Name: Under the Cherry Blossoms

Summary: A one shot of Kuchiki Byakuya and Senbonzakura. Hints at ByakuyaXHisana. Set a couple of months after Hisana died and before Byakuya was a seated officer in his squad.

Author's Notes: I am new around here ) Just wrote this becoz the idea just came to me while listening to Sakurra Byori (Cherry Blossom weather) and Omoide ni Deknai (Can't make them into Memories), both of which are Bleach ending songs. I hope the fic's okay. Enjoy and remember to review )

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Kuchiki Byakuya sat by the river, on the exceptionally green grass which vastness that seemed to have no end and back leaning against one of the many cherry blossom trees lining the river bank. He watched the constant motion of the water flow down from the snow capped mountain onto the river. The scene was picturesque.

If only she was here, he thought. Ever since the death of Hisana a couple of months back, Byakuya had retreated back to his cold, emotionless self. Even as he tried to relive the memories they had by this same river bank, his face showed nothing of his inner turmoil.

Only Hisana could ever decipher through his thoughts. Only she could see that he may seem to be a man of few words, but his emotions are not any less than anyone else. His attitude to many peers may be cold and perceived as arrogant, but he cared about them perhaps more than many other soul reapers do. He may look as though he was at the top of the world, high on the social hierarchy, heir to the leadership of one of the most prestigious clans in the Court of Pure Souls and one of the high flyers in the Soul Reaper Academy who many speculated that would be a seated officer by the end of the year. But in all actuality, he was just a simple man at heart, contented with what he had. He did not want any of these fame and glory. In fact, just to marry Hisana, he was that close to giving up all that he had only to be stopped by Hisana herself and the fact the Kuchiki clan vetoed idea of kicking him out due to his talents. His only object of desire was.. her. The only thing that he could never buy with all the wealth and power that he had.

There was a gentle breeze blowing from his left, his long hair flying slightly in the wind.They had been to this river a few times before. Hisana enjoyed the gentle breeze as much as he did, and they spent hours just sitting in silence beside each other with her head resting on his shoulders. They savoured each other's presence in this silence along with the occasional birds that flew around as though accompanying them.

It was also by this river that he proposed to her. She voiced her concerns about how she wasn't a nobility and how his clan members were not exactly friendly to her. He recalled silencing her with a kiss and whispering, "I don't care. I love you." His heart cringed at that memory once more. It was the most beautiful of all his declarations to her, and now, now the most painful memory.

He found it hard to sleep every night for it was during the silence of the night that his heartache was at its most intense. As he laid by his back on the floor, he would still peek at his side, as though hoping that Hisana would reappear magically beside him and wish him good night. At the chill of the winter nights when she had just passed away, he was wishing so hard that she would pull up his sheets for him, caresses his face, give him a kiss, made sure he was warm before drifting back to sleep. He remembered pretending to sleep while she did all those although he had already stirred from the action, only to open his eyes and watch her drift into peaceful slumber once again. Oh, how he loved watching her.

But it was all but lost. She would never do that for him ever again. And he would never get to observe her delicate features and feel her gentle touch. For the past nights, he had fell asleep in tears when he realised his thoughts was nothing more than imagination. Hisana was really, really gone.

A stronger breeze blew and pink cherry blossom petals begin to fall. Byakuya stretched out his hands and let some of them rest on his open palm.

Another memory stroke him. Hisana, in her playfulness, had collected a handful of these petals that fell and poured them on his head. He showed her a face of mock annoyance while she smiled commenting that it was a honour that he got to receive her shower of cherry blossoms as those were her favourite flowers. He took that comment to heart and every year, when spring arrived, he would surely bring her to see the fall of the cherry blossoms.

But this year, he was doing this alone. Accompanying him was nothing more than a memory of the awe-struck look on her face as she observed the flowers and how she indulged in the beauty.

He closed his eyes to find a tear sliding down his face.

It was then a huge gust of wind blew. It was such a huge gust of wind that it made the tree branches swayed and the cherry blossoms fell like rain. The whole atmosphere was clouded in darkness and as Byakuya closed his eyes, he knew what it was.

A hollow.

Might as well, he thought. Let the hollow kill me and maybe this heart ache of mine would end for good. Maybe there is another dimension where dead souls go to, and maybe I can meet Hisana again, this time for eternity. Plus, without her, I have nothing worth fighting for anyway. My blade's probably dull due to my inner grief. How am I to fight in this state anyway?

"AHH, Soul Reaper.. Tasty tasty.." The white hollow, with a beast like body, roared. It stomped onto the green pastures, sending the floor to a tremble resembling an earthquake and as the earth shook, more cherry blossom petals begin to fall.

Byakuya ignored the hollow completely. His mind was more focussed on the falling petals.

How beautiful, he thought as the pink petals landed on his black Soul Reaper uniform. At least, if I die, I die in remembrance of her. I die in her favourite place

The hollow inched closer.

"Meet your FATTEE," It roared again as it begun its pounce towards Byakuya.

Good bye, he almost whispered when a voice interrupted his thoughts.

I am still here.

Don't despair, it hurts my heart.

Don't neglect your call as a soul reaper.

I promise I will still be with you.

Hisana's voice! Was he imagining things? Maybe, that's what happened when one was going to die. You start hearing voices and seeing things that mattered to you the most. But, he felt his resolve to die shaking. He realised he never asked himself this one question. Would Hisana want him to die? He was obsessed over his own pain at her loss but he had never wondered what Hisana would want him to do. It was him always doing something for her. It was also him putting her best interests at heart. He had never allowed the vice versa to happened. If he actually thought about it, in fact, Hisana had the most supportive throughout his soul reaper journey. She was the one that encouraged him to continue his duties as a soul reaper although he felt that there was no point in all that fighting. In all actuality, he realised, Hisana would want him to stay alive and continue his journey as a soul reaper and not die like that. He could imagine her disappointed face if he really got to meet her. He couldn't disappoint her, could he?

Because you will see my favourite flowers scattering when you fight, the voice continued.

He could feel the words coming to him, imprinted in his heart but he didn't have much time with the hollow just inches away from him. He flash stepped to behind the hollow and lifted his sword from its sheath and said those words,

"Chire, Senbonzakura," (Translation: Scatter, Thousand Cherry Blossom). His emotionless voice showed nothing of the emotions that was gripping him at that moment or rthe wonder of hearing Hisana's voice again, the words that she said, the promises that he made to her about living properly before she died and a whole array of mixed emotions that was overwhelming it.

Byakuya stared at his blade dissolving into shards of pink and drifting towards to shocked hollow. The pink shards seemed to blend in with the falling cherry blossoms as they enveloped the helpless hollow and within seconds, a deafening crash could be heard. The hollow collapsed onto the floor, wounded by the numerous blade shards. Within seconds, the hollow was nothing more than specks of dust.

As the hollow vanished, Byakuya stared his soul slayer. There was no mistake, it was her voice. Although she was physically not there, she manifested as his soul slayer. The scatter of her favourite flowers, he replayed the scene a moment ago once more in his head, superimposing her awe struck face at the beauty of the petals drifting. Maybe there wasn't anyone on this earth that could ever understand his heart, but he knew, his soul slayer would be more than enough. He knew he was no longer lonely, every time he went for a battle, she would be there, fighting alongside him and giving the determination to carry on. He would train, he would fight, for her.

He smiled, the first time in a long time. This scattering of cherry blossoms would be the symbolism of her ever lasting presence in his heart and his manifestation of his love for her. He uttered the name of his soul slayer again.

Senbozakura.

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