Will you be my valentine?(Rio/Hakuyou)

To be quite frank, Valentine's day was a tradition Rio never acknowledged for the better part of her teen and adult life. Her hours, days, and months were always consumed by training and therefore, she never enjoyed any type of holiday or tradition outside of Christmas and Thanksgiving within the Shihoin estate.

This is why... gazing upon her walking through the barracks of the first division was a sight to behold.

The sister to the future head, the secondborn daughter of Yushiro, and a former member of the Gotei was indeed navigating through the first division barracks, with gifts in hand.

Ahh, this was such an odd experience for her. She felt so far out of her element that a single piece of her mind was telling her to run away and go back.

Deciding that fear would lead her nowhere, she steeled her mind and walked towards where the squad members had pointed her, knocking on the door of Hakuyou Shiba, the man she desired to be her valentine.

War was coming, and he was doing everything in his power to ensure the success of the Gotei. He had taken all the steps expected of a seated officer in the command division, but even now in his room he worried if he had done good enough. He supposed he would only know once things began to kick off. But before that could happen he really should call upon Rio.

Rio. A name which had consumed his waking hours in a way which prior flames had not. He wondered briefly if this was a delusion by himself, that surely a young woman of such grandor could not be interested within a man as old as him. Her prospects would be far better with a family which had not been dishonor'd. A brief frown on his lip as he banished such things; standing as he prepared to make a cup of coffee. The sound of knocking was heard.

He'd walk over to open the door, to be surprised that Rio had come baring... gifts?

"Oh, hello, Rio. I was not expecting you- my apologies had I known you was coming I would have worn something better." The man comment letting out an awkward chuckle, before settling his gaze upon her. He relaxed. She had that effect on him. "This is a surprise; what do I owe the pleasure?"

Before Rio could knock on his door, Hakuyou opened it and was stunned to see the Shihoin aegis standing before him. His stature was imposing, but his gentle nature had never wavered around her. Rio smiled as she gazed into his amber eyes. Truly, he was a blessing from the heavens. She could not imagine that there was anyone who could set heart aflame the way he did.

As odd as it was in her mind, she was slowly falling in love with the Shinigami to the point where, even being away for a moment or two, no longer seemed as exciting. He was everything a woman could dream for and did not intend to lose that. Clearing her throat, Rio smiled brightly as she held up the gifts before him.

"My apologies for coming here unannounced. I know that this is not proper etiquette and though I tried to convey these thoughts to my older sister, she somehow persuaded me to come here, anyway..."

Rio blushed as she turned her head and presented the gifts to him, embarrassed about how to ask this question before she said;


"Hakuyou Shiba... will you be my valentine?"

The man paused for a moment a look of confusion seemingly etched onto his face at this gesture, he was not quite sure what this 'Valentine' thing was. But Rio looked pretty nervous about it, and asked him with the presentation of a gift. He blinked slowly extending a hand to take such a gift from her examining it. Before settling amber eyes on her with an uneasy smile.

"I must admit, Rio, I do not know what a Valentine is. I would like to accept by the very nature of you asking; but could you explain such a thing? I feel perhaps exposed for I have no gift in return to give."

Judging by Hakuyou's uneasy smile and his words, he had no idea what the concept of Valentine's day was. Rio was thankful for that. She did not particularly welcome celebrating the day based on past experiences and the constant heckling of her sister.

Her sister, when she was around, would always heckle her about her lack of a boyfriend and while she often brushed it off, it's not as if all the heckling failed to get under the skin of the Shihoin Aegis.

That, however, was neither here nor there, and so she gathered herself and smiled as she stood before him. She didn't mind explaining what it was, even if she thought its very concept was silly.

"Erm... Well! Valentine's day - as my sister tends to put it - is a day of love, of passion, of spending your day with that special someone or confessing your love while giving them roses and chocolates. To be quite honest, I've always thought this day was silly but since we've been growing closer, I... wanted to spend some time with you and give you gifts. Would that be too much to ask, Hakuyou?"

"No, no never. Never thing that is something too much to ask, Rio."

The man spoke firmly with an almost affirmingness to his words, he wanted her to not believe such a thing. He was always open to her interactions and affections, a smile spreading across those heavy features of his. A callous hand would lift upwards to rest against her cheek, his thumb gliding across the cheek as he allowed the moment to stir for a moment. He'd slowly withdraw his hand stepping to the side.

"Would you like to enter, Rio? I must admit I have not procured you any gifts; but I offer my presence and time."

He would always make the arrangements for her in his schedule, but she knew how valuble his time had become. He was working digilently to regain his family title and prove that he was far more than en entitled man. The fact he yearned to spend so much of his time with her was testament of her growing affection within him.

The firm touch of his calloused hand against her cheek had made Rio feel such a sense of contentment and protection that, when his hand finally returned to his person, a small pout could be seen on her face. Childish as it was, Rio had found herself becoming wholly committed to the thought of being Hakuyou's lover - no, his wife would be more appropriate when it concerned her aspirations.

A man of his caliber was not easy to come by - considering the state of nobles and the men who only value trophy wives - and marrying him would indeed give her a sense of security, a sense of knowing she had finally married a man of her dreams.

The fact that, in spite of his busy schedule, he was willing to spend time with her when he could be conducting his business or making moves towards the restoration of his family name, only stood as a testament to his honorable spirit.


"Of course! And do not worry about not having any gifts prepared. Considering neither of us have much experience with this holiday, as long as I can spend it with such a venerable soul as you, that is a gift in and of itself - one that I cherish with all my heart. "

Every word she spoke seemed to draw him deeper within her heart, causing a small smile to form on his lips. He had started this courtship perhaps as a means to re-establish some level of his honor. But it had evolved into something far more genuine and respectable, enough to cause his to close the distance between them. Callous hands lifting to her face to rest under her jawline to tilt her gaze to look at him. He had just withdrew from her, but he didn't care.

Amber irises gazed at her own with warmth before tilting his head down, eyes closing slowly. He wanted to share this moment of intimacy, their first real moment, behind closed doors. If she would allow him he'd lean down to press his lips against her own full ones. He was by no means a bad kisser at that, he had throughout the course of his lips had a few encounters like this. But one could not prepare her for the passion in which he kissed her with. His will seemed to pour into this one action, committing every movement to memory. The feeling of her lips, the softness of her face, the heat which rose between them.

As he pulled back, his eyes opening. He stared down at her, speaking softly if a bit wantonly.

"I have no captaincy at this moment, not a home which is truly mine, and lack the titles which you deserve. All I have is my honor, and ambition, and a commitment to your love should you accept me. Rio, I deserve nothing more in my age than to prove myself worthy of your affections. If I held a home and the means to honor you, I would ask for your hand in marriage in this moment. But I swear, unto you, that I shall live up to every expectation you have of me."

The man would speak to her, his hands slipping from her face to grip her hands in his own. His face flushed with passion tinting it read, Hakuyou Shiba having found himself well and truly in her love. In his confusion and darkness she had allowed herself to help lead him to prominence. The grace of which she carried herself with, the honor she held, only served to further attract him to her.

"Rio, I do not wish to court you anymore. I wish to be betrothed to you. Whatever I must do, I shall. I find myself, in my foolishness, to have fallen well and truly in love."

Every feature that this man possessed - from his immense height to his honorable stoicism - had enthralled Rio behind every form of description imaginable. She no longer regarded him as a peer who had captured her attention - no, he had become a source of infatuation she could no fathom.

Love and passion had often been two elusive concepts that never even bridged a gap in her heart - now, she was fawning over the idea of a marriage between them, of spending the rest of her days with a man she had not met long ago. Tilting her head with his firm hand, her golden eyes now locked themselves within his amber gaze.

Those unassuming eyes held no form or want of rejection, only a desire to be loved and held within this man's arms, to share her first kiss with a man of such majesty.

Thus, as his eyes closed and he leaned in, Rio brought her lips forward, allowing their lips to meet in a moment of passion that had made time - in her own perception - come to a halt.

His will, his love, his passion - everything could be felt through a single kiss. In a word, the act was magical. She had often heard stories of women and their first kiss - from the mundane to the magical - and none of the stories had ever fully resonated.

At this moment, however, her first kiss fell into the realm of such divine bliss that she would easily repeat the moment if given the opportunity. In fact, she hardly wished to pull away and held her arms around his tall frame, basking in the gentle warmth that he exuded.

As he pulled away, Rio could not hide her childish pout. It was her first kiss from a man with experience. She knew that it had to end but it felt so pleasant. Her heartbeat was increasing, her mind felt dazed, and there was a clear sign of desire in her features but she had no idea what that emotion meant.

His hands were still placed firmly upon her face, his eyes still gazing into her own as he freely expressed his confessions.

He spoke about how held no titles, no captaincy, nor a home that a woman of her stature deserved. No, he was wrong. He was so wrong that she wished to cry out and confess that none of that mattered.

In his short time, he had shown her that she was not the cold-hearted woman other noblemen deemed her as. In his eyes, she was a woman whose honor deserved to be cherished, protected as if it were a precious treasure that deserved nothing but nurturing compassion. Prove himself worthy? He had already done so long before this moment even came to be. No doubt, his worlds held weight, but in Rio's eyes, he had already lived up - no, exceeded the very idea - of everything she could have imagined in a man. In a way, the impact he had left on her was one that would never fade with time.

Him confessing his love and the tint of red on those handsome and dignified features made her face beam. She had never thought she'd be desired or wanted in that way, to say nothing of if she ever believed it would be with a man of his nature. He did not simply see her as someone to show off to others or marry for prominence or titles, he wished to love her and support her on her path and that was more than enough for her to accept him, no matter how little he may have thought of himself. She had not even felt stunned to hear that he wished to be married. In fact, she very much felt the same. Why was there a need to be courted when there was no competition to be found?


Her head had rested on Hakuyou's body. She wished she was tall enough to be able to listen to the beating of his heart or even to rise up and kiss him again, but none of it mattered. All she wanted was to stay here and remain in his arms for as long as he would allow her to.


"Hakuyou... I never thought I'd hear these words escape my lips towards anyone other than my family but I love you. I do not care about what titles you possess or the type of man you feel you need to be. You have proven yourself beyond the realms of my thoughts, realms I never could have imagined. Your compassion, your will, and your strength captivated me from the moment we met."

Rio smiled and gazed deeply into those amber eyes.

"Not once did you curse what fate had placed before you nor did you break down and cry. You simply nodded your head as if it were the way of the world. Furthermore, you reignited the concept of love within me that I never thought was possible. I do not wish to be courted by you anymore. There is no one else that sees me the way you do. If you were indeed to ask for my hand in marriage, I would accept it in an instant."