Past Requieum x The Beginning Chapters

Sakura Kemuri was her name. She had been 3rd seat of the 3rd squad for 20 years when Gin had come along. He was her friend, someone to confide in, but most importantly, he was her brother.

Sure, they didn't look alike. She was the same height as him and her hair had the dark dememor of red-wine, her eyes so light green they were almost yellow. Her skin was pale as the moon and her lips as soft as flower petals. She was also funny like her brother, always smiling and trying to make light of things.

Yet, in other ways, they were alike. She was quick with a sword, and a hell of an opponent. Even though she had never been able to beat her brother, she had beat everyone else. She was a wiz at Kido and talked to her Zanpaktou like it was her best friend.

But there was one thing that her and her brother would never be the same in. Gin was a sly man with a hidden agenda. He never saw the darkness in anything he did, he just did what he wanted, what was best for him. He could care less about friends, about family. At least, that's how he really was.

He had been the nicest, sweetest, most caring brother before he left. He had always helped her out, made her smile when she was sad. And he was strong willed and powerful, which was probably why he became a Captain. He treated his Lieutenant, Kira like a friend instead of a subordinant, and no matter how many times she told him not to, he always gave Sakura special treatment.

They had been the closest of siblings...

And now he was gone. He had left her and everyone else that thought he cared about them behind. He flew into the air, behind the mask of Hueco Mundo and left Sakura standing there, praying for his defeat.

It was then and there that she decided if anyone killed Gin Ichimaru, her adoptive brother and ex-friend, it would be her.

"(^.^)"

Sakura ran through the halls of the Kuchiki house, tears pouring down her face.

"No, no, no..." She kept whispering to herself.

Hisana had been doing so good. She was stabilized and walking around and laughing not two hours ago, and now Sakura had just gotten the call that no one thought she would make it through the night.

Sakura knocked frantically on the door, tears still pouring when Hisana's husband, Byakuya Kuchiki opened the door with a morose expression. He looked up at her with broken eyes.

"Where is she?" Sakura choked.

Byakuya opened the door to see Hisana laying on the floor on a nedoko. She was wrapped up tightly, her pale face soft against the pillow.

"Oh, Hisana." Sakura cried as she ran past Byakuya to her best friends side.

Hisana smiled weakly up at her. "Shh, Sakura. I'm okay."

"You liar." Sakura touched Hisana's hand as it cupped her cheek.

"Really." Hisana coughed.

"You should be still." Byakuya said from her other side.

"Don't move." Sakura demanded. "If you move, I swear, I'll-"

Hisana laughed quietly. "It's always threats from you, Sakura."

"Gomen nasai..." Sakura said with sad eyes.

"It's not your fault." Hisana held as tight as she could to Sakura's hand. "How else are you supposed to keep control of that brother of yours? He doesn't exactly listen to reason."

"True." Sakura smiled through her tears.

Hisana turned to Byakuya and put her hand on his cheek. "Could you leave us alone for a minute?"

He nodded silently before getting up and walking out of the room.

Hisana turned to Sakura and sighed. "I worry about him. He seems like he's getting closer and closer to a breakdown."

"He wouldn't do that." Sakura lied. "He knows how much you care about him."

"Yes..." She looked up at her friend softly. "I have a favor to ask of you."

"Anything." Sakura nodded.

"I need you to sneak into my private room here." Hisana said. "Later tonight. And I want you to look under the tea table. I've left you something there. You need to find it quickly before Byakuya sees you and then sneak back to your house. Go to sleep, without opening it. And when you wake up in the morning, then-and only then-open it."

Sakura choked back tears. So Hisana didn't think she'd make it through the night either.

"Okay, Hisana-chan." Sakura smiled as best she could.

"Don't be so sad, Saku-chan." Hisana smiled up at her. "I'll be fine, whatever happens."

Sakura smiled. "Okay."

"You should go now." Hisana suggested. "It'll be dark soon, and I'm feeling tired."

In Hisana translation, "you should go now, I don't think I can keep the tough act up much longer."

Sakura sobbed quietly as she hugged Hisana without moving her and kissing her cheek.

"Aishiteru, Hisana." She said softly. "You'll always be my best friend. No matter where you go."

"You, too, Sakura." Hisana said, tearing up. "I love you. You were always like my sister."

"Hisana, we are sisters." Sakura smiled down at her friend. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sayonara, Sakura." Hisana said as Sakura stood.

Sakura nodded before she turned.

When she reached the door, she lingered for only a moment.

"Sayonara, Hisana." She whispered.

And she left, never seeing her best friend again.

She went, later that night. It was tough sneaking around the Kuchiki manner while trying to hide your spiritual pressure.

When she got to Hisana's private room, she was tearing up at the scent. It smelled like peppermint and lillies. Just like her.

She ran to the tea table and reached under it, pulling out a medium sized wooden box. On the top of it was the Kanji for the words, "Love, Hisana."

She had written it herself...

Sakura's hand iched to open it up, but she didn't. Instead she stood and tip-toed to the door.

She peeked out into the hall, relieved when there was no one there. She ran outside and down the hall. She had to stopped at the intersection of two halls, cursing the nobles for having such a huge home, and that's when she heard it.

There were footsteps coming down the hall, slow and dragged out. She could sense his reiatsu instantly, because it was Byakuya Kuchiki.

Sakura pushed herself against the wall, hiding the box in her black kimono. She waited patiently for him to walk past.

But then the footsteps stopped completely.

Sakura stopped breathing, as she figured she had been caught, but instead she heard a sort of collapsing sound. And then there was a little sniffling, like someone was crying.

Sakura gawked.

No. She thought. Was Byakuya Kuchiki, Head of the Kuchiki House, really crying?

She peeked around the corner, in awe when she saw him on the floor, leaning against the wall. His face was in his hands and his shoulders shook.

Sakura sighed quietly. She took the box out of her uniform and laid it on the ground there, tucking it behind a plant so it wouldn't be seen.

Then she inched around the corner and walked right up to Byakuya and sat next to him.

He looked at her, startled.

"What are you doing in my house?" He asked, shocked.

"Scouting for a place to put my bomb." Sakura smiled faintly. "She's gone, huh?"

Byakuya nodded.

"Ah, well." Sakura felt the tears slip past her weak eyes. "She's safe, wherever she is. And this way she won't feel anymore pain."

Byakuya put his face in his hands again. "Is it selfish to miss her?"

"No." Sakura shook her head. "It's selfless to miss her. She was amazing, your Hisana. The best friend anyone could ever have. You deserved someone like her."

"I don't deserve anything." He said coldly.

"Well, in that case, you got pretty lucky." Sakura patted Byakuya on the back. "Some old bum who did deserve her is wondering where she went. But Lord knows she was happier with you."

Byakuya lifted his head, smiling a bit. "I hope I made her as happy as I could."

"Well, when you have a man go against all the rules for you, it makes you pretty happy." Sakura sighed. "And she told me, each and every day how much she loved you."

Byakuya frowned again. "I was too weak to stop her suffering. I don't know how she could love me."

"Oh, no." Sakura shook her head. "You tried everything, but this was fate. She lived what life she could like every second counted. You have to be happy and remember her how she was. You can't go around saying those things with her not there to scold you, it's insulting."

Byakuya shook his head with the slightest of smiles. "You sure know how to cheer someone up, Kemuri."

"It's Sakura, Bya-kun." Sakura nudged his shoulder. "And I do. Because now you can see that she never wanted you to be like this. She wants you happy, no matter what. Whether she's here or gone, you have to see that she lived however long she could for you, and be proud of her. Remember her smiles and hugs and kisses and everything will work itself out. It doesn't matter what happened then, or what'll happen later. You have to move on like you know she wanted. You know, be happy and smile for her. You can't go around all mopey, because you know she hated it when you did that."

Byakuya nodded soleumly. "Well, I'll do that later. I think I'm just going to wallow in self pity tonight."

"Yeah, me, too." Sakura sighed brokenly. "As long as there is a tomorrow, I'll be strong then."

She let those be her last words before she broke the dam on her tears, letting them flow freely. Byakuya put an arm around her shoulder as she cried into his shoulder.

"(^.^)"

When Sakura's eyes inched open the next morning, she felt the weight of the night falling on top of her. Her best friend had died, and she was gone.

But she would go through her day like nothing happened. She would make herself keep her head held high.

She sat up and stretched, remembering the box she had laid at her side the night before. She reached for it slowly, grasping it and pulling it towards her.

She traced the edges with her finger-tips as she felt her eyes fill again.

When she opened it, the tears fell.

Inside were the drawings her and Hisana had made not too long ago, though it looked like they had drawn them in thier toddler years. Hisana liked drawing turtles while Sakura naturally love drawing flowers. They were horrible, and hidious, but they were symbols of Hisana and Sakura.

She removed them and set them softly at her side before looking deeper.

There was Hisana's golden necklace that Byakuya had gotten for her on thier wedding day. It was beautifully articulate and incrediably expensive. Sakura knew that Hisana had given it to her because it just felt wrong for Byakuya to have it, but she also knew Hisana wanted her to sell it.

She placed it at her side, swearing that she would keep it safe and never give anyone else the chance to even touch it.

There was Hisana's friendship ring, sparkling with blue crystal. Sakura looked at her own then before placing Hisana's blue ring just above her pink one.

At the bottom of the box was a folded letter. Sakura hesitantly reached in and pulled it out. She held it in her hands, still sensing Hisana's reiatsu on it. She had written this the day before.

Slowly, she opened it, and read.

Dear Sakura,

If you're reading this, that means that I'm gone. I'm sorry I had to leave, but those sickness things are hard to avoid! I'm sorry. I shouldn't be making light of such a serious subject. But it made you smile, did it not?

I have to ask you something again. I feel bad, asking all these favors when there's really no reason for you to carry them through, but I feel like I need to.

I've asked Byakuya to look for my sister that I left before coming here. I want you to help him if you can, but that's not what I was going to ask.

(You know how bad I am at these letter things. I think I should've just drawn a picture...then again, neither of us are very good at that either, are we?)

It's about Byakuya. It worries me how he looks so broken in our last days together. I worry that, once I'm gone, he'll change into a completly different person. And I want him to stay just the way he is...

So I'll ask you this, Sakura. Will you help him move on? I don't want to be the only one he'll ever love. I want him to be happy, to grow up and smile and achieve his goals. But most of all, I want that smile that lights his face when he's in love, to shine in him for the rest of his life. Can you help him fall in love again, Sakura? I don't care who it is, as long as she's good to him. I want him to be happy, so blissfully happy, for the rest of his long life.

And Sakura, will you be happy to? For me? Get married and have a couple kids. It's what you need, right? And, also for me, beat Gin up. You know you can. Show him just how much stronger you are.

I love you like my own sister. Miss ya!

Love forever, no matter what!
Hisana Kuchiki

It took 30 minutes for Sakura to stop crying and another twenty for her to stop laughing.

For Hisana, she would do all these things and more.

Why? Beacause Hisana was the best friend a girl could ask for.