Chapter 1
The sound of chains echoes in the darkness. A chill envelopes Sakurako's whole body, goosebumps make their way up her arms and back. The chains sound again. And again. Voices join them. They start out small and slowly grow louder and louder. "Sing for us," they cry, "sing, for your masters. Sing for the eternal god!" She lies there, limbs paralyzed, as her mouth opens in vain.
"...water…" she mumbles. "I need water…" Her voice is dry and scratchy. Not at all like the sweet, melodious soprano she used to be. There's a clicking noise that causes her to flinch. A shockingly cold sensation wraps around her neck.
"You insolent child," the Leader hisses through clenched teeth. "You should be glad you're alive, we preserve your life for the sake of our god and this is how you repay him?" The Leader begins to squeeze her neck. Her breath is being cut short. She can barely breathe now, much less sing.
"...aku...ko…"
"...p-please…" she grates out. "...-ust a -it…" The grip around her delicate neck tightens with even the smallest noises that make their way out of her mouth. "...I...an't,...-lease…" The Leader looks down at her with disdain before he hisses in pain. Sakurako is pushed away with a force that rattles her cage as the Leader begins to scream. The other members begin to panic. They don't know what to do. Suddenly, light floods the dark space.
"...akurako…"
Their screams increase in volume as the sounds of metal meeting flesh fill the air.
"Sakurako!"
The sleeping girl's eyes shot open to see an aging figure looming over her. "Kuchiki-taicho," she murmurs. Ginrei Kuchiki moved through the air with an elegance no other could achieve and settled himself under the tree next to her.
"Sakurako," the old captain's tone is firm, "I sent you to the academy for a reason, and that reason was not for you to nap outside." Sakurako scrambles to sit up and make herself more presentable to her savior.
"I'm incredibly sorry, Kuchiki-taicho, I-"
"I did not approach you to hear excuses," he says. "I am here to see why you're outside sleeping instead of training with your classmates." Sakurako's head lowers in shame. She motions to speak up, but a firm hand stops her. "I will be speaking to your instructor about this issue."
"But, Kuchiki-taicho, it isn't me, the others-" Sakurako's brows furrow as she tries to defend herself, "the others won't willingly spar with me. They all say that-"
"I already said that I'm not here to listen to your excuses." The Kuchiki head of house stands and gestures for Sakurako to follow him. The girl pouts and does so reluctantly.
As they make their way through the halls of Shino Academy, whispers flutter past the two. Anyone still lingering in the middle of the hall quickly makes way for the imposing figure and his ward. Rumors immediately spring up and make their way through the academy. When they reach the teacher's lounge, word has already traveled fast and the instructor was rushing around trying to prepare tea.
"Ah, Kuchiki-taicho, please come in," the flustered teacher rushing around the lounge was juggling a kettle of steaming water, some tea cups, and a tin of high quality tea leaves. Ginrei held up a hand to halt the teacher, gestured for them all to take a seat. After they all settle down, as much as possible in the presence of a captain, the meeting begins.
He opens his mouth and gets straight to the point. "Why is my ward taking naps under trees when she is supposed to be training with her classmates?" There's a tense moment of silence as the instructor struggles to come up with an answer.
"Kuchiki-taicho, I'm not quite sure what you mean-" the man answers sheepishly. "I have assigned everyone sparring partners so they can all get some well rounded training. Sakaho-"
"I am not here to listen to you babble, instructor," Ginrei interrupts. "I sent my ward here to be educated, not to be shunned by her peers." Sakurako perks up at this. The instructor looks down at his lap and fidgets for a moment before asking Sakurako to step out. With a sigh, she steps out and pulls a novel out of her pocket to read in the meantime. Other students are starting to walk about the halls again. Words struck the short girl's ears as the others pass by. Rumors of her being suspended or expelled rush by. Ill intended conversations and laughs permeate the atmosphere.
Sakurako closes her eyes and tunes the hurtful words out of her mind. A sense of calm washes over her as the words are muffled and a childish voice enters her mind. "Don't worry about them, Sa-chan." A childlike presence rests at her back. Sakurako tilts her head up to feel the presence extend over her shoulders, like a warm embrace.
"Hyakumonogatari…" Sakurako murmurs beneath her breath. "Thanks." The zanpakuto spirit giggles and hugs her tighter. The whispers around her fade away completely. She can feel their stares shooting through her, almost as if everyone is holding a bow and arrow and pointing it at her. Her concentration is broken and her eyes open when suddenly, everyone runs away from from the general vicinity. Then she realizes it's Ginrei's reiatsu. The intense force pushed everyone down or away, except for Sakurako. Having trained with the captain at home a few times, she's somewhat used to it, but in the end she still succumbs to the immense pressure. She collapses onto the ground. Trying to push herself up, Sakurako clenches her jaw and pushes up with her arms, but to no avail. There's no telling when the angered captain would let up, so she gives up and stays on the ground.
"Ginrei-sama must be very angry with the academy," Hyakumonogatari's light voice echoes through her head. "Maybe he'll just train you himself after this," she continues. The little girl's voice giggles again before dispersing completely. Sakurako sighs and wishes she'd napped somewhere else today.
"None of this would have happened if I'd just hid somewhere else…" she mumbles. Just then, Ginrei's reiatsu fades and the door to the teacher's lounge is opened. Sakurako scrambles up and looks up at her guardian.
"You will be switched to a class with people of equal strength, and intelligence," he states. Sakurako gazes up at him and a small smile emerges on her lips. "This also means you will graduate within the next year, so train hard." Sakurako's smile blows up into a full on grin as she launches herself at the man who saved her from the brink of death and disrepair only two years ago. Ginrei catches the small girl and chuckles a little himself.
"If I keep training with Byakuya can I graduate within the year?"
A/N: Second published fic ever! I don't really know how I'm going to update these next few months as I'm going overseas. I do have another chapter brewing right now and I should be able to update within this week. Let me know if anything looks wonky and I'll fix it ASAP!
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