Chapter One: First meeting
It was just the same night patrol he did on occasion, but, it changed his life, forever. Kuchiki Byakuya ,of the Gotei Thirteen Protection squads, walked the streets of Rukongai with impunity. Crowds of dirty, rugged spirits all simultaneously veered off to the side to let him pass, their silent, deadened eyes following his figure.
Right now, Byakuya was in a foul mood – the elders had left him to take care of everything, since they wanted to go visit the Shihouin clan to negotiate the chances of Byakuya marrying a Shihouin. What was more was that he had no intention of marrying one of Shihouin Yoruichi's kin. Now, as he passed through Rukongai, he couldn't help but kick a nearby pebble, sending it skittering into a nearby alleyway. That was when Byakuya heard voices. Not necessarily good.
It was just a regular day for Hisana, buying fruits and vegetables for the orphanage her sister was currently placed in while she tried to find a job. That is, a regular day until she ran into three men while she had decided to take a shortcut through an alleyway to the orphanage.
"So, sweet thing," leered one of the men, clearly the leader "how 'bout you come and play with us tonight?"
Hisana glared at the leader, and with much more strength then she actually felt, said "Sorry, I need to go home now."
The leader smiled and wheedled "Oh come on," Abruptly, Hisana tried to sidestep the men and the two others blocked her escape route. Hisana's heart froze. Just as she began to take the first steps backward, the two men roughly grabbed her arms, pinning her against the wall.
Again, the leader smiled creepily and advanced toward her. He raised one of his dirty, dirty hands up, and cupped her chin. Hisana's eyes locked with his.
His eyes twinkled madly "Ah! This one has spirit! I will enjoy breaking her."
Then, his hand reached for her obi. Tears seemed to form at Hisana's eyes, but she pushed them back, holding on bravely, struggling to free herself. Her kimono began to fall. A single teardrop dropped, uninvited, down. Quiet footsteps resounded like thunder throughout the alleyway to reveal a stoic dark outline.
Byakuya had just stepped around the alley way to see a woman with dark hair being held captive by two men while the third was holding a white cloth that must have been her sash. The woman's kimono was slipping off her sides, and was falling to the ground. The kimono, a lovely shade of dark blue, was the only material she had on besides a white yukata. Her head turned to his, and their eyes locked. Brilliant violet locked with stoic grey. A tear slipped onto her cheek. Her lower lip trembled.
Suddenly, Byakuya sprang into action, and all of the men were split into two. He glanced over at the woman, who was holding her wide with a nearly glazed expression. Tears fell down her face like a rainfall. She staggered.
"Shinigami-sama…?"
With a gasp of pain, she fell.
Byakuya ran forward, and softly caught her in his arms. Black hair splayed across his white captain's haori. Her breathing was uneven, but she appeared to be alright. Byakuya gently pressed her body into his chest.
At least, he had thought the woman was alright up until the moment when something warm and sticky filled his hands. Blood. Byakuya then glanced over at the woman who was gradually turning even paler. There were two wide gashes across her body, and both bleeding heavily. Byakuya swore softly. Those worthless men had cut her when he had arrived to try to make her disappear, leaving no trace of their attempted crime.
He suddenly gripped her harder. Then, he stepped into the first steps of shunpo. He ran all the way to the Kuchiki manor, where he called for the secretive healing squad to heal her. Needless to say, this particular squad was all for receiving patients that were supposed to be a secret, as long as they were on their side. To let go of that secret was a death penalty for anyone within the squad.
