Taking the News
A/N: A Bleach drabble inspired by Celeste. Someday I will write more KyoUki fanfiction. ^_^
Because he was her division captain, Ukitake was one of the unfortunate first people to learn of her scheduled execution. The news was received by hell butterfly on a deceptively bright and sunny day. After that, he shut his office for the rest of the day, brooding. He told Sentarou and Kiyone that he was not available to anyone, no matter what.
Despite this, he was not surprised when the door quietly clicked and Kyouraku arranged himself on the floor as if he belonged there. Ukitake didn’t look up from the work he wasn’t doing. “I thought I wasn’t available today.”
Kyouraku chuckled. “Jyuu-chan, did you really think those two yobbos of yours could keep me out? How cute.”
“No,” Ukitake said with a sigh. “I knew you’d come.”
They sat in silence for a few minutes. Kyouraku poured himself some sake and sipped it while Ukitake stared at his papers. The official orders had arrived, coldly informing him that Kuchiki Rukia was being removed from his division due to her imminent execution.
“So?” Kyouraku finally said.
“So, what?” Ukitake countered. He felt tired. He wasn’t in the mood to deal with Kyouraku’s antics, no matter how much they might distract him. Not that Kyouraku was indulging in antics; for once he seemed perfectly serious.
“So we’re not going to let this happen, right?”
Ukitake sighed. “I’ve filed an official appeal with the Central 46,” he said, gesturing to the papers in front of him. “It takes seven days to go through. Then there’s a secondary appeal process that . . .” He trailed off, realizing that Kyouraku didn’t care, and more importantly, neither did he.
“What I meant was,” Kyouraku said, “we’re not going to let this happen. Right?”
Ukitake closed his eyes. He felt a migraine coming on. “Shunsui,” he said, “I’m looking into it. Okay?”
“Okay,” Kyouraku said agreeably. “So, we’re not going to let this happen.”
“Shunsui,” Ukitake said, starting to lose his patience with his friend’s broken record dialogue, “I notice that I keep using the singular pronoun, while you keep using ‘we’.” He glanced over at Kyouraku, who sipped his sake and said nothing. “You’re not going to get involved in this,” he said. “This is mine to do.”
“Oh, come on,” Kyouraku said, smiling at him. “You’re going to deny me the chance to get in trouble? I was always better at that than you.”
“I know, but things are different now. This isn’t like cutting class at the Academy or that time you and Urahara managed to spike the entire Seireitei water supply. It’s not that I’m worried about Kuchiki-taichou – ”
Kyouraku snorted, clearly conveying his opinion on a man who Kyouraku often called, when drunk, a snot-nosed brat.
“But this would be trouble with Yamamoto-sensei. I have to get this legally reversed.”
“Aww, Jyuu-chan,” Kyouraku said, unrepentant, “I want to help you cause trouble.”
Ukitake looked at him, and knew that Kyouraku was saying he’d rather go down with him than live without him. He sighed. “All right,” he murmured, and Kyouraku smiled brilliantly, then offered him some sake. He waved it aside. “Still, though, does all this strike you as strange?”
Kyouraku was deeply involved in his sake. A quick, flickered glance was the only indication that he had heard what Ukitake had said. However, it was unnecessary for him to respond. They both knew how strange it was. That Rukia had been sentenced to execution at all was unreasonable. The fact that they were using the Soukyoko for an unseated officer – although Ukitake knew better than most that Rukia had enough skill and power to be a seated officer, had her brother not kept interfering – was downright confusion.
“Saa,” Kyouraku finally said.
Ukitake rolled his eyes at the thoroughly useless answer.
“It’ll be fine,” Kyouraku said. “You’re the smartest of all the captains. You’ll figure something out, and then I’ll figure out how to pull it off. Remember what I said when we graduated?”
A reluctant smile tugged at Ukitake’s lips. “That we were always going to be the best Shinigami around, because intelligence added to laziness leads to great efficiency.”
“Exactly,” Kyouraku said, satisfied. He reached up and tugged on Ukitake’s sleeve. “Now, lie down and get some rest.”
Ukitake gave him an appalled look. “It’s barely afternoon, and we have a lot of regular work to do in addition to this new problem, and – ”
Kyouraku laughed and got an arm around Ukitake’s waist, pulling him down. “You’re so noisy, Jyuu-chan.”
Feeling rather grumpy, which was much better than the depression that had been draining him earlier, Ukitake grumbled and relaxed against Kyouraku’s chest. “Fine,” he said, “just for a little while.”
He closed his eyes, and rested.
After a moment, as an afterthought, he said, “Thank you.”
But Kyouraku was, of course, already asleep.
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