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A Beneficial Arrangement	By : vbruce Category: Bleach > General Views: 3827 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. That honor goes to it's original author and creator. Making no money from writing this.

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Byakuya woke shortly after dawn, feeling better than he had in ages. That was odd, he thought, considering how restless he’d been last night and how late he’d gone to bed. It did feel vaguely like he was missing something, something he’d been holding onto in his sleep. He rolled onto his side, moving one hand across the covers and felt a lingering warmth there. As though someone else had just gotten out of the bed a few minutes before he woke. That made him shoot straight to a sitting position, looking around the room for someone else. The room was empty save for himself. He frowned, Hisana was dead, had been for years and no one else had ever slept next to him. He ran a hand carefully over the faint traces of heat and energy next to him and frowned deeper. He knew that energy. It was faint but still unmistakable.
He threw off the covers and started preparing for the day. First and foremost on the agenda was finding out the name of the woman who’d been in his office yesterday. Even if he had to beat it out of one Abari, Renji. The probability that Renji would tell him, even under threat of death was minimal. He’d probably been sworn to secrecy and he knew just about anyone would face threat from anything or anyone else aside from the Wolf Pack. The woman had to be a member simply for the fact that she had gotten not only onto the grounds but into his private chambers without notice. Even without his notice. Why had she been in his rooms? Moreover why had she been in his bed? It made no sense.
He took several deep breaths to calm down and noticed something else. Something smelled different. He frowned down at his nightclothes. They smelled like his usual sandalwood, yes, but also there was the scent of spicy cinnamon and warm, rich amber. He frowned at that. Members of the Royal house had amber resin placed in with their clothing to scent it. As far as he knew, no other house, not even nobles such as himself, were allowed that luxury. Certain things started to shift in his mind and click together. First was the fact that the woman who’d been in his office yesterday was not what she first appeared to be by any stretch of the imagination. She was very powerful from what he could discern, not at all a servant, not even of the Royal house, smelled of amber which was only used for the members of the Royal house. Wrapped into that was the fact that Renji knew her. As far as he was aware, his Lieutenant only knew one person from the Wolf Pack well and that was . . .
“Dear gods,” he groaned. He was right, he knew he was, the woman who’d been first in his office then in his room was far from a servant or even an elite member of the Wolf Pack. It had been the princess herself who’d hand delivered her own invitation to tea dressed as a servant to throw him off guard. Since they’d never met before it was easy enough to play the part and feel him out so to speak. He might have done something similar in her position a century or so ago. The remaining questions were why had she been in his rooms and subsequently in his bed? Those were queries he intended to find the answers to immediately.
He started to rush through his morning preparations before pausing. It wasn’t as though he could go storming into the Royal house demanding answers. Any other place in Soul Society, yes, he likely could do something like that but not in this case. This wasn’t some social infraction perpetrated by a member of the lower classes or even by the nobility. Inari Kurosaki was royalty, the reigning sovereign for twenty years in her brother’s absence as a matter of fact. Even with his standing, she still outranked him. He frowned, pondering what to do concerning this situation.
888
“Are you just getting in?” Maki said, coming into the room behind Inari.
The younger woman jumped. “Gods above and below, woman! Don’t do that! You’re sneakier than Yoruichi,” Inari said, moving around the room to collect fresh clothing.
“Considering I helped train the brat, I should be. You’re unusually skittish this morning.”
“I didn’t sleep much last night,” she grumbled. Though if she hadn’t been waiting for a certain noble to let go of her so she could escape, she probably would have slept like a rock.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Maki said, giving her the look that could only be passed from teacher to student.
“Yes. I am,” Inari said, going into the bathroom to see that someone, likely Maki, had run a bath for her. “Thank the gods.” She started undressing, trying to ignore the smell of sandalwood mixed into the normal scent of her clothes.
Gods save her, the night had definitely not gone anywhere close to what she’d planned. The more she’d tried to wiggle and get free from him, the tighter he held on to her. She’d finally given up and tried to get some sleep, figuring she’d most likely wake before he did considering she was a very light sleeper. She frowned a little. It had felt . . . absolutely natural. As though they’d slept together for years and were completely comfortable with one another. That was odd. She never slept comfortably with anyone. Not since Rin had died. Not even with Juushiro and Shunsui really and she was with them a great deal.
“What happened?” Maki asked, leaning in the doorway as Inari got into the tub.
Inari sighed and wanted to sink under the water and stay there. “Just hold me under, Maki. I’d rather that than ever have to face Byakuya Kuchiki again.”
“Why?”
“Because, while I was trying to get a read on him as he slept, he evidently thought I made an excellent giant plushie to sleep with,” Inari said, now sinking underneath the water in mortification.
“Explain, Hime, I know you can hear me under there,” Maki said. “Consider it a request from your sensei.”
Inari came up for air and wiped the water out of her eyes. She sighed heavily and started to tell Maki what had happened. “I touched the side of his face for the read and he grabbed me by the wrist. I thought he was awake at first but he just mumbled something and dragged me down on top of him. Then rolled so he was halfway lying on me. Which made it almost impossible to get away without waking him up and being in a really bad situation. Is it possible to die of embarrassment?”
“Not that I know of,” Maki said. “Why would you be embarrassed? Only you are aware of what happened, I doubt he recalls it if he was asleep as you say.”
“True enough. He’ll probably show up sometime today or tomorrow at Pack grounds. I’m pretty sure enough reiatsu leaked out during the night for him to figure out I was in his room. Hopefully, he’ll just think I’m a Pack member,” Inari said.
Maki laughed. “You can’t get that lucky, Hime. I take it you got some useful information though.”
“I did. Like Rukia said, he’s a good man, Maki. A very fine gentleman who has had his heart broken so thoroughly I don’t know if it will ever get put back together again,” Inari said, leaning her head against the rim of the tub. “On top of that, he’s exhausted by the time he goes to bed due to not only his Captain’s duties but by the demands put on him by the family, though he carries those burdens well to the casual observer. He’s beyond touch deprived.”
Maki nodded thoughtfully. “Not surprising. But do you think he’s someone you could live with as Rukia requested you try to find out?”
Inari sighed and rubbed her temples. Why did everything have to be so damned difficult? “I could live with him. I just don’t think he could survive living with me.”
“Why not? You aren’t that difficult to live with,” Maki said, moving to put out towels for her. “At least not for the most part.”
“I suppose not. But he has all these ideas in his head about how a wife should be. I am not a sweet, gentle and soft spoken person by any stretch of the imagination.”
“I think you’re wrong about that, Hime,” Maki said, sitting on the edge of the tub.
“Why?” Inari said with a frown.
“Because you are sweet and gentle for the most part. No one would take in stray humans like you do if they weren’t,” Maki pointed out. “You are a quiet person for the most part except when it comes to the Pack and even then a look from you is enough for them. Just think about it, Hime. I believe that this could be a beneficial arrangement for both of you. From what Rukia and even Ichigo have said, Kuchiki-dono needs someone closer to an equal. Someone who isn’t threatened by either his position in Soul Society or the fact that he’s a Captain. Someone with a backbone who will support him instead of dragging him down as everyone else does.”
“If you say so, Maki. Speaking of my Pack, I have to finish this up. A few of the newer ones need proper training,” she said, starting to wash off. “Since I’m the Mother Wolf, that task falls to me.”
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A Beneficial Arrangement