buy it for you then"
Embarassed wasn't really the word. Kaien-dono was her fukutaichou, he didn't need to feel obligated to buy her presents. But then...could she really tell him no without seeming disrespectful? Not sure which option would be the least traumatic, she simply settled for shaking her head slightly. "You don't have to do that, Kaien-dono. It's...not necessary."
Kaien knew he didn't have to, but this was Rukia, afterall. "Yeah, I know, but I want to, alright?"
There wasn't really much she could say about it, so she simply nodded. If he insisted, she'd certainly accept it. And...he was right. She did want it.
You said: As Rukia nodded in agreement, Kaien picked up the rabbit shaped backpack that Rukia wanted, and went over to pay for it
.
Taking advantage of the slight wait, the raven-haired shinigami glanced around until her eyes caught one of the shop vendors. Walking over, she bowed slightly. "Excuse me, but do you know where I might find the sort of things one would need in order to do ballet?"
The woman seemed thoughtful for a moment before she smiled and nodded. "There's a dance supply store a couple of blocks down the street, that should be able to help you."
With a smile and a nod, Rukia thanked her, and made her way back over to where Kaien was. "Kaien-dono, I found where there's a store that sells ballet things."
Kaien walked out of the store after paying, smiling as handed Rukia the backpack as she approached him "Oh, you did? Okay, then we can head there now"
She took the bag with a smile and a nod of thanks. Slipping her arms through the straps, she continued down the street, light breeze blowing blue linen around her legs as she walked. Matching her pace to his, she glanced at the ground for a moment before her eyes shifted sideways towards him. "Ne...Kaien-dono?"
Kaien turned to glance at Rukia as she spoke, "Hm. Yeah?"
Biting her lip slightly, she continued in a somewhat hesitant voice. "If you...knew someone who had done something wrong, but they were someone you considered a friend, would you think differently of them? Not morally wrong, but...against the rules. Like...something that would maybe be considered treason, even though it hadn't caused any harm. Would you.... think the same of them, or would that make them a traitor in your eyes?"
"Well...no. I wouldn't necessarily think of them as a traitor if they did do something like that" Kaien shrugged,"Why do you ask?"
Rukia nodded slightly, hands tightening fractionally around the straps of the backpack. "So...that means you wouldn't think badly of someone if they, for example....were involved with someone who wouldn't be considered "proper". Someone who...might even be considered an enemy?"
Kaien arched his eyebrow, "...What do you mean by proper? Well yeah. I'm sure they have their reasons, even if that person they're involved with is considered the enemy"
"Someone who would be considered an enemy. Or an exile. Or...someone they weren't supposed to be involved with." Well, at least it seemed alright so far. But...even if Kaien-dono thought it ok, there was still the question of what would happen when they returned to their world. "Like...an Arrancar. Or...a Vaizard. Something like that..."
Kaien paused thoughtfully "Ah I see what you mean...what's with all these questions all of a sudden, Rukia?"
Caught slightly off-guard, blueviolet eyes widened in surprise before she glanced away momentarily. "I just...wanted to know...." Staring up at the sky for a moment, she sighed. "I forgot that you didn't know, Kaien-dono. Ichigo....Ichigo isn't a normal shinigami. He's..a Vaizard."
Kaien nodded, "Ah, right. But being a Vaizard is only part of who he is, and though we only met that one time when I came over, I wouldn't necessarily consider him to actually be an enemy or something like that..."
She nodded. "I..I know you don't, Kaien-dono. But...what about the rest of the shinigami. Most of them...didn't know, until all of this happened. He'd kept it to himself, even from me at first. What happened before they came to Soul Society to rescue me. About his hollow. But now that everyone knows....I'm afraid. Afraid of what might happen. I...don't care if it makes me a traitor, I just..." With a sigh, she stared down at the sidewalk as they walked. "Is it wrong that...I don't know that I want to go home? To go back to our world? That I want to...stay like this?"
"Yeah that's true...but the fact he didn't tell anyone or want anyone to know in a way, that doesn't automatically make him a bad person,everyone has something like that one way or another. If that makes any sense?" Kaien sighed ,"And well...as for not wanting to go back...I think it's perfectly normal to have thoughts like that, actually"
She glanced up at him, slightly surprised. "Then you....don't think it's wrong that I don't really want to go home? That I...want to stay here? But Kaien-dono, that would mean that I'm turning my back on my responsibilities..."
Kaien shrugged, "Yeah, I know. I didn't say that...what I think doesn't really matter, staying here...if that's what you want to do, then that's your choice"
"Your opinion...matters to me, Kaien-dono..." She continued walking, stopping when they reached their destination, a small shop with a sign hanging from the doorway that was painted with a picture of the same sort of shoes the girl on the cover of the book was wearing. "This looks like the right place, Kaien-dono."
After finding what Rukia was looking for, they headed out of the store and he turned to face Rukia as she spoke, "Ice cream?"
She nodded. "Yeah, icecream. Haven't you ever had icecream before, Kaien-dono?" She supposed it wasn't all that outside the realm of possibility to assume that he hadn't. Afterall, she herself had only tasted the frozen concoction since traveling to the human world.
Kaien shook his head, "Hm, no I don't think I have..."
"Then I'll buy us some. I didn't know what it was until I came to the human world, either. Ichigo had to explain it to me. It's a desert, it's made from ice and milk and other things. It's good, I promise." She lead him down the street to where a small vendor stood selling his wares. "What flavor do you want, Kaien-dono?"
Ah I see...yeah, sure" Kaien nodded, then followed Rukia, coming to a stop as they neared a vendor, "It has flavors? Hm. I don't know, you pick - whatever you think tastes good"
Nodding, she glanced over the list of flavors. She wasn't really sure what Kaien-dono would like, so she just ordered two of her own favourite. Handing the man some money, she took the icecreams and handed Kaien a cone topped with pink icecream. "Here, Kaien-dono."
Taking the cone from Rukia, he paused as he looked at it for a moment, before tasting. "Hm, yeah you're right, this does taste good"
She giggled as he studied the treat as though it might bite him, the nodded as she licked her own. "Yeah, it's my favourite flavour. But the other ones are good too. I just like this one the best."
Kaien merely nodded, and continued took another lick of the ice cream. "So what flavor is this exactly?"
Blueviolet eyes glanced away for a moment, realizing that while it was a perfectly innocuous choice of flavour, her answer was going to sound bad. "Strawberry.."
Kaien laughed slightly, "Hmm. Strawberry? I see..."
She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, going on the defensive. "What....what's that supposed to mean, Kaien-dono?"
"Huh?" Kaien blinked, " I didn't mean anything by it. What'd you think I meant?"
Oops. Well now if that slip-up didn't make her look like a moron. Hurridly turning her attention back to her icecream, she tried to brush it off. "N..nothing! You just..sounded like you meant something other then just...what you said, is all."
Kaien raised his eyebrow, as he turned to look at Rukia "Something else, like what, Rukia?"
"N-Nothing! It's nothing." She really hoped she wasn't turning the colour of her icecream. When she'd realized what flavour she had chosen, she'd expected him to do what other people seemed to enjoy doing and make some sort of crack about her penchant for "strawberries of all varieties". But....it seemed the irony had missed Kaien-dono. Which now left her in a rather sticky predicament of being stuck explaining to him why she'd expected him to mean something else by his statement.
"But if it's nothing, then why're you getting so worked up about it?" Kaien sighed softly, "Alright, so where do you want to go next?"
Distraction! That worked. With a slight sigh of relief, she continued eating the frozen treat while she pondered. "Well....I haven't really taken the time to just go exploring, you know? I hear there's a beach. I've never been to a beach..."
"The beach?" Kaien nodded, "I haven't been there myself either, so we can do that if you'd like"
"Ok. I've always wanted to go to one." Continuing to eat, she walked along, chatting offhandedly. "Ichigo says you can't see where the water ends. I've never seen that much water before."
Kaien smiled as he continued to eat his icecream and walked along towards the direction of the beach "Really? Well now you can, once we get there"
She nodded, adding a little spring to her step. She really was excited about actually seeing this "ocean" thing that Ichigo and the others had talked about. She'd always pestered him to take her to it. Well, maybe "ordered" was a better term, but still. Either way, he'd never actually taken her. Rukia didn't know whether the huge expanse of water actually existed, but she supposed that as much of a dumbass as the orange-haired shinigami could be, he wasn't usually full of shit, and so there was a good chance that this "ocean" thing wasn't just a way to get the better of her and have a laugh at her expense. Not to mention that regardless of how much he might have never missed an opportunity to laugh at her, she knew he'd never lied to her. Spinning around, she walked backwards, hands clasped behind her back to regard her taller companion. "Kaien-dono, have you ever seen the ocean?"
"The ocean?" Kaien shook his head, "I have heard about it though, so this will be the first time I see it too"
Turning around and skipping ahead, she hopped up on the railing that ran alongside the road, arms out to the sides to balance herself. "Do you think it's really as big as people say it is, Kaien-dono?"
"Yeah, maybe," Kaien nodded his head slightly, "I guess we'll find out soon enough though"
Nodding, she continued walking along the thick wooden plank. Pausing at the corner, she studied the street signs before hopping off and pointing at one. "It's this way, Kaien-dono. See? 'Public Beach Access'."
Seeing the sign Rukia pointing to one of the signs, "Ah, right. Let's go then" And with that, he walked along the path to the beach.
What started as a walk turned into a run, arms out to the sides like a little girl. As the buildings finally gave way to the horizon, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at the sunkissed expanse of teal that stretched as far as her eyes could see. "wow......"
Kaien smiled, as he followed behind Rukia, coming to a stop as he saw the beach in front of them.
She simply stood there and stared for a moment, taking in the crashing noise of the waves, the golden glitter of the setting sun across the water, the salty tang of the air that blew her hair softly around her face. Slipping off her shoes, she darted to the water's edge, chasing the seafoam that slid seamlessly in and out of the ocean. Blueviolet eyes lit up with mirth as she laughed and jumped out of the way of another wave, toes curling in the sand as she twirled in the breeze. "Kaien-dono! The water's moving on it's own!"
Kaien smiled, "Ah, yeah...it is"
Rukia paused in her spinning to stare out at the orange ball as it sank lower in the sky, sending sparkling crimson rays across the water to play across her face. Turning around to smile at Kaien as the wave rushed in, splashing over bare feet before receeding again, she cocked her head to one side. "Kaien-dono, thank you for today. It's...been a long time since I've had fun like this."
"I'm glad then, Rukia" Kaien said as he smiled agian.
Rating; PG
Characters; Shiba Kaien and Kuchiki Rukia
Summary; During when Ichigo is 'heartless', Kaien goes to cheer up Rukia.
Log;
Kaien headed on his over to Rukia's apartment so that they could spend the day together. With everything that seemed to be going on with Ichigo, he could tell she wasn't doing okay, so he had to do something, at least to cheer her up and get her mind off things, even if it was only for a little while.
She was sitting on the doormat when he got there. As strange as that might have seemed initially, the apartment just seemed to echo with emptiness right now. And she...didn't want to be there. It just reminded her of how wrong so many things were right now. Thank god for Renji, though. She really owed him for his support, it had been just what she'd needed to kick herself out of the funk she'd been in. It...didn't mean she didn't still feel the same way. It just..made it easier to put those feelings aside and concentrate on what she could do, rather then what she couldn't do. Now the only problem was...figuring out what she could do. Glancing up, she brushed black hair out of her eyes and nodded to her fukutaichou as he walked up. Brushing dust off of the simple blue dress she was wearing, she pushed herself up and bowed. "Kaien-dono. It's nice to see you."
Kaien just smiled back as she saw her sitting there, "Good to see you too, Rukia. Anything in particular you want to do right now?"
Looking thoughtful for a moment, she nodded slightly. "Actually...there is something that I need to do that I...don't really know how to do very well." As embarassing as it was to admit that she really stillhad no idea how to go shopping, she needed things for that 'ballet' thing that Ahiru had talked about. Though...she also didn't really know what ballet was, either..
Kaien arched his eyebrow, "Really? What would that be?"
"Um...." She could feel her cheeks reddening slightly as she dug the toe of one red shoe into the ground. "I....I have to go shopping. For....ballet stuff. But I..don't really know what that is, and....I haven't really...ever been...shopping...before." Oh, the embarassment. If there had been a hole in the floor, Rukia would have sworn she'd have found a way to crawl in it and die right about now. As for Kaien-dono, he would doubtlessly think her such a collossal idiot for not even knowing something so simple as how to shop.
"Ah, I see now. I'm not sure what that is either actually, but we can do that if you like" He nodded, as he just simply grinned at Rukia, soon after "Don't worry, I'm sure you'll get the hang that shopping thing in no time"
Well, it could have been worse. At least he hadn't made fun of her for it. With a smile, she nodded, absently fingering the strawberry on her bracelet. "So then....I guess we should get going?"
Kaien nodded, extending his hand in a offer to help Rukia get up "Sure, that sounds good. Let's go then"
She took his hand, using it to pull herself up to stand next to him. "Should I...lead the way? I don't know how well I know the City, but...we can always just explore. I'm sure we'll find what we're looking for eventually..." It would have helped if she knew what it was that she was looking for, but it couldn't be THAT hard to find ballet stuff, could it?
"Yeah, sure. I don't exactly know what you're looking for so that sounds like a plan" Kaien said as they started walking along.
Nodding as they walked, she kept her eyes peeled for something...anything that might help answer her questions. At least...maybe tell her exactly WHAT she had gotten herself into. Pausing as they passed one store, she nodded towards it. "Maybe...that bookstore might have a book on ballet? Then at least I'd know what I need to LOOK for..."
"You don't know either?" Kaien laughed slightly before he turned to head towards the bookstore Rukia was looking at just as they passed it "Yeah, sure they might, let's go look"
Nodding, she pushed the door open and headed inside. Carefully, she meandered down the aisles, slender fingers grazing over the spines of the books. Now where would ballet books be, in the first place. Sports section? Dance section? Was there a ballet section?
As they entered the bookstore, Kaien carefully looked at the titles of the books as made his way through the aisle. Suddenly, he saw a book with with the words Ballet for Beginners on the spine of the one of the book. He quickly picked it up, and motioned Rukia to come over "Hey Rukia, I think I found what you're looking for"
Glancing up, violet eyes scanned the title as she walked over to him. "Really? Thank you, Kaien-dono." Taking the book from him, she turned it over to glance at the cover, eyes widening at the picture on the front. "Wait, does this mean I have to....dress like....that?!"
Kaien blinked as he turned to look at the cover of the book, "...I don't know. I guess so."
Feeling her cheeks heat up at the thought, she studied the picture. How did that girl STAND on those shoes? And....that couldn't possibly be decent clothing. Afterall, it only covered the important parts. At least, as far as Rukia was concerned. It wasn't much better then that "bathing suit" thing Inoue had tried to get her into at one point. And...it had frilly lacy stuff that....was that supposed to be some sort of skirt?! "I hope not...."
Her face fell slightly as violet eyes clouded over with the weight of the recent happenings. "Ichigo. I....I can't do anything right now. I'm...useless. The only one who can return his heart is Ahiru. But....she and Fakir...they said that I could help. By...going to Neko-sensei. And Neko-sensei...says I need to learn this. I don't really know why, but...it's something that I can do."
"Rukia..." Kaien mentally cursed himself for saying that, he was supposed to cheering her up, and from the look on Rukia's face, the fact he asked that, wasn't helping at all. He just listened as Rukia talked, then nodded, "Ah, so that's what it's for. I'm sure you'll do fine with learning how to do this, even if you do have to dress like that"
She shook her head, smile painted over her features. Whether he could tell that the smile was forced, she didn't know. Either way, she chuckled slightly and took the book. "Yeah...I'm sure I will. Afterall, it can't be that hard, can it?"
Kaien smiled back, though he knew that hers was most likely forced, he didn't say anything on it. "Yeah, hopefully not"
With a nod, she carried the book over to the register. Paying for it, she turned to Kaien and nodded. "So....I guess I need to get some of the things in here. Any ideas on where to go for that, Kaien-dono?" It was getting easier, she found, to slip into a comfortable routine with her fukutaichou. While she was still somewhat nervous around him, she didn't feel that same sense of intimidation as before. Perhaps it was because he so resembled Ichigo. And while that hadn't changed or anything, maybe it made it easier to be casual around Kaien-dono. Either way, this was...nice.
Kaien waited as Rukia paid for the book, he paused in thought as he considered the question she asked him, "Hmm, I think I saw a clothing store nearby, maybe that might has some of the stuff you're looking for there"
"Maybe. I guess it won't hurt to look." Heading down the street, a display in one window caught her eye. Within moments, she was in front of the window, palms pressed flat against the glass like a child at a candy store. "Look! Bunny stuff!"
Kaien looked at the display of a store that Rukia was looking at the window of. "You want to go and take a look inside?"
A nod and a wide smile were all he got before she darted inside, quick to find her way straight into the center of the section selling the rabbit-themed goods.
Kaien smiled at that and went inside after Rukia as she started looking around.
Well, at least the store had accomplished one thing. Despite everything that was going on, Rukia seemed, if only for the moment, back to her normal self. Laughing and squealing as she tried to decide which stuffed rabbit or rabbit-themed thing was the cutest, she contented herself with browsing until her eyes landed on a backpack in the shape of a stuffed white rabbit. "Look~, it's so cute!!!"
Kaien looked over at rabbit shaped backpack Rukia was eyeing just now. "You want it?" he asked, motioning to it as picked it up.
Violet eyes widened as she placed it back on the shelf and shook her head, cheeks reddening. "I...I can't, Kaien-dono. I'll just...come back and get it some other time, you don't have to..."
Kaien couldn't help but smile at her reaction "Yeah, yeah, I know. But I can tell you want it though, right? So I'll buy it for you then"
Embarassed wasn't really the word. Kaien-dono was her fukutaichou, he didn't need to feel obligated to buy her presents. But then...could she really tell him no without seeming disrespectful? Not sure which option would be the least traumatic, she simply settled for shaking her head slightly. "You don't have to do that, Kaien-dono. It's...not necessary."
Kaien knew he didn't have to, but this was Rukia, afterall. "Yeah, I know, but I want to, alright?"
There wasn't really much she could say about it, so she simply nodded. If he insisted, she'd certainly accept it. And...he was right. She did want it.
You said: As Rukia nodded in agreement, Kaien picked up the rabbit shaped backpack that Rukia wanted, and went over to pay for it
.
Taking advantage of the slight wait, the raven-haired shinigami glanced around until her eyes caught one of the shop vendors. Walking over, she bowed slightly. "Excuse me, but do you know where I might find the sort of things one would need in order to do ballet?"
The woman seemed thoughtful for a moment before she smiled and nodded. "There's a dance supply store a couple of blocks down the street, that should be able to help you."
With a smile and a nod, Rukia thanked her, and made her way back over to where Kaien was. "Kaien-dono, I found where there's a store that sells ballet things."
Kaien walked out of the store after paying, smiling as handed Rukia the backpack as she approached him "Oh, you did? Okay, then we can head there now"
She took the bag with a smile and a nod of thanks. Slipping her arms through the straps, she continued down the street, light breeze blowing blue linen around her legs as she walked. Matching her pace to his, she glanced at the ground for a moment before her eyes shifted sideways towards him. "Ne...Kaien-dono?"
Kaien turned to glance at Rukia as she spoke, "Hm. Yeah?"
Biting her lip slightly, she continued in a somewhat hesitant voice. "If you...knew someone who had done something wrong, but they were someone you considered a friend, would you think differently of them? Not morally wrong, but...against the rules. Like...something that would maybe be considered treason, even though it hadn't caused any harm. Would you.... think the same of them, or would that make them a traitor in your eyes?"
"Well...no. I wouldn't necessarily think of them as a traitor if they did do something like that" Kaien shrugged,"Why do you ask?"
Rukia nodded slightly, hands tightening fractionally around the straps of the backpack. "So...that means you wouldn't think badly of someone if they, for example....were involved with someone who wouldn't be considered "proper". Someone who...might even be considered an enemy?"
Kaien arched his eyebrow, "...What do you mean by proper? Well yeah. I'm sure they have their reasons, even if that person they're involved with is considered the enemy"
"Someone who would be considered an enemy. Or an exile. Or...someone they weren't supposed to be involved with." Well, at least it seemed alright so far. But...even if Kaien-dono thought it ok, there was still the question of what would happen when they returned to their world. "Like...an Arrancar. Or...a Vaizard. Something like that..."
Kaien paused thoughtfully "Ah I see what you mean...what's with all these questions all of a sudden, Rukia?"
Caught slightly off-guard, blueviolet eyes widened in surprise before she glanced away momentarily. "I just...wanted to know...." Staring up at the sky for a moment, she sighed. "I forgot that you didn't know, Kaien-dono. Ichigo....Ichigo isn't a normal shinigami. He's..a Vaizard."
Kaien nodded, "Ah, right. But being a Vaizard is only part of who he is, and though we only met that one time when I came over, I wouldn't necessarily consider him to actually be an enemy or something like that..."
She nodded. "I..I know you don't, Kaien-dono. But...what about the rest of the shinigami. Most of them...didn't know, until all of this happened. He'd kept it to himself, even from me at first. What happened before they came to Soul Society to rescue me. About his hollow. But now that everyone knows....I'm afraid. Afraid of what might happen. I...don't care if it makes me a traitor, I just..." With a sigh, she stared down at the sidewalk as they walked. "Is it wrong that...I don't know that I want to go home? To go back to our world? That I want to...stay like this?"
"Yeah that's true...but the fact he didn't tell anyone or want anyone to know in a way, that doesn't automatically make him a bad person,everyone has something like that one way or another. If that makes any sense?" Kaien sighed ,"And well...as for not wanting to go back...I think it's perfectly normal to have thoughts like that, actually"
She glanced up at him, slightly surprised. "Then you....don't think it's wrong that I don't really want to go home? That I...want to stay here? But Kaien-dono, that would mean that I'm turning my back on my responsibilities..."
Kaien shrugged, "Yeah, I know. I didn't say that...what I think doesn't really matter, staying here...if that's what you want to do, then that's your choice"
"Your opinion...matters to me, Kaien-dono..." She continued walking, stopping when they reached their destination, a small shop with a sign hanging from the doorway that was painted with a picture of the same sort of shoes the girl on the cover of the book was wearing. "This looks like the right place, Kaien-dono."
After finding what Rukia was looking for, they headed out of the store and he turned to face Rukia as she spoke, "Ice cream?"
She nodded. "Yeah, icecream. Haven't you ever had icecream before, Kaien-dono?" She supposed it wasn't all that outside the realm of possibility to assume that he hadn't. Afterall, she herself had only tasted the frozen concoction since traveling to the human world.
Kaien shook his head, "Hm, no I don't think I have..."
"Then I'll buy us some. I didn't know what it was until I came to the human world, either. Ichigo had to explain it to me. It's a desert, it's made from ice and milk and other things. It's good, I promise." She lead him down the street to where a small vendor stood selling his wares. "What flavor do you want, Kaien-dono?"
Ah I see...yeah, sure" Kaien nodded, then followed Rukia, coming to a stop as they neared a vendor, "It has flavors? Hm. I don't know, you pick - whatever you think tastes good"
Nodding, she glanced over the list of flavors. She wasn't really sure what Kaien-dono would like, so she just ordered two of her own favourite. Handing the man some money, she took the icecreams and handed Kaien a cone topped with pink icecream. "Here, Kaien-dono."
Taking the cone from Rukia, he paused as he looked at it for a moment, before tasting. "Hm, yeah you're right, this does taste good"
She giggled as he studied the treat as though it might bite him, the nodded as she licked her own. "Yeah, it's my favourite flavour. But the other ones are good too. I just like this one the best."
Kaien merely nodded, and continued took another lick of the ice cream. "So what flavor is this exactly?"
Blueviolet eyes glanced away for a moment, realizing that while it was a perfectly innocuous choice of flavour, her answer was going to sound bad. "Strawberry.."
Kaien laughed slightly, "Hmm. Strawberry? I see..."
She felt her cheeks heat up slightly, going on the defensive. "What....what's that supposed to mean, Kaien-dono?"
"Huh?" Kaien blinked, " I didn't mean anything by it. What'd you think I meant?"
Oops. Well now if that slip-up didn't make her look like a moron. Hurridly turning her attention back to her icecream, she tried to brush it off. "N..nothing! You just..sounded like you meant something other then just...what you said, is all."
Kaien raised his eyebrow, as he turned to look at Rukia "Something else, like what, Rukia?"
"N-Nothing! It's nothing." She really hoped she wasn't turning the colour of her icecream. When she'd realized what flavour she had chosen, she'd expected him to do what other people seemed to enjoy doing and make some sort of crack about her penchant for "strawberries of all varieties". But....it seemed the irony had missed Kaien-dono. Which now left her in a rather sticky predicament of being stuck explaining to him why she'd expected him to mean something else by his statement.
"But if it's nothing, then why're you getting so worked up about it?" Kaien sighed softly, "Alright, so where do you want to go next?"
Distraction! That worked. With a slight sigh of relief, she continued eating the frozen treat while she pondered. "Well....I haven't really taken the time to just go exploring, you know? I hear there's a beach. I've never been to a beach..."
"The beach?" Kaien nodded, "I haven't been there myself either, so we can do that if you'd like"
"Ok. I've always wanted to go to one." Continuing to eat, she walked along, chatting offhandedly. "Ichigo says you can't see where the water ends. I've never seen that much water before."
Kaien smiled as he continued to eat his icecream and walked along towards the direction of the beach "Really? Well now you can, once we get there"
She nodded, adding a little spring to her step. She really was excited about actually seeing this "ocean" thing that Ichigo and the others had talked about. She'd always pestered him to take her to it. Well, maybe "ordered" was a better term, but still. Either way, he'd never actually taken her. Rukia didn't know whether the huge expanse of water actually existed, but she supposed that as much of a dumbass as the orange-haired shinigami could be, he wasn't usually full of shit, and so there was a good chance that this "ocean" thing wasn't just a way to get the better of her and have a laugh at her expense. Not to mention that regardless of how much he might have never missed an opportunity to laugh at her, she knew he'd never lied to her. Spinning around, she walked backwards, hands clasped behind her back to regard her taller companion. "Kaien-dono, have you ever seen the ocean?"
"The ocean?" Kaien shook his head, "I have heard about it though, so this will be the first time I see it too"
Turning around and skipping ahead, she hopped up on the railing that ran alongside the road, arms out to the sides to balance herself. "Do you think it's really as big as people say it is, Kaien-dono?"
"Yeah, maybe," Kaien nodded his head slightly, "I guess we'll find out soon enough though"
Nodding, she continued walking along the thick wooden plank. Pausing at the corner, she studied the street signs before hopping off and pointing at one. "It's this way, Kaien-dono. See? 'Public Beach Access'."
Seeing the sign Rukia pointing to one of the signs, "Ah, right. Let's go then" And with that, he walked along the path to the beach.
What started as a walk turned into a run, arms out to the sides like a little girl. As the buildings finally gave way to the horizon, she stopped dead in her tracks, staring wide-eyed at the sunkissed expanse of teal that stretched as far as her eyes could see. "wow......"
Kaien smiled, as he followed behind Rukia, coming to a stop as he saw the beach in front of them.
She simply stood there and stared for a moment, taking in the crashing noise of the waves, the golden glitter of the setting sun across the water, the salty tang of the air that blew her hair softly around her face. Slipping off her shoes, she darted to the water's edge, chasing the seafoam that slid seamlessly in and out of the ocean. Blueviolet eyes lit up with mirth as she laughed and jumped out of the way of another wave, toes curling in the sand as she twirled in the breeze. "Kaien-dono! The water's moving on it's own!"
Kaien smiled, "Ah, yeah...it is"
Rukia paused in her spinning to stare out at the orange ball as it sank lower in the sky, sending sparkling crimson rays across the water to play across her face. Turning around to smile at Kaien as the wave rushed in, splashing over bare feet before receeding again, she cocked her head to one side. "Kaien-dono, thank you for today. It's...been a long time since I've had fun like this."
"I'm glad then, Rukia" Kaien said as he smiled agian.