…..::Sakura Blossoms::…..
Kimmy-Sama
Byakuya often wondered what his life would be like now if Hisana never passed. Would he have still found Rukia when he did? Would the sisters bond and his house, which was so silent, always be filled with the laughter he rarely heard? Hisana-san would always tell him how much she wished for her sister to be happy. Even if it meant to never be able to see her again. Her life was filled with such regret for what she did that Byakuya also wondered if she was even happy with him.
Her smile so sad, yet so hers. He wanted to see that smile vanish and be replaced by the smile he had only seen once. Dressed in her ceremonial kimono, sakura blossoms in her hair; wearing his mother's sash and a smile that brought a tear to his eye. Their wedding was a public affair, hundreds showed. Yet he knew exactly why they all came, there was uproar that he would marry such a low class woman, even worse a servant. Eyes glared, mouths whispered; but all Byakuya could see or hear was the ebony hair that gracefully fell in her face and her light airy voice.
"Byakuya-sama.."
Never had he been so blissfully happy. Their wedding night was long and wonderful, the light spring breeze carelessly playing with the thin sheets in their room. Their love making was something he would never forget or get enough of. She showed him passion that made his skin crawl with exhilaration. As the moonlight shined down on her insipid skin, he vowed that he would only love her for the rest of his life.
He took care of her as she lay on her death bed. He held her every night as she slipped further and further away. She told him she wanted children but he knew better. He knew that as her health slipped, her body became so weak that bearing children would surely kill her. Hisana-san always kept searching. For the sister she longed for so badly.
It was wrong of him, but a deep part inside him started to almost hate the nameless sister. All of his wife's energy was draining with the days she didn't find her. Byakuya would watch her break down and cry onto his lap, gripping his gi and whispering broken words of apologies. His hands would caress her face; and he would kiss away the tears that fell like the snow in winter, silent yet powerful.
The funeral attendance was barely a handful of people.
That night was the first Byakuya could ever remember breaking down.
Three days passed and he made a resolve. He would keep his promise to Hisana. The sister that was out there would come and live with him, no matter what. Even if he would break yet another promise to his parent's graves, he would adopt her into his family as his sister. Hisana-san's soul would never have to worry about her ever again. After another visit to his wife's grave, he set out to find her.
A year passed, and when he got the news from one of his scout's about a girl that looked remarkably like Hisana-san. She was even from the district that Hisana had told him she had left her sister. Perhaps it was her? But she was in the academy to become a Shinigami. Hisana had no spiritual powers that he knew of, wasn't it rare to find a family with only one member with powers? Dismissing it, he went out alone to see the girl. He had to see with his own eyes first before making any decisions about her.
It was alarming to Byakuya how much his body wanted to react with the sight of Rukia. He stayed afar at first, watching as she walked down one of the many hallways of the academy with another trainee with red hair. Her physique was almost identical to his deceased wife, but she carried herself a little better. She didn't seem frail or scared, but there was still something about her that made him want to break right there and rush to her.
But he had to hold himself. That wasn't Hisana-san. That was not his wife. But that was her sister.
The next few days were hard, he kept getting lectured about his decision. Why was he going though all this just to adopt a sister? All he needed to think of was Hisana. The dearest wife that he still prayed to every night; was reason enough.
It was harder still the day when he went to visit Rukia, to ask her to join his family. He arrived with a small escort of his relatives and cohorts, almost as if he needed support there in case he couldn't handle it on his own. Deciding he would not do the talking, he would just have to stand there and hope that Rukia would accept the offer.
If only he could tell her what had happened with Hisana. That the reason he was taking her into his family and making himself look like a fool was the fact that her older sister was the love of his life. That on her death bed he promised her that he would find Rukia and look after her like a brother. It would have made things so much easier.
His stare was cold, so was his body. It was horrible being so close to a woman that looked almost identical to Hisana. The way she stood and her face was so alike… He felt like something was pulling on his heart as he stood only feet away.
Yet her eyes told him a different story. Violet hues looked up at him with an emotion he couldn't feel. She looked confused, unsure why he was asking what he was. Her voice threw him off. It wasn't hers. Nothing like the sound he had missed every night. The man she had been walking with interrupted their meeting, and Byakuya was slightly thankful for it.
Two days later Rukia Kuchiki was adopted into his noble household. She arrived with one small bag, wearing an old kimono that Byakuya knew had seen better days. Quickly he asked for at least three new kimonos to be put into her room, along with any other items a woman might need. The first dinner they had together was silent, she seemed to be doing her best to seem proper and respectable in his house.
Many things he wanted to ask, yet didn't. He tried to not let it show, but his eyes kept looking towards her as she carefully sipped her tea. This was not Hisana. She was too different. Yet so alike, and Byakuya needed reminding of it.
"You shall call me brother, as you are now legally my sister."
His sudden words almost made her spill her tea. The violet eyes that were so different yet familiar seemed shocked. "Hai.. Kuchiki-sama.."
His eyes closed as he stood from his spot. "Good evening."
"Good night… Nii-sama.."
Eyes opened to see her bowing deeply. Ignoring a distant memory, he turned and walked out of the room.
The next night he walked through the sakura trees on his home's land. The spring air danced with the blossoms that cascaded down to him, playfully landing in his hair and lightly caressed his face. Moonlight shined down on him and he allowed himself to smile inwardly at a private memory of his Hisana-san.
Even if she was no longer here, he would always remember.
owari
Disclaimer: The only Bleach I own is in my detergent.