Title: Tell Me Your Name
Summary: It isn't always easy to hear what's important. Byakuya discovers his zanpakuto's name. Pre-series oneshot.
Author Notes: It's not the Renji/Orihime I promised to Kitahoshi, but I've finally made my first steps into writing Bleach fics. Not quite sure if I got Byakuya's character right, so my apologies for possible OOCness. I've got a horrible feeling that this is pure crap. Hopefully I'm wrong.
Kuchiki Byakuya had no idea where he was. One minute he'd been fighting a Hollow; his zanpakuto had been shattered when he'd blocked a blow from the Hollow. He'd thought he was going to die.
Now he was standing in a garden, low benches scattered all around. What was this place? And where was his zanpakuto? The blade had been shattered, but until he'd appeared here, the hilt had still been in his hands.
"Well Byakuya, it's about time we had a chat."
The noble turned around, slightly startled by the speaker. A young woman sat on a bench behind him, clad in a royal blue kimono patterned with pretty pink cherry blossoms. She giggled at him, then flipped her fan open and held it in front of her face, peeking over the fan's edge with her green eyes. Very shy, it seemed.
"Who are you? Where am I?"
She sighed, folding her fan with a snap. "Come, sit with me." She used her fan to point and gesture for him to sit next to her, brushing a strand of brown hair out of her eyes.
Byakuya sat next to her. "I'm sorry, but I don't know you. I..."
She sighed again, looking upwards as if looking for guidance. "You don't even recognize my voice, do you, Byakuya?" He silently shook his head. She sighed once more, then reached out, smacking him with her fan, and knocking him off the bench. He stared at her, shocked, as she leaned over, idly tapping the fan against her legs. "I really shouldn't be surprised though. You've ignored me all these long years, thinking you could get by just by mastering shunpo and kido." She clicked her tongue at him. "Really, you shinigami are so overly self-confident. I'm tired of being ignored."
He blinked in surprise when the fan disappeared and his zanpakuto appeared in her hand. "This is what you're after, right?" He reached for it, giving her a stern look when she moved it out of his reach. "Ah-ah. Why should I lend you my strength when you don't even listen to me, hm?"
Byakuya's eyes widened as it suddenly became clear. "You're my..."
She smiled coyly at him. "Zanpakuto's spirit? You are correct, Kuchiki Byakuya." She reached out and tapped him on the head, as he belatedly realized the zanpakuto was gone and the fan was back in her hand. "Tell me, how do you expect to become a captain without achieving bankai? You don't even talk to me, Byakuya."
"I can't achieve bankai if you don't tell me your name." He furrowed his brow in frustration.
"You never asked me." She tilted her head to one side, blinking wide green eyes at him.
"I couldn't hear you."
"You never listened hard enough, Byakuya." She smiled at him, flipping her fan open and holding it in front of her face. She peeked over the top, watching him expectantly.
He blinked at her, then hesitantly held his hand out to her. "Would you tell me your name?"
The fan folded shut with a loud snap, and seemed to disappear into the woman's sleeve. She smiled at him, looking pleased as she put her hand in his. "Senbon Zakura."
R&R? Please?