Dying Petals Of A Noble
This is a part of Reset Then Restart and is set during the war in the original time line. This fic will be about Kuchiki Byakuya and how the war affects him. His death will also be included in this fiction.
POV include:
-Abarai Renji
-Kuchiki Rukia
-Kuchiki Byakuya
Byakuya, Some time into the war,
When Byakuya had first met Kurosaki Ichigo he saw a boy far too loud and far too ready to jump into things he didn't understand. His invasion into Seireitei just aided his opinion. Though he was secretly pleased that the bright haired Kurosaki had stopped his sisters execution showing him just how important a younger sibling is.
Then he saw a warrior, someone forced into a position that should not have belonged to a child. To soul society standards 22 was considered the age of an infant.
Currently in front of him was someone who had been broken down far to much, lain on the floor his head resting on Rukia's lap, eyes unfocused onto the sky. They had found somewhere peaceful and untouched in the Rukongai, Rukia had come to him asking if he knew where any such places were.
It had been a few months but he was finally starting to talk again. Byakuya found himself proud of his sister who had carefully sat and coaxed Ichigo out of the box the man had hid himself in. Locked away and thrown away the key Rukia made a new one just to reach him.
Byakuya could only guess what the poor vizard had been put through at the hands of Aizen.
In a small gesture of respect to the one that had suffered so much just for them he went to join Rukia and Ichigo who was pointing at the butterflies and flowers within the vicinity, naming their colours with the same interest a curious child would show.
A couple of months later, Byakuya,
Around one of the campfires sat a group of lieutenants (including his own) and some of the eleventh division members. They were all drunk.
For once he did not blame them the war was weighing down on everyone; while drunk they appeared to be having fun. Byakuya had never got himself drunk like those in front of him and only every drank things of top quality.
No time like the present right? He sat down next to Abarai on the sand rolling his eyes at the confused look his lieutenant gave him.
"Come on let me have some of that will you?" The alcohol was bitter but he found that he didn't mind it as much as he had originally thought.
For once he go included in all the gossip that was being shared about the circle, he found it rather amusing.
Renji, The following week,
"WHERE IS KUCHIKI-TAICHOU?" The man in front of him was trembling in fear his hands held onto his head as if it would protect him from the red haired lieutenants anger.
"He-He was taken sir! By the arrancar!"
His cowardness disgusted him, the group had returned yesterday but he had been busy with the piles of paperwork that had build up on his desk that was actually a former storage box. It had been a simple mission. A small crew was to go out with the six squad captain and check the perimeters.
No one in the squad had reported about him being captured though. Renji had not round out until he had gone looking for his normally punctual captain (even if the man had loosened up a bit).
"AND I WAS NOT INFORMED BECAUSE?!" He was fuming.
"Well we... they said..."
He had listened to enough of the groups rubbish today,"Oh silence never mind you didn't tell me anyways so that is classed as suspicious behavior. You will all be sent to the second division camp!"
The man scampered of to the rest of his cowardly group.
His captain might have had a stick firmly up his ass but he was a good captain and it was his captain. He did not accept it when things like this occured.
Byakuya, somewhere within Las Noches,
His arms hurt, his feet hurt. He refused to speak for he did not want the pain that travelled up his chest and back to get any worse.
There was a tingling sensation in his legs. Odd.
His legs were tired. He decided that the punishment of not holding them of the floor was worth allowing his legs to not be so strained. He lowered his feet towards the floor he had been holding them above.
Byakuya was chained by his wrists to the ceiling, just high enough that if he relaxed the box under him just touched his toes.
Ow. Please no more. Stop stopstopstopstop. The strong electrical currents passed up his legs once again.
He raised his feet. What had he been thinking? It hurt and he was tired. He wanted to sleep but if he relaxed even a little he would touch the black square that sat under him.
Please stop.
He missed Rukia. Byakuya wanted his sister.
Renji,
It had been two months since Byakuya had been taken and every day he had made it his job to follow that patrol route twice. Once in the morning and once in the evenings.
At least what counted for mornings and evenings when the moon forever hung in its place in the sky looking down at the chaos the world had become.
There was few cases where the kidnapped shinigami returned to them, even fewer alive. But he hoped that he would find the man eventually.
He quickly turned his head around at the slight flicker at something familiar. It was not to far in front of him. Renji quickly ran to where he had sensed the presence. Once gain it showed up, now he was closer he recognised the feeling of a spring day.
Laying on the floor was a person with jagged short black hair, no kenseikan and his shihakusho in pieces. The red and purple lines on his black suggesting a whip.
On the floor lay one Kuchiki Byakuya.
"Taicho!" I moved towards him to see if there were any life threatening injuries on his person. Renji was surprised when the his captain look up at him in pure fear, then relief, then proceed to climb onto the startled lieutenant. Despite the injuries the Kuchiki's arms were firmly locked in place around Renji.
In a quiet voice he attempted to calm the man down, brushing his finger through the now short hair that ended a few centimeters over his shoulders. The ends were burnt and the hair at the back of his head was a mass of knots. "Hey it's alright, there gone now. It's just me."
Byakuya had not even made a small noise of pain since finding him, which was odd. What was even stranger was that when Byakuya moved even closer to him, pushing his face into Renji's chest, the lieutenant noticed the lack of use of his legs.
Placing his hand on the bottom of his hakama gently he asked, "Do you mind in I look?"
A small movement of his head showed that it was ok. Pulling up the hakama he gasped at what he saw. His feet and half way up his legs were severely discoloured, his feet burnt. Pale lines traveled up his legs in a beautiful display of suffering. There was large amounts of blood drying on his legs, more so on the knee's and behind them.
"Can you even use these?"
Another small head movement. No.
Carefully Renji picked up his captain and the sword that had been left beside him and carried him to the camp for the fourth squad. Hopefully Unohana could salvage something of his legs.
Byakuya,
He had passed out from the last lot of electrocution. They had turned it up again please no more it hurt no much, he welcomed the darkness that creeped in at the edges of his vision. Finally! Rest!
When he opened them again Byakuya found himself in the sands of Hueco Mundo, a loud voice sounded from somewhere. Cautiously he looked.
Oh it was Abarai! Yes yes yes, no more pain, finally it had ended. Ignoring the mans startled yelp he quickly climbed into his lieutenants arms where he was safe. Safe.
Well he climbed as well as he could when the bottom half of your body was dead weight.
He accepted the quiet murmurings of gentle, soothing word from Renji. Nobles were not above others after all, no one would go against him for acting how he was now.
Aizen had wanted him to understand that and now he did. The man had cut into him until he understood the important lesson. He deserved no right to speak and no right for happiness or comfort.
He must only accept what was given to him and never push it away. Punishment got rid of incorrect thoughts. It was a way of learning.
Renji,
He personally hated the fact that Kuchiki-Taichou had been forced to keep his rank after what had happened to him but with a war a severe as this, if he could fight, he stayed.
Renji carried the now mute man on his back and Senbonzakura along side Zabimaru at his waist. If an enemy was to come along, due to the nature of Senbonzakura, Byakuya could still fight and protect.
Renji could use his sword single handed.
So that is what happened. A broken man was kept on the battlefield with everyone other than Ichigo, Rukia or himself making the man stressed and panic.
Even though the man somehow found a way to hyperventilate silently.
Sometimes he hated the gotei 13.
Rukia,
She was on the ground, hit by and arrow to the leg. One of the arrancar was charging up a cero, no gran rey cero, in front of her. Was this one an Espada? She didn't know, they changed so often now. Rukia calmly recognised the fact that she was about to die.
Well shit.
Then she saw her brother sat in front of her, he was smiling. Senbonzakura gathered as a shield behind him. To move this many petals at once was far to much of a strain on his body. It would kill him. He was told that performing bankai would kill him after all.
Byakuya's arms wrapped around her gently and he pulled his younger sister towards him.
"I'm sorry I should have been far kinder to you than I have, I regret not spending more time with you. Know that I am so very proud of you Rukia." His voice was rough from disuse and he slowly began to fall into a final sleep as the cero his against the dying shield of pink petals. As a last act all of the blades went towards the arrancar at once killing him.
Kuchiki Byakuya died in the arms of the sister he loved dearly.
The loss of his life hurt the hearts of many people but it did not contend with the cries Rukia gave out and the curses that were pointed towards Aizen by Renji.
Renji's dear captain had died.
Rukia's precious brother had died.