Not a Date! (Rio/Hakuyou)(Private)

Rio was preparing and cleaning around in the Shihoin estate. It was a moderately simple day. There was nothing particularly eventful going on, and Rio was simply conducting herself as she always did. Preparing meals, overseeing the training of other family members, and looking over reports of what was going on within the Seireitei. Oh, and there was one more thing she had done on a whim. She wrote a letter that served as an invitation to the Shihoin estate, reserved for one man. Hakuyou Shiba.

She had caught wind that the man had managed to secure a position in the first division, and decided that to celebrate such a promotion, she would invite him for a meal, and show him around the Shihoin estate. She placed the letter within the hand of her servant and ordered the woman to make sure it reached Hakuyou. In the meantime, she would prepare the meal.

She didn't want to admit it... but she was excited to see that man again.

Hakuyou was currently sitting at a desk, his hand expertly using a pen to jot down notes. He was currently studying about the modern world, along with catching up on his graduate studies. Rarely would he allow himself to relax, if he sought to elevate his family once more he needed to take every chance at self improvement. So with a deep sigh he'd place the pen down beginning to stand, stretching as the blood flowed through his body- before a knock was heard.

He'd open it to be greeted with unfamiliar hand writing but a name which he did, Rio Shihouin. The woman he had met some time ago had called upon his presence, at his soonest convenience. Naturally he'd thank the courier before retreating into his room to adopt something of a casual, but still formal, nature. He settled on his shinigami garb, with his traditional Shiba flair.

With that he'd set off to the estate, despite all the years still remembering where said estate remained. Once he reached it, he'd knock upon the door if not greeted at the gates.

The moment Rio heard Hakuyou's footsteps at the gate, an internal elation filled her heart as she excitedly welcomed him forth. From his appearance, she easily discerned that the man chose to dress in his casual robings. The Shihoin daughter welcomed him at the gate, with a warm, palpable smile that expressed her joy in seeing him again. Before his arrival, Rio did not wish to simply wear the same clothing she had adorned herself in when they last met. Dressed within a fine silk-dress - with some of the finest accessories crafted by Shihoin hands - Rio stood out like a sore thumb compared to her taller companion. One would not be in the wrong to assume this was a date, based on her outfit alone.


"Welcome, Hakuyou. I'm glad to see you again. I hear that you were granted a promotion upon your return and wished to celebrate, as friends would."

To say Hakuyou was caught off guard by the change of her attire would be accurate in the most base sense. It wasn't visible the change of his mind but it certainly shifted his thinking to perhaps he chose wrong outfit, along with the intentions of the woman. If she was making a pass towards him, it would fall in line with what he believed a Shihouin woman was about; being rather forwarded. But he had to choose to act, considering the ramifications of his actions if he chose wrong. So a small smiled came onto his features offering a bow.

"Hello, Rio." The man did away with the honorifics, perhaps indicating there was a level for closeness between them. She had done so, so he believed that it would be a wise choice. His head would bow in small greeting before shifting his gaze to her, amber eyes holding all that intensity she knew him for. "Then let us celebrate, as friends do." The man would add one, before adding on.

"I must say your choice of attire compliments your beauty well, Rio. Your dress reminds me of the finest fashions of London, but combined with your elegance; truly breathtaking."

To say that Hakuyou's compliments had made Rio Shihoin - Almighty Protector of the Shihoin clan - blush, was a severe understatement. A small shade of red was now easily discernible through the ebony skin of her cheeks. The finest fashions of London? Rio was wholly oblivious to the fact of what the dress might have implied and neither the male or female servants of the estate thought it was necessary to tell her otherwise.

Even so, the compliments were so flattering! Rio knew she had charm beyond her voluptuous chest; she would use this as ammunition for her older sister when they see each other again.

Rio guided him along the grounds of the estate before she opened the door to its home, welcoming the imposing man into her household. As she had already notified the servants and bodyguards, none of them would be alarmed as he entered in. Turning to face him once he would enter in, Rio decided to return the compliments.

"I see that you chose a more modest attire than the one I saw you wearing the last time. I like it. Truthfully, with such a strong and mighty form, I believe that you make a lot of outfits look regal and beyond their years. I never said it from the last time we met, but I find that very charming about you - that nature of yours and the maturity you carry yourself with."

Rio did not intend for that to sound flirtatious, but no one could blame the woman considering she had never took the time to understand what it meant to court a man or let him know of your affections. She was just excited to finally be seeing him again. At least, that's what she chose to keep telling herself.

"You flatter me so, Rio-san. But had I known you wished to treat this meeting in the name of courtship I would have worn something more appropriate. Nevertheless, I am glad; as I intend to make my intentions known henceforth."

The man would comment without skipping a beat, his hands coming to rest behind his back as they walked. Provided they didn't stop suddenly at that his tone would be even, speaking as if this was nothing more than a passing formality despite the gravity of his words. He was well aware of his station as an unmarried aristocrat, and the fact he was such would raise rumors if he did not address that. Rio Shihouin looked to be a woman of good birth, with good morals to match, who took an interest in him.

It would be foolhardy for him not to take bold steps.

So with that, amber eyes shifted to gaze at her. A ghost of a smile playing on his lips. "I understand a young woman like you may have many suitors, men of far reputable families than mine. That by all accounts, I am not the most respectable suitor. But I would be honor'd none the less, should you consider me as such, Rio-san." The man would bow his head as if in deference to her, believing that he perhaps have made a miscalculation.

Or perhaps, taken the first step to a new future. He was a bold man, and he would need to be such if the Shiba name would once more grace the halls of history.

Treat this meeting in the name of courtship? Huh? Rio's eyes blinked as a dumbfounded expression dominated her graceful countenance. She was stunned, speechless, and unable to form any real reply as Hakuyou spoke. A blush so fierce that it threatened to color her face in the likeness of tomato had filled her cheeks as she gazed at him in silence. It was so difficult to comprehend and yet even she would be foolish to misunderstand his words.

Still, she had never really had many suitors. Rather, none of them seemed courageous enough to ask her out on a date. Rio had lived her entire life as a shield meant to protect the livelihood of her family and so the ideas of love and romance had always eluded her. She had never felt herself to be against falling in love or loving someone else; there were simply no opportunities that presented themselves. In a word, she was male-repellent. Her body was well-endowed and she held a charming and attractive face, but the attitude is usually what tended to spell her end in terms of leaping into the dating world. And now...

Hakuyou, a man who she had met not long ago, was boldly proclaiming how honored he would be to be given the opportunity to court her. Rio felt so odd about the entire situation. Was this how it was supposed to be? Could she truly be loved by someone who wasn't intimidated by her personality? Rio took a deep breath as she collected the majority of her thoughts. He was handsome, mature, thoughtful, and held a poise that seemed as if it were built to handle anything thrown against it. He was easily husband material according to perception.

Rio could not help but imagine the thought of if she turned him down, how a woman might scoop him up and make him their own. She was no expert in love... but would not reject his offer. She had developed a crush on him ever since they met. She didn't know what a crush felt like and now she had a man bowing before her, expressing his heart's desire.

"T-to be truly h-honest, t-that wasn't my intent... but u-um... now that you've made your intentions known, I'd be dishonest to say I haven't felt the same about you, Hakuyou San."

There was the initial stuttering, but she cleared her throat and resumed speaking.

"You are an honorable and brave man. I don't care what family you descend from, even though I know you will bring your family back to prominence. From the moment we met, you were all the things I had never imagined before in a man. Wise beyond his years, mature, and composed in all matters. I didn't understand what I felt that day but I know I don't want to give it to anyone else. I don't know what love is or how courtship is even conducted, but... I would be honored to be courted by a respectable man such as you, Hakuyou-San..."

Ah he had assumed wrong, her intentions, but he did not when it came to her feelings. As she stammered and blush his lips seemed to curl into a small smile, a gentle thing which contrasted his stoic nature. He would not say he loved the woman, nor would he say he felt incredibly strong for her as the poets write, but he did feel an affection for her. For some, love was an all consuming emotion which held no end- but for this Shiba it was a commitment. A choice.

And he had made it known, that he hoped she would choose him.

As his head came upwards those amber eyes stared down at her with all the intensity she perhaps fallen for. Even now as he mourn'd the death of a brother, he stood proud in front of her. If she was to be the unbreakable shield of the Shihouin he would be something else. He would be something she could not be. And he would express this to her, as a callous hand would gently take her own. His fingertips gripping her own with some softness before clasping his hand around it, holding it between them at just above her chin.

"If you are to be the aegis to the Shihouin, an unbreakable- unshakable wall, then I shall be the sword to your shield. If you be my shield, I shall be your sword. You speak so highly of men, I shall endeavor to live up to those words. We will break whatever molds have been cast upon the world, and show them what we may become." The man spoke in a stoic fashion, but his voice carried all that passion one would expect of a Shiba man. Amber irises displayed nothing but truth. A man who believed in every word.

"I shall write the symphony of our future upon the broken cords of the past. I may not have quite understood you when I first met you, but I see now; I am not afraid of share my true self." The man would squeeze her hand lightly, taking a step to her. Bold, certainly. Breaking the acceptable rules of propriety- perhaps a servant would see. He did not care. He wished to impart on her, truthfully, how deeply his wellspring would run should she find him a suitable match.

"I-" The man paused for a moment, his eyes closing. A face seemed to burn it' self into his mind. "I have failed my family once. But I shall live for my family now, I shall martyr my life if it is what I must do to protect them. I have only know how to destroy; I hope you- Rio-chan, may teach me how to protect."

The man would stare upon her with all the truth in the world, before her was perhaps a prideful man. But one who was unsure, who required help. Who sought to learn from her, and bring her by his side. Another hand would move up, his free hand would come to perhaps stroke a stray piece of hand from her reddened face. She really was beautiful.

Rio could not help but be assaulted with a myriad of thoughts. How could a man be this charming? This versatile with his words and his personality? He did not possess the bravado of arrogant men nor the childishness of a goofball.

He was stoic but not overwhelmingly so. He possessed the proper emotions in a man and combined them with the polishes of a true nobleman. Calloused hands would wrap around her own soft ones as he gazed into her eyes. That gaze, one that captivated her mind from their first meeting, was resolute in its intent.

Those amber eyes were filled with nothing but genuine emotion. He wasn't simply speaking to any of her sensibilities. He truly wished to have a future with her. Speechless, Rio gazed up at him as he spoke.

His words were poetic, awe-inspiring as if he were reciting passages from a play. Each word was as graceful as the last as they poured forth from his firm lips. It took every fiber in her body not to give in and kiss him. This felt like a true fairytale, with a fitting prince. If there was a future between her and this man, she would embrace it and never look back.

At that moment, nothing mattered. She didn't care if her servants were watching, nor did she pay attention to Hakuyou as he moved closer within her personal boundary. She held onto the hand that caressed her face as she gazed up into his eyes. The Sword and The Shield. Such a timeless combination. Truly, they were destined for something special.


"All my life... all I've ever wanted was to protect my family, to ensure their safety, and guide them on the path of greatness. As I told you on the day that we met - The weight that you have on your back is one you should not have to face alone. If you are to be my sword, then I will be your shield. You will never know a day where happiness is not present. We will face the tide, together as one. I will never betray the trust you have in me, nor do I believe you will betray the trust I have in you. For so long, I've kept this heart hidden away... and now it can finally be free."

Rio held his hands tightly as she gazed into his amber orbs, a gaze expressing her love and admiration for Hakuyou Shiba.

The man could see with emotion within her eyes, drawing his own out. He had not expected to be caught up in a simple expression of intention, but with every word spoken they seemed to pul themselves closer together. He wondered if this was but mere want from companionship, or a genuine connection with each other. His cynicism seemed to nip at his heels, but he'd shake away such notions as the soft features of Rio gazed at him. He'd release her hand softly, slowly, pulling away reluctantly.

"We should head inside, I would be dismayed to allows the meal you have prepared to go cold." The man would remind her that they where not even inside the house yet, but here they stood on the cusp of emotion. The evening had just began and it had reached heights untold before. But he'd offer a smile willing to allow her to lead him into the estate, planning to enjoy the evening still surely.

"I should apologize, Rio-chan, for getting caught up in the moments."