Author's Notes
Hoo boy...this was a doozy. I probably rewrote the whole thing three times. If I made no spelling errors, I will be very happy. I don't even know what inspired this fanfiction. I love Nemu, so I knew I'd eventually write about her..but Byakuya? No idea..I think I just wanted to write some crack. And this was the most crack-y yet at least slightly plausible thing I could think of. I know there's probably quite a bit of OOC-ness going on in this, but it's midnight and I just wanted to get it out of my head..so please just try to deal with it. Comments and constructive criticism are always appreciated!
Disclaimer: Obviously, I am not Tite Kubo..and obviously, I do not own these characters. Sad, I know.
PS: Just in case you're interested, I was listening to Zombie by The Cranberries when writing this. O:
Only a fool would fail to notice the way the lieutenant of the 12th division carried herself, and Byakuya Kuchiki was no fool. Whenever he crossed paths with the quiet woman, the cautious precision in her steps was obvious to him; every movement she made was carefully measured, as if she believed one wrong move could shatter the illusion she had built up. Nemu Kurotsuchi's skeletons were not invisible to the stoic Kuchiki, because he was no fool.
Byakuya never held a high opinion of Mayuri Kurotsuchi, and his opinion was only lowered by Ukitake's partial confirmations of his own suspicions. The sickly captain of the 13th division's kind and compassionate demeanor was only matched by that of Unohana Retsu, so the Kuchiki heir was not surprised that, when a conversation of the 12th division came up, Ukitake questioned him about the quiet vice-captain and what occured within their division. It was rare that Byakuya troubled himself with matters concerning the subordinates of divisions outside of his own, but the quiet familiarity in Nemu's precision somehow, if only for a moment, seemed more important than his ideals.
She was the last to leave a meeting of the lieutenants, and her captain was undoubtedly holed up in his laboratory performing some experiment. When Byakuya asked her to accompany him, she wordlessly followed. She was still as he pinned her against a wall pushing her gi aside to study a large purple bruise against the otherwise unmarred skin of her shoulder. When he grasped her chin between his thumb and forefinger, her teal eyes met his gray ones, and Byakuya Kuchiki knew she saw in them a reflection of his ghosts. He wanted to ask the question that she was undoubtedly waiting for. Instead, he released her, stepping away and turning to wordlessly walk back the way he had come. However, her serenely pure voice stopped him.
"Captain Kuchiki."
Byakuya did not have to look at her to know what those two simple words said, so he didn't bother turning around.
"You should return to your division." And then he walked away. And he knew that she understood.
Nemu had her skeletons, just as Byakuya had his ghosts. And those demons tied them together with an understanding that did not require words.
And, somehow, that was good enough.