Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach, or any of the Bleach characters used in this fic. They all belong to Tite Kubo: the genius behind the captivating manga that started it all. I only own any of my original characters that I choose to include, as well as any of my own original plot ideas.
Lilac
Prompt: "A funny thing happened..."
A/N: Written for an LJ challenge, 5_prompts. Byakuya/Hisana. Lilacs symbolize first love.
Their words had haunted him for well over fifty years. Constant, mocking words that made light of both Hisana's death and Rukia's adoption. In truth, he hated those words. Of all the fools who had so stupidly uttered such blasphemy, the most irritating of them had been Kaien Shiba. The man had quite easily laughed about the irony that was seated at the situation's heart, but Byakuya had been unable to see the humor.
His beautiful wife, the center of his focus, had passed on, having begged him to find her sister within the Rukongai. Such a task had been simple enough, but the resemblance between the two was not at all funny. It was nothing more than uncanny.
Perhaps that was why he cared for her so. Their faces and features were nearly identical, as if the two had been made as mirror images of one another. Two sides of the same coin was what he had hoped for. That, by some chance, Hisana's spirit had drifted into her sister, presenting him with his love in a mildly different form. Sadly, the Gods had not seen fit to smile upon him in such a way. The way Rukia had first looked at him had been enough to tell him as much.
Even with fifty years bridging the gap that had been made in his now hardened heart, Byakuya still hadn't acquired enough strength to truly let his Hisana go. She had been the lone flower atop the icy precipice, perched in the howling winds with strength that he had never seen. She had been so much like the flowers she would gather each day. Time and again, she had compared him to a flower, stating its meaning and the reason it reminded her of him.
Her final comparison, just days before her passing, had been that of the Hydrangia. She had planted herself in his arms, holding the delicate creation by the stem as she explained her reasons. She had said that the plant's four-petaled blooms had reminded her of their marriage, as they had been wed in the warmth of the April sun. The blooming colors of white, lavender, and pink were representations of the peace, kindness, and gentle love that he had shown her. Lastly, the flower's symbolic representation of perseverance had captured her attention, as he had chosen her against the will of his family.
In his heart, he had doubted her last words, having felt that she knew something that he had missed. Three days later, she had passed. Perhaps she had seen a glimpse of his future without her. A vision of a man who had long-since moved on, and set her memory to rest.
The silence of the morning sun, the anniversary of her last moments in his arms, had sent him out to gather his own representation of her spirit. For such an occasion, he had chosen the Lilac, as she had been his first love. Such a beautiful bloom was nearly impossible to find in the fall, as it bloomed during the spring and summer. But, perhaps, her spirit had caused such a thing to occur, allowing him the luxury of honoring her memory with his own choice.
A gentle breeze stirred through the soft green grass, tugging at the bloom he held, urging him to let it go. With one last glance, he relinquished it to the mercy of the wind, watching as it was blown off into the distance.
Perhaps this was what Hisana had seen.
Written while listening to "Kiss Me Goodbye" by Angelea Aki.