Chapter Text
The woman below him moaned and Byakuya almost cringed in the midst of his movements. God, she sounded like fingernails on a chalkboard. He thrust again and she cried out in that whinnying voice.
That was it.
"Get out." Byakuya stopped and drew out of her, ignoring the annoying mewls from the woman below him. His body did not even protest at the sudden abrupt stop to the orgasmic activity, though Byakuya strongly doubted he could even reach it. Not because of the lack of his sexual prowess (that was definitely very far from it), but because he might actually go deaf before he reached his climax. Or before that, he might actually tear that woman into pieces for being so fucking... high-pitched.
"Get out. I am done." He got up from the bed and picked up the black robe over the chair and draped it over himself, before knotting it tightly at the waist. He picked up his expensive silver lighter and the packet of Treasurers, and walked out to the balcony. A cool night breeze was blowing as Byakuya flicked his lighter and lit up one cigarette between his lips. He could hear the ruffle of clothes behind him as the woman got dressed ("Damn, she's slow as well…") and could practically feel her eyes boring into him, but Byakuya did not even care.
He had paid for her. He could do away with her as he wished. And heck, it wasn't even worth it.
Though it wasn't to say he could not afford it. He could afford anything.
He was Kuchiki Byakuya, the rich, dashing playboy grandson of Kuchiki Ginrei, and acting director of the Kuchiki empire of hotel chains. He was rich, desirable, obnoxious and everything in a man every woman lusted after.
But he wasn't just any man.
Byakuya stared out at the city landscape in the night. It was an endless field of white lights as far as he could see, from the houses to the lampstreets on the road.
Earth had changed so much in the past two thousand years.
He wasn't just any man. In fact, he wasn't even a man. He was an Incubus, the real-life personification of the medieval folklore and legend of the infamous male demon, one which derived his energy and life spirit by sexually preying on women.
Earth certainly had changed a lot.
There was no need to prey on women anymore. Byakuya could do it fully in his own right… with just money. And besides the looks department, he was more than well-endowed financially. This all came from the history of the clan of Incubi and Succubi (the female counterpart of the Incubus) he belonged to. They had worked hard to reach where they were, slowly rising through the ranks of business to be one of the top leaders in the hotel chains, both regional and international.
Incubi and Succubi were also immortals, meaning Byakuya rarely had to attend the funeral of a clan or family member. But there was the word rarely, as all demons had a "Purification Period" once a year, in which they took on the mortal vulnerability of humans to so-call "purify" their damned souls. This was also the time in which other Incubi and Succubi would attack their enemies, to ensure a higher success rate of blood and death. And being immortals, his clan would move whenever they overstayed their logical period of time in a certain place, taking with them the fortune and members they had harvested over time, before settling in a new place to repeat the routine all over again. Or alternatively, the current members would go into hiding at a peaceful, faraway place for decades before returning with a completely new identity in the clan. Sometimes, more-than-alert mortals came close to the truth, and were appropriately "dealt with" by clan members. His demon clan had also withstood a lot of attacks for centuries now, and with their ever-growing power and size, other demons knew better than to mess with the nobles of the demon world.
But centuries back, his parents had died in an unsuspecting attack of an enemy clan and his grandfather arrived with reinforcements only in time to save his beloved grandson, who at that time, was just a baby. Kuchiki Ginrei launched a retaliation to the said clan, obliterating all members, whether male, female or child. Byakuya was then brought up under the close eye of his grandfather, and trained both in demonic combat skills and business management expertise. And as he grew, his clan members commented on the good looks and skill prowess he had inherited from both his Incubus father and Succubus mother, the parents he never knew.
"True love can only produce one such perfection," the female Succubi often giggled about him.
Byakuya did not know if his parents had truly loved each other, but they must have had, from the stories he had learned from his clan members. They said his parents were inseparable, going on attack trips and business meetings side by side almost every single time. He would then feel a tinge of pride each time he heard accounts of his parents like this.
However, Byakuya could not say he understood true love very much. Every female Succubus in his clan clearly had eyes for him, but he paid no attention to any of them. Upon his appointment as the acting head of the Kuchiki hotel empire, Ginrei had requested that Byakuya choose a mate for himself, to procreate and extend the blood of the clan. Byakuya asked for time then, but it had been five years since he had made the request. His grandfather was more than aware of Byakuya's playboy lifestyle and so did not comment on the absence of a long-term companion.
Yes, Byakuya was a playboy. A girl never lasted more than twenty-four hours at his side. The highest record was twenty-five hours, fifty-six minutes and thirty-one seconds. He never really cared for any woman beside him, only treating them as objects to gain sexual satisfaction, whether demon or human. Byakuya preferred female humans mostly, because he loved multi-tasking. And with humans, he could gain sexual gratification and replenish his life force supply at the same time. In short, he sucked their life force out in the midst of sex, and then watch them weaken and lose consciousness for the night. With demons, he could only have sex and he did not like the idea of performing the Sacred Exchange.
The only time Incubi and Succubi performed what they called the "Sacred Exchange" was when they interchangeably channeled their demon force into their respective partners during love-making, keeping each other responsive to the pleasure, as both demons are capable of sucking out life force (though demonic life force was nearly not as delicious or potent as human life force) from each other. It was what Incubi and Succubi performed when they finally found the right mate, that other demon they wanted their life intertwined with. It was a mutual exchange, one that symbolized love and promise for eternity.
Byakuya often scoffed at this. He had never performed the Sacred Exchange once in his two thousand years of life. The last time he had had sex with a Succubus, she had exhausted all her energy channeling them into him and he watched disdainfully as she practically fainted on the bed. That Succubus had then become the laughing stock of his clan when the story came out, and they labelled her as "Byakuya's Unwanted Trash". And more and more Succubi joined that list as time passed by.
Byakuya doubted if he would ever fall in love, or feel the way his father had felt for his mother.
He blew out a tendril of smoke into the air from his perfect lips.
'And I don't even give a damn.'
"I will be there in a second! Just… just hold the shop for fifteen minutes for me, will you, Nel?" The petite, raven-haired girl hurried along the streets, her slingbag over her shoulder. "I will be there in a flash! Thanks, you are a sweetheart!" She smiled at the response and snapped her phone shut.
Rukia was heading to her florist shop, but there was one place she needed to stop at first. She felt her face split into an anticipating grin.
Shaved fruit ice.
They were her absolute favourite, and she had to have one plastic cup of the delight every Wednesday. They were really refreshing, and she had known the proprietor of the shop, a jovial old man for a few years now, being one of his faithful customers.
And she doubted anyone else ordered the shaved fruit ice the way she did. She would order strawberry flavour and request for extra sago and sweet milk over the ice. Strawberries were her favourite… both the fruit and the… person, Rukia thought with a slight blush. She shook herself as she approached the shop and stopped as she spotted the long line of eager customers.
'Oh well,' she sighed as she got into line. There was always a long line for Yukara's Shaved Ice, they were after all the best ice desserts in town despite the humble appearance of the small shop. She stood in line and smiled happily as she caught sight of the large strawberry painting on the shop. She was practically salivating.
"My dear, one of your favourites as well?" She looked up at the kind voice, and at the old man standing in front of her who had just turned back with a friendly smile.
"Yes, definitely." She bowed respectfully. "Yours too, Gramps?"
The old man smiled. "My late wife used to love it a lot, and she got me into it." She watched a sad smile pass across the wrinkled face, and Rukia could not help it as she reached out and patted the old man's hand. "I still eat them… despite my old age."
"Nothing like staying young, Gramps. And you do look it!"
The old man chuckled, before he was overcome with a slight coughing fit.
"Oh no!" Rukia bent over him slightly and moved her hand smoothly over his back to soothe him. She had had a lot of practice in this. Her own father had a severe, chronic bloody cough that frequently landed him in emergency units each time and sent her into horrible worrying fits.
'Otto-san,' Rukia thought fondly, as she flashed on his kind smile and eyes, and his long white hair.
"I am alright, my dear. Thank you, you are quite an angel." The old man coughed one last time and smiled at her.
Rukia smiled back and wagged her finger. "That's what you think." They both laughed. Then her phone rang.
"Excuse me." Rukia snapped open the phone, and smiled at the name on the screen. "Ichigo?"
"Hey, Rukia! What are you doing?"
"Heading off to my flower shop soon for work! What's up?"
"Not much. Was wondering though… do you want to go to a movie this Saturday night?"
Rukia felt her heart skip a beat. Movie… Saturday night?
"S-Sure, Ichigo."
"That's settled then. I will meet you, Orihime, Nel and Ishida on the same street as usual, okay?"
Rukia swallowed the disappointment. Of course, a movie night with… friends. What was she thinking? That Ichigo was going to ask her out?
"Okay." She forced the cheery tone. "See you then."
"Great! Don't work so hard, okay?"
"You know I don't."
She heard his wonderful laugh. "Bye, Rukia."
"Bye."
"Hey Byakuya, why don't we try a bit of fortune-telling?"
"I never knew you believed these sort of things, Renji."
"No… but you know… just for the fun of it," Byakuya's fellow clan member smiled devilishly, raising his extravagant eyebrows.
Byakuya opened his mouth to say something but his brash friend had already hurried over to the roadside table on which an old woman sat with a pile of tarot cards. Renji was Byakuya's office assistant at the Kuchiki business empire, and also his extremely noisy friend. The red-haired demon was not as talented as Byakuya in business matters or combat but he was definitely learning. And looking for trouble was his number one hobby, as well as believing in rubbish like this.
Byakuya walked over to Renji, who was already eagerly seated in front of the old woman.
"Let's see… your birthday… January 31st is it not?"
Byakuya shrugged coolly. After two thousand times of celebrating, you did not really care anymore.
The old woman fixed her eyes on Byakuya and smiled. "Such an extraordinary being you are, mister. And you too." She smiled at an uncomfortable Renji, an emotionless Byakuya standing behind him. "What fortune would you like me to tell?"
Renji grinned excitedly, very much like a boy waiting to open a birthday present. "Let's see… wealth? No, we already know you can buy anything… and any woman in the world. Oh, that's it!" Renji snapped his fingers. "Love… love! We don't want another joining the trash list soon, do we, Byakuya?" He laughed loudly.
"Love… it is…" The woman smiled and turned a tarot card on the table. In spite of himself, Byakuya found himself leaning forward to look, as the woman placed three cards in succession on the table.
"Sun of the Arms. A poignant story." The woman smiled at the formation patterns on all three cards, before lifting her gaze to Byakuya. "She is nearer than you think she is. But you will know soon, if you do not already." She pointed at the second card. "And when you are hit inside, you change. You love... for eternity." Renji's eyes widened. "And this finally…
"Enough."
"Huh?" Renji turned around indignantly, but Byakuya had already turned away. "Renji, I am leaving. Thank you." Byakuya placed some cash on the table and walked away.
"H-Hey wait!" Renji got up from the table and hurried after Byakuya. "Don't you want to know what the ending card is?"
"No, I don't. It is a child's game."
"Hey… she says you are going to find your soulmate soon! And then… you love for eternity… or is that what she was saying?"
"I am off. Do return to the Kuchiki empire building for the evening paperwork, Renji."
"Where are you going?"
"To get my usual dose of sugar." Byakuya stopped outside his black limousine as his chauffuer opened the door. "I will see you in a while."
He got in and closed the door, before turning to his chauffeur.
"Yukara's Shaved Ice shop."
"That was lovely!" Rukia smiled happily. The old man had just related a story about a trip he and his beloved late wife had to a vineyard. "It was so nice for the both of you!"
"It was."
The line had been steadily moving forward as Rukia and the old man traded anecdotes on their lives. It was near the old man's turn to place his order.
"Gramps, it's your turn." Rukia nudged him gently and pointed at the young girl manning the store. Apparently, the proprietor was not here today, and had to rely on hs young workers.
The old man smiled at Rukia, and turned to the girl. "I will have-
"One strawberry ice… with extra sago and sweet milk."
Rukia's eyes widened in shock at the deep voice. For a moment, she thought someone had plucked the thoughts out of her head and made her own order for her. She looked at the back of the tall man in front of them, who had just popped out of nowhere. Rukia's shock turned to anger as she realized he had cut the awfully long queue and that many people were grumbling behind her. Rukia watched as the young female worker's face took on a dreamy look and immediately began working on the ice.
What!?
"Hey, why don't you queue? There are many others waiting in line." Rukia spoke up loudly behind the old man.
The man slowly turned to her.
And Rukia immediately felt her heart skip a beat as she saw his face. He was very handsome, with dreamy grey eyes and strands of long black hair falling over them as he looked at her. His face was very well-defined... with the lines of his strong chin and the sharp features of his cheekbones. He was wearing a dark purple collared shirt buttoned up loosely at the front, and a black formal office coat.
"My time is important," he spoke slowly in a deep voice, his grey eyes fixed on her. Rukia shook herself mentally and glared at him. She heard the silent menace in his tone but she did not back down.
"Well, so are ours. This old man has waited here for almost fifteen minutes, and you, a young man, can definitely do more than that and show some respect to elders."
The man stared at her silently. "Your time is nothing compared to mine."
Rukia bristled at the arrogant statement. "And your manners are laughable compared to mine. I would have thought a man of your stature…" She looked him up and down for emphasis. "… would know better to understand basic rules as taking turns and queuing."
She heard a deep chuckle escape the man, but he turned back to accept the plastic ice cup from the breathless female worker. Rukia felt like slapping the girl. Didn't she know better to turn rude customers down, than to let them get their way?
The man took the plastic bag and without even so much as a glance at Rukia or the old man, he walked past them.
That did it.
Rukia walked out of line, ignoring the protests of the old man behind her and followed in the rude stranger's tracks.
"I demand you give the old man an apology." Byakuya heard the angry voice, and he slowly turned back to see the furious girl.
"Why are you so against me cutting the queue? Is it for the old man… or for yourself?"
Rukia sputtered angrily at his response. "I-It is for all of us! That was rude and uncivilized, you didn't even say sorry to him." She glared at Byakuya fiercely, as if by doing so, he would get down on his knees and beg for forgiveness. "You know, God is really fair. Apparently people with nice outsides have really nasty insides."
"Not really. Some people are nasty… both outside and inside."
Rukia felt herself ballooning in anger. "You are such a demon!"
She watched surprise flicker in the grey eyes of the man, the first real hint of emotion in his face, before an easy smile grazed his lips. "Am I really?"
"Master Kuchiki, is there a problem?" A short man dressed in a formal office attire came up to them and bowed to him, before shooting a dirty look at Rukia.
"No,… just some… nuisance," The rude stranger spoke smoothly, before sweeping past her.
She whirled as he passed her. "You should apologize!"
Byakuya stopped, before silently turning back to her. He slowly passed the plastic bag of ice to his chauffeur before slipping his hand into his pocket. Rukia narrowed her eyes apprehensively, her stance taking a defensive pose. "This would definitely settle that hot air of yours." Byakuya produced a wad of cash from his Armani wallet.
He saw the girl's eyes widened. Byakuya nearly scoffed.
All humans... are the same.
He moved his hand forwards and watched as she reached out to the money. The next thing happened in a blur. The money was whipped out of his hand and then he felt the paper fly out at him. One hit him lightly on the cheek. He kept his cool gaze on the angry girl before him as all the money floated to the floor. She had taken his money. And thrown them back in his face.
"People like you make me sick," The girl hissed, her violet eyes so big with ferocity for someone so small. She turned her back on him and walked back to the ice shop. Byakuya stared after her silently.
"Master Kuchiki! Are you alright? Shall I go and deal wi-
Byakuya lifted a hand in the air. He watched the girl disappear into the shop, and almost scoffed again. If you knew I could break you so easily with just one hand… you wouldn't show that face to me.
"Let's go," he spoke silently and turned to the car. His chauffeur started retrieving the cash from the pavement as Byakuya took up the ice dessert and opened the car door to settle himself into the comfortable backseat.
Rukia cut the stalks of white lilies expertly as she eyed the purple wrapping paper before her, wondering how she could decorate the bouquet this time. The almost empty plastic cup of ice dessert sat next to the roll of ribbon and tape.
Other than the encounter with the rude man at the ice shop ("I can't believe the jerk has the same taste as me in shaved ice!"), Rukia's day was going rather well. She had gotten ten flower orders and was already setting out to work on the third. She hummed slightly to herself as she reached for the roll of glittery purple ribbon.
She stopped as she heard the familiar ring tone.
"Hello?"
"Rukia, it's me!"
"Hanatarou, what's up?" Rukia smiled cheerfully.
"I-I am g-good! I… I…"
"What's wrong? You sound breathless!" Rukia laughed.
"Rukia, your D-Dad passed out!"