@hyouketsu. 🍌 for byakuya-bo 😳
🍌 : is my muse inclined to help others, or will they only do it when it benefits them, if at all ? what makes them this way ? has it ever gotten them into trouble, or inconvenienced them ?
his sense of duty & the yearning to complete it is not a lesser feat in the eyes of kuchiki byakuya. first & foremost, he is a captain within the ranks of the goteijūsantai. he is a breathing & living representative of his noble house. both positions are under scrutiny. both positions have their flaws & merits. this invokes a sentiment that is very easy to understand for the likes of him : should he fail or shirk those duties, it would bring disgrace to the laws he is so keen to uphold.
giving aid to others would mean a sense of compassion, or at the least the innate recognition of understanding the plight of others. byakuya has directly helped in the majority of arcs as he was bound to the decisions of the sōtaichō. be that as it may, his standpoints are able to give off the idea that he does not care. the most striking part is that he does —— but he cannot afford sentimentality to undo his finely & intricately woven composure of frigid insouciance.
with that out of the way, it is established that he cares when it is significant to his allies. to answer the part about gaining some sort of personal benefit, byakuya does not believe in the selfishness of helping others when it can only benefit him as the lone individual. he does believe in helping others when it is able to benefit the greater good, or if it is of importance to the few people he genuinely cares for. a moment that displays one example really well is offered in chapter 247 :
principle lodged in the eyes. it is the saying that describes the personality of byakuya in a poignant fashion. upholding law & order seems to be inscribed in his ways. however, principle is not a stagnant concept. it moves, it conforms, it changes. the personality of byakuya is one that gradually changes throughout the entire series with the help of subtleties such as these. he is not above finding loopholes in the laws he regards so high —— even if it means defiance.
the fact that he kept the presence of renji & rukia in hueco mundo behind lock & key says a lot about him as an individual. it is a far cry from the behavior he displayed in the soul society arc —— where he was internally conflicted with his decisions, but ultimately held onto both of his promises with a vice grip. by not offering anyone insights to his own understanding, he barred himself from letting anyone see the growing acceptance, which divulged contempt in people such as ichigo & renji.
but for all the efforts he has made to offer aid, he has not encountered any difficulties beyond engaging in battle or sustaining wounds —— unless being scolded by yamamoto for losing the haori signifying his captain status counts.
fruity headcanon prompts. / accepting.
