Now You Feel Like Number One, Shining Bright for Everyone
****Okay, as a slight disclaimer, I know how the Hōgyoku (the orb Urahara created and Aizen took to create his arrancar army) cannot turn a hollow into a vizard. But for all intensive purposes, it can, if only for a one-shot .
And Urahara (as we know now) only made one Hōgyoku. But again, he for this story, he made two of them. Why? Because he's just awesome like that.
Name: Arana Jaggerjaquez
Age: looks close to 18
Looks: Electric blue hair and orange eyes to match her zanpakto. She's tall and slender, built for agility rather than strength. Her hollow mask covers the left side of her face, and she wears the basic white pants and white overcoat that Grimmjow wears, though she wears a white shirt, much like a bikini top, under the coat.
Additional info: She is Grimmjow's sister hollow, and both of them grew through the ranks to eventually become espada.
Personality: Tempermental like her brother, but also quite lazy at times. She can be motivated to do something, but she will find the quickest and easiest way to accomplish it.
Zanpakto: Amber flame
Shikai: She becomes surrounded by flames and can summon fire creatures to fight alongside of her. Her reiatsu is boosted greatly, though her attack power wanes in shikai form. Thus, she relies on speed of attacks.
"God I hate this fucking place." Stark peeked at me through one eye, then closed it again.
"Arana, you say that constantly." I tossed my blue hair behind my shoulders, partly in anger, partly to see the lazy espada on the floor.
"Doesn't make it any less true," I replied, throwing my feet up onto the table in front of me. "Aizen thinks he can rule us all-"
"He has been."
"Shut up, Stark. He's not my ruler and he will never be."
"So you've said."
"Why the hell do you go under him?"
"He made us into what we are. Don't we owe him?
"I don't owe him shit."
"Didn't he make you into an espada?" I tipped my chair back, lounging just as Stark was. It was a bad habit ours, one we didn't feel the need to correct.
"I chose to let him turn me. If Grimmjow hadn't have become an espada, I never would have consented."
"Then he would have destroyed you and probably your brother," Stark said on a yawn. He let his words sink in before straying into his next topic. "You know, I've heard some odd rumors."
"Of what?" I grumbled, still in a foul mood.
"Of people who are the opposite of espadas."
"Opposite? What are you talking about?"
"Just as I said it. They're shinigami with hollows inside of them."
"Interesting. I would have to venture that Aizen made them for his army as well. Sounds like something the bastard would do." Stark shrugged nonchalantly.
"Just passing the information along."
"You're such a dick. You know I'm going to have to go and investigate now."
"Yup. Then I can sleep and not hear you bitching."
"Ugh. Screw you Stark. Screw you." With a flourish of my hand, I opened a portal beside of me. I let my chair fall to the ground with a slight thud and stood, cracking my neck in the process. "See you later."
"Yup," Stark said as I stepped through the gate.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Oh?" Kisuke Urahara looked up from his rice bowl and toward the roof of his house.
"An espada," Youroichi stated.
"But only one espada," he corrected. "Why would Aizen send only one espada?"
"And why would the espada come alone?" She wondered. "You should go and check it out." With a grin, he waved her off.
"Neh, neh! We'll let Ichigo deal with it." Youroichi grinned slightly and began to eat again, knowing that he would eventually come to check out the odd event.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"So much spirit energy...but...none that's different. Most of them are the same. Dammit, couldn't Stark have given me more information?"
My eyes widened and I jumped out of the way, only to see a blue ray of light skim the side of my cloak. I turned to see one of Aizen's top nemesis at a building next to me. I glared at him.
"I don't have time for you, boy!" I yelled.
"El Directo!" he fired off another attack, but this time I was ready, and I moved out of the way, appearing next to the kid.
"I said, I don't have time to deal with you." His eyes widened as he realized where I was. However, I didn't draw my sword, though I kept my hand on the sheath. "Actually, I have a question for you, boy." I stepped away, giving him a bit of distance. In reaction, he slightly lowered his arm.
"What do you want, espada?" I cringed at the name, but allowed it to slide by.
"I heard a rumor of another fighting force. Shinigami with hollows inside of them. I want to know where they are."
"I wouldn't move, if I were you." I turned to see a newcomer in white robes, with a blue arrow pointed at me. Must be the Quincy.
"Oh for the love of god. I don't want to fucking fight with any of you."
"Too bad." Now, I felt a huge spirital pressure, and I knew exactly who it was.
"Ichigo Kurosaki." He landed and drew his sword and pointed at me, and I watched as his spirit ribbons unfurled.
"Who are you, and what do you want?"
"Finally," I drawled. "Someone with decent manners." I saw that my sarcasm was lost on everyone around me, and I rolled my eyes.
"Look, it's too early to fight, and I don't even want to fight. I only want information."
"Why should we give information to an espada?" The Quincy shot back.
"I'm not a fucking espada." That subject was still a little touchy, as Stark knew quite well. "Call me that again, and we'll have a real fight on your hands."
"Aren't you an espada?"
"For god's sake, didn't I just say that? Seriously. Now. Where can i find these shinigami people? That's all I want."
"You're looking at a shinigami," the Quincy pointed out. I felt my temper flare and I growled in response.
"I'm not a dunce," I ground out. "I'm not looking for him. For the last time, where...are...the...shinigami...people?"
"She's looking for the vizards," the boy in the hawaiian shirt replied. His arm lowered further, and I began to relax. Finally, someone could help me.
"The vizards?" Ichigo asked, surprised. "Why do you want the vizards?"
"None of your damn business. Just tell me where to find them." I knew by this point, asking for their location was pretty much useless, so I simply rolled my eyes. "You know what? Never mind. I don't care anymore. Just run along, and I'll find these...vizards...myself."
"You're not going anywhere," the Quincy stated, firing an arrow at my face. Frustrated, I drew my zanpakto and sliced through the attack. As I stared the Quincy down, I felt a portal open behind me. I turned to see my most hated espada staring at me.
"Arana, Aizen wants to see you." The grin on Nnoitra's face was so close to a smirk that I felt the first stirrings of my zanpakto inside of me. I was pissed and I just wanted this errand over with.
"What does he want?" I asked, my grip tightening on my sword.
"It seems you've been a naughty girl," he taunted. "He's heard of your foolish plan." Though I was shocked that he learned of it this soon, it didn't surprise me all that much. Aizen always knew everything.
"Then he knows I'm not going to him like a lost little puppy."
"I thought you would say that," Nnoitra stated, his grin widening. "That's why I've been advised to use force."
"Ohhh," I drawled out. "You're barking up the wrong tree. I'm not in the mood to play your little games tonight, you damn psycho." Everyone around me was watching the scene curiously, and I could feel the Quincy's indecision of who to shoot first. It was amusing, but I was tired of this farce, and I just wanted to lie down somewhere.
"Pray, Santa Teresa." Spiritual pressure exploded around me, and I watched remotely as Nnoitra released his zanpakto. His sword morphed into another cresent section, now making two connecting cresents.
"You guys better back up," I warned. "This is going to get a little messy." Nnoitra lunged, and I moved toward him with my own zanpakto. I caught his blade in between his cresents, which brought me close to his face.
"Do you really want to die, Nnoitra?" I growled out.
"You're a woman," he stated. "There's no way you could beat me." We broke apart, then came together once again.
"Just because I've never wanted to before now." I kicked him in his stomach, sending him sliding back a few feet. I cracked my neck side to side, and pointed my zanpakto at him.
"Instead of fighting me, why don't you run along and tell your master that I'm not interested? He'll be irritated if you don't tell him right away," I taunted. My insult hit, and Nnoitra's eyes darkened.
"You bitch!" With a feral cry, he leapt at me, and I jumped to block. We exchanged fierce blows, and as my sword collided with his, I felt the power building within me, and I knew it was time for me to end this before I destroyed everything around me.
"Let's get this over with, shall we?" I more or less stated as I pointed my sword in the air. "Explode, Amber Flame." A stream of fire burst up from my sword and into the clouds, with only a dramatic flair my zanpakto could provide. "Come out, my little imps!" I traced my sword in a circle in front of me, creating a circle of fire. Little creatures jumped out of the new portal I had created, and began to jump for Nnoitra.
He sliced through the first imp, but his eyes widened as he realized his attack hadn't even slowed the imp's attack. The imp landed on his clothes, burning them. The next imp jumped, and Nnoitra finally jumped back. I didn't stop the imps; I let them attack the espada at will.
"You'll regret this day," Nnoitra snarled, making a portal to Hueco Mundo.
"I regret having to actually waste my time on you," I retorted. He stiffened, as if he was going to attack, but saw the imps making a beeline for him. Instead, he tucked tail and entered the portal. I swiped my sword, releasing the imps, and they dissapeared into embers, which fell to the ground much like snow.
"So was it staged for our benefit?"
I turned to see the Quincy behind me, this time, on the same building. At least he wasn't pointing his arrow at me anymore.
"That's too much work," I stated simply, sheathing my sword. "Will you tell me where these vizards are, Quincy?"
"Depends on what you want them for." I growled at the full turn around the conversation had taken, and finally decided to answer them.
"I want to become a vizard." My answer took the Quincy by surprise, and his two other companions landed beside of him, both equally taken aback.
"Why?" Kurosaki asked.
"Because I hate Aizen, and I hate his espada...well...most of his espada. I want to change sides. Believe me or not, but it's up to the vizards to change me or not."
"Come with us," the Quincy stated. Finally. some damn progress. I did as he told, and we jumped from building to building.
"So what's your name, boy?" I asked. I merely knew that this kid with the hollow powers was an enemy, but Aizen never told us his name.
"Chad."
"And you, Quincy?" I could sense a retort, but he actually swallowed it and answered.
"Uryuu."
"Then what's your name?" Chad asked me.
"Arana Jaggerjaquez." With my last name revealed, I felt a new wave of distrust wash over the group, but I didn't care. They were just a means to make me normal again. "My brother speaks highly of you," I told Ichigo.
"What?"
"He does. He wants to kill you. That's a compliment, you know." I could sense his exasperation, and I briefly smiled. It was true. My brother did have this avid fascination with Ichigo, and I could sense why. Even with his spiritual pressure repressed, I could sense his potential.
"Why do you want to switch sides?" the orange haired kid asked.
"Because Aizen's a fuckoff," I replied nastily, still sore about the order from this morning.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Arana," Aizen greeted. I didn't asnwer him, and merely glared at the man on his farce of a throne. "I hear you claim to not be an espada anymore."
"So what if i do?"
"I require your loyalty," he stated simply, watching me with kind eyes. Oh, I knew him by now. Underneath the soft, sugary layer, there was a cunning, evil man. "And it simply hurts to realize that you do not appreciate all that I have given you."
"And what have you given me?" I asked sarcastically.
"I've given you life, Arana. For you and...your brother." I tensed slightly. Now, this conversation involved Grimmjow. It wasn't just personal anymore. "To show your loyalty, I require the head of a shinigami. A...Byakuya Kuchiki." My eyes widened.
"But...why?"
"Does it matter, Arana? I've given you an order."
"How the hell do you expect me to carry that out?" This meant that I would have to travel to the Seretei, with full fledged shinigami swarming around a captain class target. My realization was swift: he wanted me dead.
"I'm sure you'll figure out something," he said smoothly before motioning me out. I wanted to rebel, to say 'fuck you' and fork him the bird as I walked out, but instead, I simply turned and stalked out. I couldn't do anything without hurting Grimmjow, and my pride wasn't worth that.
But I would find a way to kill Aizen. I knew it.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"So! This is the espada I felt!" I simply stared at the man in front of me. He was so...odd. He had a green and white bucket hat that covered his pale blond hair, and was dressed in green with a green cloak. He also held a fan in front of his face, fanning himself, though it wasn't the least bit hot inside.
"I have no idea who you are," I stated, looking at him curiously.
"Ah, I'm sorry! My name is Kisuke Urahara. And this," he continued, gesturing to the dark haired woman beside of him, "Is Youroichi."
"You're pretty forthcoming to an arrancar," I pointed out. In reaction, he waved the fan at me, with a goofy grin on his face.
"Neh, neh, Arana! You're on our side now, are you not?" My eye twitched in reaction.
"Why ELSE would I be here," I pointed out.
"Then it's all right!" His happy demeanor combined with the awkward logic made me hang my head.
"Whatever, Kisuke."
"So you want to become a vizard?"
"For the last time, yes. I dont' want to be an arrancar. I'm tired of going over this."
"Then you're in luck." My head snapped back up and I looked to see the brim of Urahara's hat shade his now cunning eyes.
"Are you a vizard?" I asked, excited for a change.
"Nope." I growled at his answer and he smiled in return. "But I can still help you." I looked up him and down.
"I highly doubt it," I mumbled. Instead of taking the insult like Nnoitra would do, Urahara just let it slide by.
"You'll have to wait for a day," he warned. "So, now Ichigo can take you to the soul society!"
"What!" Ichigo and I chorused. That was the last damn place I wanted to go, and the shinigami would still probably kill me on sight.
"Oh, fine, I'll get it done tonight. Then you can take her tomorrow." Ichigo began to sputter, and I began to find humor in this bizzare situation.
"That wasn't the point!" he yelled at him.
"Ichigo!" Youroichi yelled. "You're too loud!"
"Didn't you just hear what he just said?"
"Course I did," she replied with a smirk. "And I think it's a great idea."
"Not you too!" Ichigo yelled. I snickered.
"I think Chad and Uryuu should take me too. That way, they can both hold my hands as I cross the street, and one could lead. I'd be perfectly safe." I saw Uryuu cut his eyes toward me, and I began to chuckle.
"This isn't funny! They could kill us both." At Ichigo's statement, my eyes darkened and narrowed on the orange haired shinigami.
"As if they could."
"Don't be so dour, Arana!" Kisuke admonished. "Now, if you could come with me?" I did as he bade, and followed him into the back of his shop.
"So what are we doing back here?" I asked nonchalantly, looking at all the storage boxes around us. "You hiding a vizard in a box?" Kisuke turned, and in his hand, he held a familar looking stone.
"That's-"
"Yes. It's the Hōgyoku."
"But that creates arrancar, not Vizards!"
"You know what the difference between an arrancar and a vizard is?" He asked seriously as he sat down onto the floor crosslegged.
"One is a hollow and the other is a shinigami?"
"An arrancar begins the transformation as a hollow, and the vizards were created as shinigami."
"Then how can I be a vizard? I started as a hollow."
"That's where the Hōgyoku comes into play." I sat and looked at the orb curiously. "It binds a shinigami and a hollow together. However, the true difference between the two is that one presence is stronger than another. For you, your hollow side is stronger than your shinigami."
"So it powers up my other form?"
"The Hōgyoku was originally used to fuse, not provide a balance between the two. This is quite dangerous, and you may die from this process. Are you prepared?"
"Yes." As I watched, the orb in Urahara's hands began to glow, and I knew it had begun.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
"Are we there yet?" I asked again, knowing it was annoying Ichigo to his wit's end.
"For the last time, no!" I laughed at his discomfort, and he tried to glare at me. As he looked at me, his gaze softened, and I felt kinda bad for teasing him as much as I had been.
"You sure you're all right?"
"Just a little woozy, that's all." That was the understatement of the year. I had simply watch as the battle for my soul was waged, and with each cut that one of the combatants took, it was transfered to me. So I felt all of their pain, and got all of their injuries. Fortunately for me, my shinigami side won, therefore shoving my hollow side back down into the depths of my soul.
"I remember when I had to fight my hollow self. I almost lost."
"So did I," I stated simply. "So did I." Finally, we got to the door entering the shinigami realm, and we were let inside. "This is going to suck," I predicted, watching everyone around me with a cautious eye. The hair around the left side of my face hid the left side completely, so I could only see through my right eye.
The remnants of my hollow mask were completely gone, though not without leaving their mark first. The whole left side of my face was red and swollen, and I wasn't going to ask any more of Kuchiki Rukia. She had saved my life that night by healing the injuries as they occured, and I knew I was in her debt forever.
"Rukia should have been here," Ichigo mused.
"She can't because she's been thrown into the dungeon and tortured." He glared at me and I quieted, though breaking ranks and running back to earth seemed like a good plan now.
"There she is." Sure enough, the shinigami was walking toward us, along with someone I didn't expect to see.
"God dammit, irony," I muttered as Kuchiki Byakuya stopped in front of us. By the small glance he flicked my way, I would have wagered that he heard my little comment.
"Why are you bringing this...espada...here?" By the disdain dripping off of the word, I figured he wasn't too happy about my presence. Knowing I could make things worse with my temper, I shut my mouth and looked away, a slight blush on my cheeks.
"She's not an espada anymore," Ichigo tried to explain. "She's a shinigami-"
"She's an espada. She's killed shinigami and innocent humans." Actually, in that aspect, he was wrong. I never killed innocent humans. It was always the ones that preyed on the innocent, and I would bring their souls to Aizen or to Hueco Mundo.
"So? She's changed." I saw him look at my clothing, and I could literally feel the disapproval. Sure, I was still in my clothes from Hueco Mundo, but seriously. I had nothing else. So sheesh.
"How do you know that?"
"She went through a...er..." He looked at me and I shrugged. Should we call it an experiement? A transformation?"
"I'm a vizard now," I finally spoke up, relieving Ichigo from Byakuya.
"Why is your hair covering your face?" Byakuya questioned. "Hiding a hollow mask underneath?" He was certainly quick to judge.
"It's where my mask used to be," I replied, stepping back defensively
"I told you, brother. I had to heal her through the experiment. She truly is a vizard now." Even Rukia's words seemed to have no sway over her brother, and I rolled my eyes.
"Look. If I could cleanse the hollow inside of me, I would. So quit throwing out all of this accusations. Jesus."
"Show me your face." I drew back.
"No!" I cried out. Even though I was a powerful spirit, I still had the spirit of a woman, and I didn't want anyone to see my less than stellar face. "I'll show you in a few days."
"Acutally," Rukia broke in. "Unohana could heal you."
"Who?" I asked. Aizen had never briefed us on names, though...that could be because I never went to any of the stupid espada meetings.
"She's our fourth division captain." I nodded in understanding and began to walk towards Rukia. All of a sudden, Byakuya appeared in front of me, and swished the hair from the left side of my face, revealing the extent of the damage. I jumped backwards, holding my hair down, and glared.
"Quit it, you bastard!"
"So you were telling the truth," he mused.
"Are you this nice to everyone you meet?" I asked sarcastically.
"Would you trust your enemy on the first meeting?" I looked away at that. He had a valid point, but I didn't want to admit it. "I will show you to Unohana. Rukia, meet me at the house." With that, he began to walk off, and I looked at Rukia. She gestured to go, and I ran toward Byakuya. I stood slightly behind him, letting him lead.
"Are there any vizards here?" I asked him. I didn't expect an answer, but I was quite surprised.
"No. There are only a few."
"Oh," I simply replied.
"Who is the one that changed you?" I shrugged, not knowing if I should reveal the name or not.
"Your loyalty means nothing in this case. Who turned you?"
"Does it really matter?" I snapped back, irritated at his high handed tone. "I'm a vizard now. Not an espada. I'm on your side."
"That has yet to be seen," he retorted. As irritated as I was, I felt like laughing. He did know how to give as good as he got, though he was a bit cold on the fringes.
"Stop." I did ask he asked and looked at him. "Lift up your hair."
"How about no, you bastard?" He looked down at me, his gaze much more potent than a verbal admonision. "Fine." I lifted the first part of it to show a sliver of the red skin underneath. He lifted his hand and touched the side of my nose lightly. He checked the thumb and frowned. Again, the thumb came toward my nose, but this time, he scratched the swollen skin, and I whirled away, tears in my eyes.
"So it's not makeup. I'm starting to believe you." I tried to hold the tears in check, but the pain was too close to my eyes and the skin was just too raw.
"I'm starting to believe you're a bonified bastard," I retorted, squeezing my eyes with one hand. The salt from the tears stung as it touched the lower eyelid, causing me to cry more. I could just feel the viscious cycle coming on, and I growled. Why did he have to escort me?
"Fine. Come with me, espada."
"I'm not an espada!" I ground out. "Get that through your head. I. Am. A. Vi-zard. Not an espada." The tears and salt were getting worse, and the whole side of my face was beginning to burn in protest. "You know what? Fuck you." I jumped away from him, flash stepping onto another building. Giving little heed to whether Byakuya was chasing me or not, I raced toward Ichigo's reiatsu.
I landed outside of a huge mansion, and to my immediate relief, a pond was right in front of the deck. I made my way over and began to scoop up water and splash my face.
"Oh my god, it burnssss," I whined. "Why did I have to listen to Stark?" I splashed more water on my face and was rewarded with a cooling sensation spreading across the burned flesh. "Oh, there's some vizard out there! Go out there and all your dreams will come true!" I mocked in a horrible imitation of Stark's voice. "Little bastard," I muttered, cupping water to my face. The whole left side of my hair was wet, and was clinging to the edges.
As I held up another handful of water, I felt another presence beside of me just as a sword touched my neck in a threatening gesture.
"What are you doing?" Byakuya asked, impassive once again.
"Cooling my face and wiping off blood that SOMEONE might have caused. So get lost." The sword rose up and began to turn my face toward Byakuya. I could feel a rivulet of blood trickling down the side of my nose where he had scratched me, but the tears had stopped, causing the burning to also decrease.
"I apologize." I stopped and thought. Did I just hear him right? "I'll take you to Unohana."
"How about no?" I retorted. "Just let Ichigo take me. He's right inside. I can feel him, and I'll bet if I yell-"
"That won't be necessary. I'll take you."
"Are you going to touch my face again?" I asked. He shook his head.
"I won't." To my ultimate surprise, he held out a gloved hand. I took it and he pulled me to my feet, then let go. "We will use shunpo to get there quickly." As soon as he said it, he leapt away.
"And he didn't even ask if it was all right with me," I muttered, before following him.
*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*8*
That night, I found myself on Byakuya's roof, looking at the stars in the sky, my white coat acting as a blanket beneath me. Hueco Mundo had a certain charm to it, but it was nothing like the Seretei. It was beautiful and peaceful here, not like the rugged scene I was used to. Plus, I could never had time to myself like this. I was usually with Stark, which I didn't mind, but Nnoitra always went out of his way to annoy me.
"What are you doing on my house?" My breath caught. I didn't even sense him near me.
"Byakuya!" I said sharply. "You scared me."
"You should never let your guard down," he replied. Only this time, it didn't seem like an admonishment. It just seemed normal, not even sounding like advice, more like a reaction than anything else.
"Yeah, well, it's three in the morning. What do you expect?" He didn't answer, though I didn't expect him too. "I'm here because of the stars. We never had a view like this in Hueco Mundo."
"Then what did you do?"
"I went to earth when I was bored. Punished some people, and collected souls for Aizen."
"So you did kill humans," he stated.
"Only the ones that deserved it." With that, I knew my alone time was shattered, and I sat up and stretched. Suddenly, I felt a huge spike in spiritual pressure, and I immediately drew my sword to assess the threat.
"What happened to your back?" Byakuya asked, his voice quite calm. Yet I could feel the tension and anger in the air around me. I had forgotten of my injury if only for a few seconds, and I was ashamed that he had seen my deformity.
"It was a long time ago," I replied. "Somethings are better left alone."
"Those looks like whip marks," he continued, as if he didn't hear me.
"That's because they are whip marks," I replied angrily. "And if you can't accept them," I continued, snatching my coat from the roof, "Then that's your damn problem." I turned to leave, but Byakuya appeared in front of me.
"Unohana can heal you. We will go in the morning."
"Look. Just because it looks bad doesn't mean I should get it fixed. Just forget about it. I usually keep my coat on anyways, so you'll never see my back again." I stepped to the side and he lifted his arm to block me.
"Why do you not want to get it fixed?"
"B...because it's my espada number. Aizen had it taken off when I fucked up. I'll take the whip marks over the number on my back, thank you very much." My cheeks were burning with shame by this point, although I didn't have the foggiest idea why I should feel ashamed.
"We'll get it taken off tomorrow."
"Didn't I just say-"
"Both of them." I looked up into his eyes, and for once, saw warmth and caring.
"You mean it?" I asked, daring to hope. I didn't want the marks, nor did I want the number. I was no longer Aizen's lackey, and I didn't want the proof on my back. With two of his fingers, he brushed a strand of hair from the left side of my face, quieting me.
"You should be healed by tomorrow night," he said, letting the hair fall back into my face. "I will take you to Unohana tomorrow." With the slight touch of his fingers against my face, I felt the first stirrings of friendship as well as something else, and felt his touch all the way to my heart. I opened my mouth to say something, but when nothing was forthcoming, I shut it again.
"I'll...see you tomorrow?" I asked hesitantly. He nodded and dissapeared, leaving me alone on the roof once again. As I bent to pick up my coat, a single sakura petal dropped from it, and fell to the roof. I picked it up and realized who had sent the gift. Because I knew the nature of his sword, I realized the meaning of the gift. I had won his trust, and in return, he was extending his protection to me.
"As if I need your protection," I muttered, feeling the softness of the petal between my thumb and finger. "I think I need something else from you," I whispered to the wind around me. "I want your heart. And you should know, I'm very tenacious when I want something."
With my pledge made, I jumped from the roof and pocketed Byakuya's gift. Tomorrow would undoubtedly bring trials and tribulations, but underneath it all, my plan would unfold, and soon, I would win his heart.