Theme: 23. Candy

Dedicated to: Lúthien –that helped me to spur this idea

Word Count: 1177

Disclaimer: I don't own the characters, wish that I did but they belong to Kubo Tite and his people, me only borrowing them for awhile.

Note [s]: Gah, this is un'betaed because I have been so all over the place and I haven't been able to properly contact my beta. Also candies are so not HP related.

Sliding the shoji door of the office open Rukia blinked in slight surprise when she saw her brother on the other side and ready to open it himself. It wasn't as if Rukia hadn't heard that quite lately her brother had been visiting the fourth division captain quite a lot after the Winter War had been finally settled, how couldn't she when she saw Isane in the SWA meetings and she had mentioned that to her which had surprised her a bit since she had no idea when her brother and the healer started to get along so well.

"Niisama." She said very respectfully and with a slight bow of her head.

"Rukia."

"Hmm…so…I guess you have come to see, Unohana-san." She strangely felt a bit nervous for asking that, when her brother nodded she carefully moved to clear the door and properly step outside the office "I suppose I'll see you back in the house later."

He only nodded again before he stepped inside and silently closed the door behind him leaving Rukia wondering on what exactly happened behind those doors? A sudden flush appeared on her cheeks at the sudden very vivid and graphic image that came to her mind on just what other types of activities could be done on a desk besides paperwork. Feeling a bit flustered and ashamed she just left as fast as her flash step could carry her and planning on asking Kimiko to spar with her to forget that psychologically scarring image.

When he felt Rukia's presence safely away he finally allowed himself to relax, thankful that his sister hadn't noticed that he had tensed when they accidentally met in that place, of all the places for him to accidentally find his sister Fate just had to decide on this one. A light feminine laugh with some chimes of amusement reminded him of the other person that was obviously on the room; with a small frown he turned to look at the 4th division captain that was now trying to unsuccessfully to cover her soft giggles with the palm of one of her dainty hands.

"I fail to see any form of amusement on this."

"Well if you could have seen your expression a few moments ago, believe me, you'll see it." She answered when she had finally stifled her giggles enough to properly do so "You looked really adorable with that expression."

His frown deepened, there were a lot of words associated with his looks like handsome, aristocratic and many others but adorable had never been one of them "Did you just said I'm adorable?"

"I did, surprising for you since you're used to having other type of words describing your looks but with that expression adorable is the only one that fits." Blatantly she ignored the glare he gave sent her way, she was by now used to them and quite frankly they had never unfazed her "So might I ask what brings you here?"

"You were late for our lunch engagement." He said rather simply and mildly

For some seconds she was quite startled at that piece of information "I was," When he barely nodded to answer a small exasperated sigh escaped her lips "I'm sorry, I didn't realized it I had to take care of some members of the 11th division that were causing some trouble again."

With a slight uncaring shrug of his shoulders he moved to take a seat in one of the chairs in front of her desk, customary since some shinigamis came to talk with her and ask for advice almost like if she was a psychologist, and flexed his arms in front of his chest when it became obvious he was not going to speak again she sighed and returned to her work on the reports that she still had to fill up being discarded when she had been forced to control the situation with the eleventh division members.

For long minutes the only sounds echoing on the room were the sound of brush against paper, his even breathing and her low hummed melody which wasn't new for any of them, usually when he came to her office they rarely talked spending the time on silence or indulging themselves on some other…ahem…activities on top of the very desk in which she was working or his depending on where they were.

"What was Rukia doing here?"

"Hmm," She finally finished her last report and left in the desk to let the ink dry before she raised her head to look at him "Rukia-san came to deliver something to me."

"What?"

The healer sighed before she opened one of the drawers of her desk to pull out a transparent bag and showed it to him, the small bag was filled light yellow candies. Byakuya should have figured as much, really he had been surprised to know that Retsu was very fond of sweets and quite apparently his sister had been helping her to keep that particular addiction bringing candy for the fourth division captain when she went to the human world to visit Ichigo.

"You should have suspected that your sister was providing me with candy also wouldn't be easier to tell Rukia the truth." She said matter of factly and ignoring the frown on his face "You will tell her when the time is right." Opening the bag she plucked one candy ball between her finger and offered it to him "Here have one, they are quite my new fancy and you might like it."

With a dubious look he none the less accepted the candy slowly he ate the offered confection before a slight wince appeared on his face "Fu…What in the name of Kami is this!?"

"I think they are called lemon drops, what didn't like it?"

But of course he hadn't, the damn thing was bitter and that was still little word to fully describe the taste of the horrid candy that was in his mouth. He had really been tempted to spit it out but manners prevented him from doing that especially in front of her, so forcefully he swallowed it and felt like if some years of his almost immortal life had been lost when he did that, he thanked whatever god that shinigamis were allowed to believe in when she stashed the bag somewhere and out of his line of his sight because he will have probably took it to throw it away much to her chagrin.

"Well I guess I won't give you more of these candies again and really I would tell you that I will compensate you for that but as you can see the desk is currently being used so…" She stood up and walked to the door "I guess lunch will have to work as…"

Really she didn't get to finish that sentence before she found her mouth otherwise occupied while he had her pinned on the wooden floor, apparently he had decided that the floor will do a good enough job and who was her to discuss that logic?

Ohh…look at this, I'm alive again! This theme really went a lot of ways and I finally settled for this. Hopefully my next update will come faster and I won't take so long for it.