Cherry Petals ~サクランボノハナビラ~
出会い ~緋真~ (Encounter ~ Hisana ~)
Greetings!
Thank you for stumbling onto this tiny story~
The title reads "Sakuranbo no Hanabira " - I translated it to Cherry Petals for everyone's convenience.
I was not supposed to write anything; but I could not stop inspiration from knocking my head.
Disclaimer(s): I do not own Bleach and their characters (definitely); they are all masterpieces from Kubo-sensei~
Some parts may sound wierd in English; because I was visualising the dialogue in Japanese haha.
誤解されたら、申し訳ありませんでした！(If I had caused any misunderstandings, I'm terribly sorry for that)
Do you believe in miracles?
You might not, that's because you haven't met one.
No, Miracles do not land upon you like a beam of strong and bright light; they differ to each and every single one of us – they have colors.
Miracles are a sneaky thing; they often keep themselves invisible and moved around silently.
Miracles are a strange thing; they laugh and cry and had a lot of emotions.
I know that because I have met a miracle.
I, who deserved a miracle the least, met one.
This miracle was someone who lost her balance and fell down from the tree branch.
As she lay on the floor motionless, I wondered if she was a fallen shooting star.
For it was rare in Rukongai to see someone with such fair skin color donning a white hakama.
That's right, my miracle was white in color.
I was dazzled; for it shone like a diamond amongst the dilapidated huts and pale fir trees.
It was so bright, that it almost purified every bit of darkness in the area.
I hid behind the sundries rack, as the fallen star began to sit up.
" Argh! Shihouin Yoruichi, that dumb feline! " The star yelled.
It was then I realized that the fallen star was a male.
He was extremely angry and stomped the hard ground with both of his elbows.
Just as he was about to stand up, he crouched in pain.
" Damn it, not at this place! "He muttered.
Sometimes, when the memories get vague, I tend to commit silly mistakes; I fill the gaps with my own imagination. I think and convince myself that these things actually happen – then I'll smile again. That I've lived a dream and it was a very happy one. Even up till now, I still question the truth behind these memories I have.
The boy made various attempts to stand up straight, but it looks like he had fractured his ankle. He staggered and limped away and fell multiple times. Each time he fell, he would curse "Shihouin Yoruichi "; yet he never once sought help from the watching passer-bys of Rukongai – he gave a look that irked the sight of these people.
It was then he knocked over the rack of sundries accidentally.
What he was staring next, was not at the fallen sundries, but rather the startled look that I had.
Somehow he knew I was peeping at him from a distance.
His eyes twitched a bit.
" What are you doing here? "
It was apparent, that he was not very happy about it.
" I... I …, "I could not find a proper excuse to justify myself from standing at that position, I trembled with fear as he kept his stare locked on. As I back stepped every time he came closer, his stare got so intense that I slipped.
The last scene I saw was his eyes, it grew a little larger. It showed concern.
Bump!
At least, he is not a bad guy.
" I'm sorry! "I was sitting on the ground – he had not pulled out his hand to break my fall – he stood there looking at how foolish I was. His eyes then looked sideways.
" Do you know where I can get a doctor? "His mouth was slightly twisted. I took another look at his leg, it was badly dislocated for he had landed with his legs first. Yet, he could still walk such a distance – it could only be considered a feat.
" There is one, but... "
" Speak, " he demanded.
" He's located very far away from here, " I replied with my head looking down and my fingers still shivered in fear.
" Take me there, " He looked to the side again.
" H...Hai! "My voice weakened every time I spoke to this person. I could scream very loudly for help and could catch the attention of the citizens; but I could not even raise another decibel when I was speaking to him.
As I was pretty aware the last thing he would want to do was to touch me, I brushed off all the dirt that had fallen on my yukata and walked very slowly – I made sure I was only three steps away from him. As long as I can hear his footsteps tapping the ground in a non rhythmic manner, I know he's following me.
Suddenly it stopped.
" Oi, " He raised his voice a little.
I turned back and I saw sweat drops trickling down his forehead.
The pain must have been so unbearable.
" Are you okay? "
He spoke as he was panting away, "I... I …I'm okay... "And he'll always look sideways when he is done with speaking with me.
" But you don't look okay, " I tried to let him know of his condition.
" You! How...dare you answer back! "He got angry again.
" Please wait here, " As I sprinted down the row of huts; I tried to ignore his yells that were projected at me – there was something more important than him right now. I asked around if they have seen what I want; I looked in every corner of the alleys before I found what I had needed concealed by a stack of hay.
I pushed it with all my might and made my way back to where he was.
I would not be surprised if I had not seen him there. He might have sought for other people's help and left; or he might have recovered and darted away from this area.
Instead, I saw his angry face when I came back with a cart. Again.
I had expected him to say something like "What took you so long? "Or "How could make me wait here?"
" This... Ano... "I tried to find the proper words to explain to him; I tried to appease him.
I caught his face one more time; he looked shocked.
He said something else; and he made sure he said it in a way that it was so inaudible; that it could only be heard by the two of us.
" … Thank you... "He looked away as his shoulder-length hair covered part of his face.
I got him to the doctor's and stood outside while waiting for the verdict.
I got worried as soon as I heard him yelling away as they fixed his bone. He scolded the doctor for touching his skin, and instructed the nurse to ensure that they would not dirty his clothes. I guess I got myself quite accustomed to his haughty manner that it did not matter to me if he had revealed that he was a Prince from some faraway land.
The doctor walked out of the room and remarked that he was a special child.
He recovered so quickly that before the doctor could wrap up the wound; he gave the doctor a reflexive kick. He was so full of energy that he threatened the doctor if they were to reveal what happened today. I giggled and was relieved that he was okay now.
" Would you like to see him now? "The doctor asked.
" It's okay. He does not like me at all, "I replied softly.
That's true; he does not like me at all. Yet, I will always hold this memory very close to me; the memory of him hating me. It may not be the only memory; but it will always be the first. It was amusing to recall the events that happened then. Who would ever have expected that that limping spoilt prince turned out to be my sole miracle in life? The miracle that held my hand and said things that I would never dream of hearing; The miracle that took me to places where I never thought of seeing; The same miracle that fulfilled wishes I've never made.
This miracle had a beautiful name, Kuchiki Byakuya.
yu-pon's note:
Thank you for reading!!! Hope you liked it~!!
I actually feel very guilty now; because i broke my own promise to take the weekend off.
Instead of resting, I wrote a new fic!? (ARGH)
Sunday will definitely be an off day!
I might have startled someone by starting off this story with Hisana narrating.
(Actually...this story is intended to be written in a different manner. So look out who's in the "~~" at the title page. In this Chapter, it's ~緋真~ so it means it's Hisana's. )
I don't know if I should continue with this fic, please let me know?
Translation notes:
I've used some Japanese in this chapter; shall identify the non-English words out!
1. Rukongai - That's the slum area where Hisana lives; it was mentioned during the course of the actual storyline.
2. Hakama - This is a traditional Japanese costume; used to be worn by males only; but now Shrine Maidens also don hakamas - I can't exactly explain how it looks like but you can click here for pictures of it - Thank you wikipedia~
3. Yukata - Hmm! Traditional Japanese costume too~ it looks like a Kimono but it's less sophisticated; because it's meant to be worn during summer time!! Click here for pictures of it - Once again, thank you wikipedia~~
4. Ano... - It's a thinking word here, something like " erm... "~ haha although this word has many other uses; I meant it to use as a thinking word here~
If there's a next chapter, I'll meet everyone there again!
ほなおつー