Of Love and War (Kyo/Shiro)

“The body’s much like a game of chess, kid. Each limb is a piece on the board. Your head is the king, and your mind is the queen. Got it?”

He got it alright. After hours of torturous examples, he definitely understood. Shiro dislikes having flashbacks, but they’re pretty much unavoidable. There’s going to be something that occurs around him that’s going to make him think back to then, the culprit this time being a game of chess being played from afar. He’s not anywhere special, a quiet park in the Rukongai. It proves a nice place to escape to when he needs some alone time. Though, he’s not in any mood right now. He was just passing by and decided to take a break from everything. A lot has happened, in a way, and it’s kind of starting to sink in as he sat on a bench watching the game.

Honestly, it made him want to play a game. It wouldn’t be his first time, but he’s never played chess for fun. It was always a test or something. A thinking game would take his mind off of Rukia for a bit at least. She’s not stuck in his head, particularly. What they did together not too long ago keeps popping up randomly. Especially when he catches a girl looking his way or something. Why does having someone look his way make him feel so guilty? A game of chess sounds appealing now. He can just play against himself or something.

And, that’s how he ended up sitting on his own, staring down a chess board. He somehow outplayed himself and has to fix the white pieces, so they don’t lose the next turn. Tricky situation. Tricky situation.

Finally, a day off to himself, and not a moment too soon. As much as Kyo loved to stoke the fires of manly passion through duty, it wasn't actually realistic to think he could keep it up forever. Between Gotei work, his last courses in the Academy, and his actual construction duties, he could use just a quiet day in the park for once.

Oho, but now this was interesting! Someone playing a game of chess? Kyo did love to play, and he hadn't seen hisusual partner in months. Different assignments and all that. But-- Wait! Kyo knew that face now that he saw it from the front. Taking a seat across from his junior in the Academy with his usual confident grin, Kyo looked all too pleased to be here.

"Shiro! Been a while, eh? How've you been, classes treating you well? Rumor has it you got into your apprenticeship early, very nice. Hope you don't mind if I join you for a game!"

Hmm? Someone disturbing his peaceful game? Absurd. The Gotei, and the Academy, are full of weirdos and the sort who’d interrupt a person who’s minding his business, but he knew many of them weren’t exactly the chess type. The few that are don’t normally stop by this area all too often. However, looking up, his earlier assumptions soon felt pointless. Out of all people, this man is the type to show up everywhere and anywhere for no reason besides his feet deciding to move. He’s loud and horrible when it comes to not drawing attention. Yep. It’s his senior: Kyo.

“Rumors? People sure need to learn to just use their eyes. Not like I’m hiding anything.”

What was it? Him living in a tent? Him going out on missions on Earth? Honestly, why is it a rumor and not just a fact? He would have thought his relationship with a certain midget would warrant gossip and not his job. Besides, it’s not out of the ordinary for students to go through this kind of stuff, but guess he is a bit early with this. He’s basically hired by now despite having at least three years left to study. Maybe he’ll graduate early, huh? Anyway…

“Sit down. Playing by myself was starting to get boring anyway. I’ll reset the board.”

His state of mind isn’t that important. You can’t really describe using your abusive past to play chess anyhow. And, despite their dispositions, Kyo would prove a good distraction. And, he’s probably a good drinking partner too. Shiro’s already planning a few steps ahead as he sets the board up, giving Kyo black people he’s obviously the white pieces.

"Isn't that the truth? But everyone around the Academy always likes to chatter behind each other's back like it's some great display of how clever they are. Idiots, I say! Complete waste of everyone's time to try and make it all some secretive affair."

Rukia Kuchiki was very decidedly not the sort of woman that Kyo could ever see himself being attracted to, but he was quite aware that his tastes were not some monolithic rule by which all men abided. Some guys were into those small types, and hey, Kyo could see where the appeal was there, at least in the abstract.

"I've heard from a lovely lady apprenticing in the 1st Division that you're seeing Professor Kuchiki. Wouldn't have pegged you for the sort of guy to go for a lady like her, but good on you!"

Helping put the pieces on the board, Kyo had everything sorted back into place fairly quickly. After all, he knew a chess board like the back of his hand, and it didn't take long for him to simply be waiting for Shiro to make the first move.

“Well, I guess chattering is easier than talking.”

He doesn’t care to get into all of that. Kyo doesn’t seem to care either. That’s why they’re suddenly talking about Rukia. That’s why he’s already moving his white piece, preparing to hit Kyo with the three steps of death. His pawn is already in place. Though, he wouldn’t make a fuss about it and see if his opponent understands. There are bigger fish to fry, or, maybe, smaller fish.

“She’s fun. Some could say fun size. Way easier to get with than the fake women that do all the chattering. Besides, it’s not like she’s without any shape. I know you’re more the loud bombing type, Kyo. So…”

He shrugged his shoulders.

"Ha! Fun size, eh? Something tells me she wouldn't like hearing you call her that, but I get it. She seems like she's got an attitude on her, at least. Bet she's a handful."

Kyo studied the board briefly, his many games of chess giving him a firm understanding of the board fairly quickly. He played a proper defense, his approach to the game rather different from his typical attitude in life. After all, just because he was boisterous and loud didn't mean that he always threw himself openly into every threat. That would have been stupid, and he was far from stupid.

"I might be the loud type, but you know the sort of woman I go for. Strong, confident, proud! The kind of woman that's got a good proper handshake."

“Eh? A good handshake? Hell, Kyo… There are kids around.”

Of course he manipulated the situation like that. It just worked. His little smirk as he moved a knight, taking a pawn from the boisterous man was enough to make his point known. Though, he quickly moved on from his little joke and put on a bit of a more serious expression. He thought about Rukia, imagining how she would react to him calling her fun size and such. Honestly, she probably wouldn’t have hated it, maybe gave him a little whack. Despite her stoic outside, she’s rather childish and playful on the inside.

“She’s rather new to this though. Apparently I’m her first. Crazy, right? I didn’t think she’d have a slew of exes, but I wouldn’t have thought her an unpicked cherry. It’s kind of refreshing from the normal wild school gal.”

He sighed and put his shoulder on the table, resting his head in his hand as he watched some girls walk by. Recognizing one of them, he couldn’t help but cringe as he remembered one time he had flirted with the chick. Man. After getting hitched, seeing someone you’ve fooled around with hits different.

"They'll have to learn one day!"

Kyo laughed himself at the banter, but his focus stayed firmly on the game and the more serious side of this conversation. What sort of man would ever ignore a serious conversation, after all? Especially one about a woman. This seemed like it was outside of Shiro's wheelhouse, and in fact, it was entirely outside Kyo's, too. He'd definitely never been with a woman like that, so he didn't have much experience.

But hey, he still knew a thing or two.

"Way I see it, it can always get a little old to go for the same thing over and over. Besides, most of these girls around the school are barely worth talking about once you leave the bedroom. Too much focus on their career, or even worse, one of those noble girls who's hoping you'll try something that she can spin into drama. Way I see it, you've got yourself something special there. I'd treat her right if I were you."

“One day shouldn’t be today. You’ll never get a keeper without some tact, man. You’ll just be getting your dick wet, and then, what? Eh… Maybe you’ll find a gal that’ll be all putty for that bid mouth of yours. Someone who’s somehow more loud.”

Is he flaming the man a bit? Yeah. Though, it’s legit advice. Most women will see him as a loudmouth who knows how to fuck them one good time. Shiro doesn’t know if Kyo’s after a keeper, but a lot of women wouldn’t want such a manly man. That gal would have to be something else, especially to fit his character and ideals. Being a bro isn’t for the best sometimes. However, it does make playing chess fun because this is a man’s game, and only men who are prepared to test their mettle are worthy.

“Let’s see here… It’s a bit weird still. Rukia’s like the queen, yeah? I’m just this pawn right here. I’m trying to get to the other side of the board to be a king, someone who’s, like, actually worth something, I guess, but look at that. There are a bunch of big scary black pieces on the other side of the board, ready to kill me.”

He shrugged a bit. She’s a Noble. He’s not. They’re from two different worlds, and that fact has appeared a few times. It was minor, but there’s no denying that a matching personality isn’t everything. It sucks she’s buying him clothes and paying for him at times. It almost feels like cheating, going from nothing to having something this big, especially considering his background. He moved the pawn he was talking about further one spot.

“I haven’t even met the family yet. I hear her brother’s a real… stick.”

"Maybe I won't find a girl any time soon, but the way I see it, I shouldn't just be looking for any old girl. Love's not just about finding someone, Shiro, it's about finding the one! That lovely lady that gets you just as much as you get her. Maybe she doesn't even care much for how I act, but there's still something about me she loves. Hell, maybe I'd feel the same way about her. I'm not trying to predict the future here."

Kyo wasn't really the romantic sort, but he understood how these things worked enough to know that what he thought was hot as hell wasn't exactly the same thing that would probably make for a good lifelong partner, and hell, he knew that people could just fall for someone that was totally outside their wheelhouse. Just 'cause it hadn't happened to him didn't mean it couldn't.

"I've heard that about her brother too. Good luck with that one, he's supposed to be real strong. Get on that bad side and you're probably gonna get your ass beat. Think of it this way, though, Shiro. Everyone thinks about the queen, and the king, and all that. But what makes a good chess player is knowing that the pawn's a good piece all on its own. It's not here just to take the hits and be cannon fodder. A good chess game'll always end with pawns left on the board."

Being a noble himself, Kyo understood Shiro's situation quite well, and he'd seen plenty of things go south because of the difference between the nobles and the everyday people. But if any noble was one to not care about those sorts of things, it was Kyo, and he simply shrugged the matter off as if it was nothing.

"Just make sure you're still standing at the end, and you're all good. Besides, the queen's a good piece. She'll probably be able to handle the things you can't, eh?"