ravens_rising: (Default)
Rae ([personal profile] ravens_rising) wrote2009-06-04 01:57 pm

Fiiiiiiic!

They left me alone in the house. XD So I come bearing fic! The spoilers of this week's chapter inspired me to finally get around to finishing it up. This is my fabled hat!fic. *laughs* That in the end doesn't have much to do with Shunsui's hat at all. Oh well.

Title: The Beginning
Rating: PG
Word Count: 1,011        FINALLY I PASS ONE THOUSAND! *GLEE*
Characters: Ukitake, Shunsui, Yamamoto, Aizen
Pairing: slight mention of Ukitake/Shunsui
Author's Note 1: Thanks oodles to [livejournal.com profile] marionetteblue3, who did beta work on this. Thank you so muuuuch! <33  I did go back and add some paragraphs in later, so there still might be mistakes... So if you see some, it's all my fault! 
A/N 2: This contains spoilers for and direct references to chapters 329, 335, and 355. You might not understand some of the important points and references in the fic unless you have read and remember the dialogue in those chapters.
A/N 3: This fic contains massive rambling speculation on character history and future events. The majority of the main ones were inspired at some point during discussion with VraieEsprit, so even though I know she doesn’t read fic, I just want her to know that THIS IS ALL HER FAULT.  <3

Despite popular belief in Seireitei, the Captain of the Thirteenth Division could act, could lie, and could deflect if there was a need.

He knew he appeared perfectly calm, composed, and at ease to anyone watching. Of course he did. Never let your enemy see your weakness- that was one of the first rules taught to new soldiers at the Academy, back in the beginning.

“Two against one is unfair.”

This was true, and he did believe it. But fuck fair. At the moment, there was nothing he wanted more in the world than to be able to draw his zanpakutou and leap into Shunsui’s fight so that the two of them could fight side by side. Sogyo no Kotowari whispered nervously in the back of his mind, wordless murmurings that betrayed their host’s fear.

Then they could go save Shirou-chan. They could assist Soi Fon. They could take the injured vice-captains back to Soul Society. He wanted this battle to be done with, for everyone to be unharmed, for everyone to go back home, and for everything to be all right again. Most of all, he wanted to lie in Shunsui’s arms and forget. He wanted to forget the look in Master Genryuusai’s eyes.

The look that said This is very bad and Something else is going on, but I will not tell you and I will not let them pass if my flesh is torn from my bones as if he was afraid that it might come to that in the end.

This made Jyuushirou afraid, a fear that twisted up through his body, lurking in a headache behind his eyes, and making him hypersensitive of his surroundings. He could feel the coolness of the stone through his haori, he could feel the tiniest wisps of air that blew past the lonely column, and he could sense every parry and thrust of the battle above him.

He was a Captain of the Gotei 13, a true Captain of the Gotei 13. Without hesitation, he would give up his life to protect his home and his comrades. However, this did not mean that he wished to die. Maybe most importantly of all, he did not want these children to die.

Shirou-chan, the boy with a haunted wisdom in his eyes far beyond his years…

Rangiku, Shunsui’s drinking partner and good friend, who had lost and was just retracing the steps toward love…

Izuru, who had just begun to discover who he truly was…

Hisagi, who had a light in his eyes that sometimes reminded Jyuushirou of the lost little boy he once had been…

Hinamori-chan, who should not have just found her way out of the dark tunnel into the light, only to be struck brutally down…

Soi Fon, still desperately trying to fight her way out of Yoruichi’s shadow…

He did not want them to die out here. He was tired, so damned tired, of losing children before their time. He would do anything, anything, to secure their lives.

But the look in Master Genryuusai’s eyes…

What is going on, sensei? What is it that you will not tell us? He thinks to himself. Shunsui does not know the answer either. There was a time when they both would have known, when Master Genryuusai would have told them, not too long ago. But their sensei’s trust in them had been lost. They might have been fine, but the day they had fought him was the day that Aizen had betrayed Soul Society- but he had perhaps betrayed Genryuusai most of all.

For Aizen had been his student as well. Not as close and Jyuushirou or Shunsui had been, of course- two thousand years is a long time. But Aizen had been his student all the same. Master Genryuusai had taken a shine to him from the beginning. He had been the favored pupil that rose rapidly through the ranks. He had been the bright shining pride of the Gotei 13. Though it had remained unspoken, Jyuushirou knew that Yamamoto had seen shadows of his first two pupils in Aizen’s famous kindness and intelligence.

And he had betrayed them all.

So Master Genryuusai’s trust in his pupils had been broken. He was not able to trust his judgment anymore. If he had been so wrong, so terribly wrong about Aizen Sousuke, then where else had his judgment failed? And Jyuushirou and Shunsui had turned against him that day, that same day. For purer reasons, yes, but they had fought against him just the same.

There was a gaping hole in Jyuushirou’s heart, where the trust of his sensei had been. It twisted painfully, closing his throat and making it hard to breathe when he saw the blank look in his sensei’s eyes that said I do not trust you anymore. Master Genryuusai had been his sensei for over two thousand years- that was a very long, long time.

I still have Shunsui and Retsu. He told himself. But he thought of Retsu, deep in the heart of the enemy’s territory, and he thought of when he had bought the hat that Shunsui wore, a long time ago. For centuries, no one had touched that hat in battle. Graceful, powerful, beautiful Shunsui with the laughing eyes and the sly mouth, dancing out of the way of all blades and earthly touches.

“Kyouraku is strong too.”

And he was. Shunsui was the strongest man he had ever known. But not all of the Sousuke Aizen they had known could be an act, and Jyuushirou knew that Aizen was a smart, sly man. He would never be as blunt as this; he would never have banked his victory on this simple battle. Yes, Jyuushirou had confidence that, in the end, Shunsui would win this fight. But Jyuushirou remembered Aizen’s smile, and he knew that this was only the beginning. If the blonde haired child thought that she was important, she was wrong.

Jyuushirou watched his lover fight out of the corner of his eye, and he was afraid.

“I’m praying that doesn’t happen.”

[identity profile] zoelyn.livejournal.com 2009-06-05 08:18 am (UTC)(link)
That was really good! :3 You set up a very likely situation between Jyuushiro and Yama-jii. And the hat part was funny! :D
Of course JyuuShun interaction is sweet. :3

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-06 04:46 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much! I'm glad you thought it was realistic! Thank you! And yay for a fitting icon! <3

[identity profile] nannete.livejournal.com 2009-06-05 09:50 am (UTC)(link)
You know Juushirou's head inside out, don't you? This is tremendous - and I especially love how his thoughts track from one thing to another, balancing concern for those around him with realisation of his own rational self-maximising trends (who doesn't have them?). And I love how his speech, ostensibly to Lilinette, is in fact to reassure himself. After Harribel, maybe Kubo will surprise us and spell it Lilinnete, and she'll be my twin sister:/

Hooray for Ravens left alone in the house!
I wish I was your beta, so I could read this stuff before everyone else *cackle*
♥♥♥

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-06 04:52 am (UTC)(link)
That was like the best comment ever. *tackleglomp* I'm incredibly thrilled that you thought I did that good of a job. <3 I was actually very unsure about the characterization in this piece. I'm glad you thought it fit him. Thank you very, very much. LOL that would be hilarious. XDD I myself am still not sure how to spell it- Lilinette? Lillinete? Lilinnete? Idk! XD

... *starry eyes* Was that an offer? If so, I have two drabbles ready for beta now, and hopefully I'll finish my fistfight with a longer fic (already ~1,300 words!!) within the next couple weeks...
<3333333

(Anonymous) 2009-06-06 03:47 pm (UTC)(link)
I'd love to, actually:) Parents are here atm, and we're Isle-of-Wighting tomorrow to keep them entertained, but it gives me an excuse to find time for myself again:) Fire away!

[identity profile] nannete.livejournal.com 2009-06-06 03:48 pm (UTC)(link)
Ugh, livejournal must've started logging me out;( It was me, that anonymous fool.

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-06 11:00 pm (UTC)(link)
Haha, I figured it was you. ^_~ Livejournal hates me sometimes too, I understand. But hehe, thanks very much! I don't think I have your email, though.
I hope the parent visit is going okay, though.

[identity profile] fillian-levine.livejournal.com 2009-06-07 01:35 pm (UTC)(link)
You're writing!! :D And writing beautifully at that, too. ^_^

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-07 02:46 pm (UTC)(link)
Yes, yes I am. :) I posted another ShunUki a week or two ago, actually. XD Thank you very much!
ext_286425: Daft Punk (BLEACH - Gin)

[identity profile] kateison.livejournal.com 2009-06-08 12:07 am (UTC)(link)
Oh wow, fantastic piece. I love the way you've attacked this, excuse the pun. The way you traverse through Juushirou's mind is wonderful. I'm especially fond of the point you made about Yama-jii's trust.

Really spectular~

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-08 03:21 am (UTC)(link)
Thank you very much! I'm glad you liked what I did with it! :)

[identity profile] wet.livejournal.com 2009-06-11 09:45 pm (UTC)(link)
IT WAS AWESOMELY WRITTENNN~~~

“I’m praying that doesn’t happen.”

...S-same ;_;

[identity profile] ravens-rising.livejournal.com 2009-06-11 10:04 pm (UTC)(link)
YAAAAY~ THANK YOOOOU <333

...meee tooooo. DDDD: *crosses fingers* I wouldn't mind some... wounds or slashed clothes! *___*... but dying is not allowed for Shun-kun! or Jyuu-kun!

[identity profile] decayingmoon.livejournal.com 2009-06-17 10:09 pm (UTC)(link)
*pops out from nowhere*

Aww, I enjoyed this very much.
"he thought of when he had bought the hat that Shunsui wore, a long time ago." I loved this piece, I guess I'm a hopeless fangirl or something? XD
And also I find Juushirou very IC, the contrast between his calm appearance and the feelings and all the other things which are going on inside him is described in a very good way. Well done *__*

[identity profile] cmc42.livejournal.com 2009-11-30 12:51 pm (UTC)(link)
Awww *hugs Jushiro*

I'm realising how much I failed at commenting on your fic at some points. Sorry. DDDD: