Three
There were three people in front of him.
Ginrei was the first to turn to him. He was his idol, his goal, his ambition. He was duty personified, the epitome of a Kuchiki heir. His shoulder-long snowy hair fluttered past him as he walked towards Byakuya, haori swishing in time to his steps. Byakuya only blinked as Ginrei walked past, giving Byakuya just a glance before fixating his eyes at a distance behind Byakuya. He walked into the mist and disappeared.
The second shadow turned around and Byakuya was faced with the image of Hisana. Her sad, deep blue eyes appraised him. A small, empathetic smile graced her lips as she began to trot towards him. Grief, pain and loss welled up in him. And in an instant he saw Rukia reflected in her and guilt settled in. His hand twitched involuntarily as his heart tried to reach out towards her. She stopped beside Byakuya, shook her head once and continued to walk. She, too, vanished into the mist.
The last to materialize was Kurosaki Ichigo. His customary scowl on, Zangetsu strapped to his back and his stroll held a swagger into it. Arrogance, passion and fire roared about him as his wild reiatsu nearly smothered Byakuya, but he wasn't going to show it any time soon. He watched, unmoved and detached, as Ichigo stopped in front of him. They stared at each other for a time, Byakuya taking advantage of the height difference, before Ichigo placed his hand onto Byakuya's shoulder in a comradely way. There was a briefest of smile, genuine, assuring and hopeful, then Ichigo turned away. He, too, disappeared into the mist.
Byakuya was left with a landscape of grey mist. It was an impenetrable forest that he had to make his way through, make a trail. And so he took his first step to do so in fifty-odd years. He would walk, take his time, not rush, because he had a lifetime to navigate this cloud. And he could do so with the support of these three people, his white, blue and red. His pride, pain and passion.
Because although there are three, he is one.
AN: This is a product of overstudying oneself. It's almost like you've indulged too much. Not meant to make much sense, and only to get my study-fevered mind back on track.