Wisdom of a Broken Heart

“Kurosaki Ichigo.”

Oh no.

Ichigo sat stiffly at a table outside of a restaurant he and Yasaka had gone to for a quick lunch date. His wife sat opposite him in full human disguise, a wide smile plastered on her face, though Ichigo could easily sense waves of distress rolling off of her. And the reason for their shared discomfort…?

“It seems the rumors spread by the Shinigami Women’s Association are true, you have settled into the bonds of matrimony.”

Why the fuck was Byakuya Kuchiki standing in full captain regalia next to their table?

Ichigo did his utmost best to ignore the man, as he still had to keep it secret from Soul Society that he had joined the ranks of the Underworld. But still…what was a captain of the Gotei 13 doing in the Human World?

“It pleases me to know that you have not wallowed in despair. It is a mark of the truly strong, to strive forward even when they are bereft of power.”

Ichigo’s brow twitched. He appreciated the words, he really did. But what was it with these Shinigami insisting on interrupting his dates with Yasaka? Ikkaku and Rangiku had unceremoniously haunted their little shopping trip a few weeks ago. Now Byakuya? He was a captain. Didn’t he have more important things to do?

“Are you enjoying your gyūdon, danna-sama?” Yasaka asked a little too sweetly. He pushed down the nervous tic; she was in full traditional Japanese bride mode. And Ichigo fully understood this as a sign that Yasaka was internally fuming. They had little free time as it was; having these few precious moments together being spoiled by ghostly onlookers was not ideal for either of them.

He reached over the table and grabbed one of her hands, gently brushing a thumb across the back of her knuckles. He tried to reassure her with a smile. “Yeah, it’s great. All the better because I’m eating with you.”

Yasaka continued to smile sweetly.

Fuck.

“Kurosaki Ichigo.”

And he took a deep stabilizing breath as he did his utmost best to not send Byakuya a hard glare. Sure, he was hard ass and needed some sense knocked into him, but Byakuya did right in the end and protected his sister with his life when Aizen’s betrayal was revealed. Ichigo respected the man. Especially now, older and having the burdens of leadership dumped in his lap, Ichigo had a much stouter admiration for the man’s iron conviction in the rule of law. And that of family.

“I know that you cannot hear me,” Byakuya said in that typical monotonous tone of his, but there was now some underlying emotion in the Shinigami captain that Ichigo couldn’t fully place. “But I pray my words reach you, nonetheless. This woman you have married, your bride whom you have woven into your life, cherish her. Cherish every moment you have with her.”

He fought to keep the shock off his face, but his eyes instantly jumped to Yasaka’s, and his wife’s golden gaze mirrored his surprise.

“Every second, every instant, bring her joy. Make her smile your pride. And do not, for even an atom’s width of your life, let her ever doubt your undying devotion to her. I say this, knowing this, that all things come to an end.”

Ichigo’s heart lurched, and he felt Yasaka squeeze his hand in their shared grip. As he looked into her eyes, Byakuya’s words invoked the myriad memories he had shared with his wife. He remembered holding her in his arms and sharing a stolen moment together beneath a rain-drenched pavilion. He remembered holding her hand while they took their daughter down the streets of a summer festival. He remembered waking to find her bathed in golden sunlight as the first sight of his day.

And he remembered…

He remembered that once upon a time, Byakuya Kuchiki had been married. That he too had had a wife. And for all his wealth and nobility, for all his martial prowess and fame, he had been powerless to keep her by his side.

A note of sorrow rang in his heart for the man. Ichigo couldn’t imagine it, to live a life where he had to watch Yasaka die and then continue on. And that’s exactly what Byakuya did. His wife had perished, and the man kept steady and straight, marching through centuries. Alone.

Yeah, Ichigo Kurosaki definitely respected Byakuya Kuchiki. And his heart ached for him all the same.  

“Fare thee well, Kurosaki Ichigo. I pray, next we meet, that a lifetime together has passed for you and your bride. And that you be surrounded by children and your children’s children.”

Byakuya turned around, his captain’s haori fluttering in spiritual winds as phantom strides carried him through the crowds of Kyoto.

Ichigo allowed himself to look at the man for the first time since he appeared next to them. He took note of the assured steps and the graceful gait of his solitary figure amongst the sea of the living.

He smiled sadly. “Fare thee well, Kuchiki Byakuya.”  

Yasaka squeezed his hand once more, and Ichigo turned his attention back to her. In a solemn moment, he raised their entwined hands and placed a lingering kiss onto the back of her hand.

Softly, he murmured against her skin, “Thy sweet love remembered such wealth brings-”

“That then I scorn to change my state with kings,” she finished with a tender smile. “Love you.”

“Love you too, princess.”

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A/N: Originally, this was going to be a humorous piece. Yasaka would have been all cutesy and offered to hand feed Ichigo, and Byakuya would have stood their critiquing their dining etiquitte with Yasaka internally fuming "Bitch I'm royalty! Who are you barking etiquitte too?! Let me spoil my man!" Ichigo would have fumbled around to ensure Byakuya wouldn't notice that both of them can see him.

But as I wrote it, I remembered that Byakuya is a widower. He lost Hisana. And, as a married man myself, I cannot even begin to fathom the pain of living in a world where the woman I love is dead, and then having to watch someone else have what I had taken from me in tragedy.

But Byakuya wouldn't drown in bitterness or despair. He's the kind the kind of man who would take his pain and loss, and turn it into a lesson for others to learn from. He is a noble soul.

This turned out a lot more bitter-sweet than I intended, but hey. Love is love. Cherish it, because it dont come easy nor often.