The 15 Faces of Jyuushirou Ukitake

By

PND

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.

AN: This is pretty much going to be a group of fifteen one-shots that I will be doing on and off. I'm only going to spend roughly ten or fifteen minutes on each of them, so don't expect anything drastic, but hopefully they will convey a little of what we don't think of when we see Jyuushirou Ukitake. I like to think that there's more that just the usual happiness that surrounds him or the occasional worry. There has to be more to a man who's lived that long. We just have to consider what.

Face 1: Hate

Jyuushirou Ukitake was not a man who hated easily, if at all. There wasn't reason for him to feel such a strong emotion towards anyone or anything. His hatred wouldn't change anything, so why harbor any kind of odious feeling towards anyone?

He honestly despised it when even the smallest shred of dislike festered in his heart. It made him feel weak somehow—as if he weren't strong enough to surpass a useless emotion like this one. Hate didn't do anything but make him useless.

He hated being useless.

Sometimes it seemed like that was all he was.

If he ever were to hate anyone, though, he knew it would be Byakuya Kuchiki.

He'd always been on fairly decent terms with the younger man, but as of late, he could hardly bear the sight of the noble. It wasn't the way he acted or how he treated people. It was beyond that. It was just the fact that he didn't acknowledge these things. He didn't recognize how he hurt people and nothing was important to him.

Maybe that was what Jyuushirou truly hated; not Byakuya, but the lack of interest—not even for human life—and to Ukitake, who valued life more than anything, that seemed to be the worst sin he could think of. Complete disregard for something that was so precious.

Byakuya did have a side of over protectiveness to him that Jyuushirou found slightly endearing and had resurrected himself in the eyes of others.

Yet, Ukitake found some space, deep in his heart and at the back of his mind for hate. Hate reserved only for someone so young and with so much talent. For someone who he didn't feel any jealousy of, but instead pity.

He was known for his unending kindness and acceptance of everyone. In all of his time as a shinigami, nary a word had been spoken against him. He was loved by all, so how could he hate when he was surrounded by so many who ignored the entire aspect of odium?

He couldn't...not really.

He did not hate Byakuya Kuchiki, but that didn't take away from the fact that he wanted to.

End. Face 1.