Dabbling with Drabbles - Bleach

Don't Cry Now

Title: Don't Cry Now

Pairings: A smidgen of ByaUki if you squint.

Words: 991

Warnings: None, really, unless you count Ukitake crying?

The tears were rolling down his cheeks and along his jaw line before dropping like raindrops onto his Captain's Haori when a resounding knock resinating from the front door of his family's Ugendō startled him.

"Darn it," Ukitake muttered as he hastily pulled a hand across his face, wiping away the tears. But as soon as he rid himself of those salty tears, more followed and he wiped them away as well.

"Captain?" Kiyone questioned next to him and he offered her a weak smile, his eyesight slightly blurry as his eyes stung from his tears.

"I'll get it," he said as he turned and walked toward the entrance, another light knock reaching his ears.

As soon as he opened the door, the sight of a certain Kuchiki noble greeted him and he stifled a gasp of surprise upon seeing his ex-student. Byakuya was as stony silent and seemingly emotionless as usual, but his eyes, usually narrow with indifference, widen a fraction in shock, quite a significant response from the younger male. He actually took a step backwards upon seeing him.

He must look a sight if Byakuya all but reeled back in shock.

Why was he here? Ukitake had tried to initiate a conversation with him not too long ago only to be brushed aside coldly, and well, quite harshly, actually. He didn't have time for idle chit-chat; he had informed him before brushing by with an air of sophisticated arrogance.

So what was he doing here? They had no business to speak of, right?

Knowing that it was quite rude, Ukitake, however, turned his back to Byakuya as he hastily wiped at his eyes with the sleeve of his Captain's Haori, mildly aware that it would only succeed in making his eyes appear puffier than they already were.

"Um, so, what brings you here, Captain Kuchiki?" he questioned as he kept his back to his unexpected guest, trying to eliminate all signs of tears from his cheeks. "I was informed; by yourself no less not too long ago that you were a busy man."

There was a stunned silence before Byakuya asked; "Have you been crying about what I said earlier today?"

"I'm not crying about that, really," Ukitake insisted, his back still presented to him as he continued to wipe at his eyes. "I'm used to your...disregard towards me. It's just...Kyouraku tells me that I shouldn't bother anymore, that it's not worth the pain, but I-"

"Have I been treating you this harshly?" Byakuya had asked him surprisingly timidly, sounding almost guilty.

"Nothing more than usual," Ukitake said with a sigh without meaning too, but he soon realized his error and he spun around to face his fellow captain, his expression apologetic. "Ah, that was rude of me, I'm sorry. I mean, well, you've always treated me like this. Well, not always, but the last few years you have. I'm used to it, really. I'm sorry to bother you, as it appears I do quite often."

Byakuya looked oddly guilty, sad even as he frowned. "...You don't cause me any bother," he said softly.

Ukitake stopped wiping at his eyes for a moment. "Huh?"

"I...didn't mean to make you cry," Byakuya said as he chewed on his bottom lip, his eyes darting away.

"Huh?" Ukitake once again uttered in surprise before he shook his head vehemently. "Ah, no, it's not because of you at all. I'm just so sensitive to-"

He abruptly squeezed his eyes shut as more tears lined his lashes, using the heel of his palm in a desperate attempt to brush them away. Darn it, he can't stop his eyes from watering or the tears from falling, no matter how hard he tried.

Suddenly, a gloved hand swept across his cheek, softly, gently, prompting Ukitake's eyes to widen in surprise when he opened them. Byakuya was unexpectedly close to him and he bit back a gasp.

"I'm sorry," Byakuya suddenly whispered to him, his hand lingering on his cheek for a moment before pulling away and taking a step back. "I'll...try not to make you cry in the future."

He then abruptly turned around and started to walk away, a sense of embarrassment in his posture.

"But, Byakuya, really, it isn't your fault, I was just-" Ukitake tried to protest, but Byakuya would have none of it, simply pausing in his steps to cast a surprisingly guilty glance over his shoulder.

"You should stop blaming yourself for everything, Sempei." And with those words, he began to walk away, his movements as graceful and unfaltering as ever.

Ukitake wanted to protest, but decided against it, knowing that Byakuya was convinced that his tears were his fault and nothing he could do to say otherwise. Still, it was nice of him to apologize and promise not to make him cry in the future.

With a sigh, he closed the door, his sensitive hearing immediately picking up on the sound of sobs and sniffles radiating from the kitchen.

And sure enough, as he popped his head around the corner of the doorway to have a look, the sight of Kiyone and Sentaro rubbing their eyes with the sleeves of their kimonos and moaning about how the tears won't stop falling greeted him. In their hands were a peeling knife and an onion, those of which he, himself, was peeling before Byakuya made an appearance.

That was what he was trying to explain to Byakuya; he wasn't crying because of how he treated him (which he had gotten used to over the years. The real Byakuya was still there somewhere and he won't stop bugging him until he makes a return), but because he was helping Kiyone and Sentaro with preparing dinner before he arrived.

"It doesn't get any easier, I'm afraid," Ukitake informed his two crying third seats as he stepped into the kitchen. "I've been cutting onions for two thousand years and they still make me cry."