The betrayal had been painful for them all, but especially so for her.
Hinamori had genuinely cared for her captain. While he had cast his spell over his young lieutenant, he had further pierced her soul by twisting her emotions around his little finger. She had been completely, absolutely dependent upon him.
Izuru sighed, the cloud that was his breath drifted into nothingness, much like his devotion to Ichimaru. Nothingness like the emptiness which ached deep within his core.
The silent man leaned his head back against the crumbling wall he rested against. Sky blue eyes closed, and he relished the cold breeze as it whispered across his pale skin – so much like the feeling within his heart as his own captain ascended to the world of hollows. Blond hair brushed over a smooth cheek, restless in the gentle wind.
He wondered if the wounds would ever truly heal.
"Kira?" A quiet voice inquired.
Soulful blue eyes opened, then shifted to the small woman picking her way across the field. He lifted a graceful, deceptively powerful hand in greeting. "Hello, Momo. Glad you could make it."
Carefully, she settled by her old friend, then took in the twisted, blackened vines crawling over the frames erected long ago for their growth. The leaves were gone already; the fruit vanished long before the foliage. Fall's brilliance had faded into the painful days of pre-winter. Naked trees rose into the bleeding sky, like fingers stripped of their flesh. "Are you alright?" Her voice was soft – resonant and beautiful.
He'd always thought so, but he'd never voiced that particular opinion. For a moment, he wondered why.
Silently, he nodded and followed her gaze. "Do you remember when we could come out here in the academy?"
A subtle smile curved her lips, "I do. We'd steal bunches of grapes for our picnics…"
His own sad smile answered hers. "Yes. Of course, it took us a few tries to figure out just when they were ripe enough to be sweet."
Momo's laugh was soft, but it warmed him better than any sake. It reminded them both of better days. "I think Renji always knew, though. He just liked watching us pull faces when the tartness filled our mouths."
The blonde chuckled. "He still would." The red-head was always good for a laugh or two when in the right mood. Abarai's brash personality and sense of humor was a surprisingly good fit with his own sober nature and Hinamori's natural sweetness.
Silence drifted over the duo. A sharp wind kicked up hair and clothing, prompting goose bumps to rise under thick robes. Nostalgia faded, and identical weights settled in their chests as if summoned by that sudden rush of air.
"Do you think it'll ever stop hurting?" Momo's soft question breached the void.
He heard sorrow fill her voice again, and when he looked over, found her luminous eyes focused on the black vines again. The coldly setting sun cast twisted ebon shadows and crimson light over her melancholy face. Her slight shoulders hunched slightly with emotion and temperature. It took him several moments to repress the urge to touch her cheek – to draw her close, and…
The first bitter pangs of regret thrust their way through his heart – sharper than any sword he had ever met. Why had he asked her out here?
Finally, his words rose to the surface, empty and meaningless. "I don't know."
His fellow lieutenant, a pawn more so than he, bowed her head. "Neither do I."
Kira couldn't resist the urge this time. A gentle hand hesitantly reached for the cool fabric of her sleeve. When she didn't flinch, he slid his arm around her shoulders, drew her slight figure to his chest, and pressed his lips to the chestnut hair.
There he securely held her as silently, she wept.
Deep within, so too did he.
Inspired by "Orchard of Mines", by Globus. Awesome song. Not entirely sure why I hadn't seen the potential in these two before.