Winter Fear (Challenge)
Time: 1:10
Fandom: Bleach
Pairing: Kaien x Byakuya
Sentence: "It was the last expression of the despondency of a broken spirit."
Disclaimer: I don't own any of the characters, nor the world they are living in.
He left the dormitory early in the morning, when the sun had barely begun to send its shining fingers of light trough the atmosphere, painting the clouds with the colors of blood and milk. No bird was singing, and the silence muffed his ears like a warm scarf laid around it's head. Now, he should have done that actually, for it was midwinter, and the cold of this day was spiking his skin as if it was little needles. But he wouldn't care, nor even notice that. Why, why of all of the students in his year? Why him?
He didn't want to know, didn't even want to wonder. But he couldn't stop thinking about it. Why wouldn't they let him graduate? Most of the other students had already gotten their assignments to one of the squads, but he wouldn't for sure. By no chance he would. His grades just wouldn't qualify him to become part of the 13 Squads.
It wasn't just that it made him sad. It made him angry as well. He had made much more effort than many others, had often been training until midnight, when everyone slept; he had tried so goddamn hard ! It was so unfair...
Turning his head towards the skies, he let the silently falling snow fall to his face, where it melted and ran down his cheeks. Not even sensing the cold water, the black haired man threw himself into the snow and closed his eyes. He would never make it... Never... So there was no point about anything anymore... He had no friends besides the people that were graduating and becoming shinigami now. Nothing important, nothing he wanted to achieve than to be shinigami one day. But that dream was too big... He just wasn't good enough...
Gradually, he lost any feeling of his body, his head getting lighter every second. He lost to the cold... and he didn't care at all...
Warm arms embraced him, and he got the feeling of being carried. But then, everything went black.
When he woke up, it was all dark. But it also felt warm... Opening his eyes, he realized to be in a quite dark room, some light coming from a small candle near to him. And the fact, that he wasn't alone. A young man of about his age sat there, looking at him. He had long, black hair, and somewhere the short haired had seen him before... But in the shady room, he couldn't see the face. It was more a... feeling of familiarness...
"Who... are you?" His voice was more a fluster, hard to understand or even to hear.
At first, it seemed that the sitting guy hadn't heard him, but than he lowered his hand and took up the candle, bringing it nearer to the lying mens face. "That would be rather my line than yours... What was you doing out there in my families grounds?"
"Your families...?" Where the hell was he? This place.. A family? That could only mean... a noble family... Oh damn, no. "I... I'm sorry..." He bit his lip. "My name is Shiba Kaien.. I'm sorry to have entered your properties.. I didn't know..."
"You don't have to... " The voice sounded cold, but not as much as before. "I appreciate you being here."
"Wh- why?!" He tried to rise and fell back in a shudder. His body was still weak like a freshly born child.
The noble boy didn't respond for a long time, than, he reluctantly did. "Because... I finally could ask your name now..." Pause. Kaien didn't dare to breath. What was with that guy? Why did a noble families son know him? "But, more important... why did you lie out there? Did you want to die?"
So Kaien told him. That they wouldn't let him get fulfilled his dream. That he wasn't that bad, but because they all had looked at him that strangely because he was from the Rukongais Shiba clan, hadn't been able to concentrate in the entrance exams.
"Shiba?" The voice sounded startled.
"Yes? Is there something about my family?"
"..." The man besides him raised, but Kaien grabbed his Kimono.
"Please... don't leave me now..." His voice was still dulled by the weakness of his body, but there was a tone in it the man couldn't ignore.
"Why?"
"Because... I don't want to be alone..."
"Why?"
He didn't know a explanation. Because he was scared? Maybe... But, more than this, he did want the other to stay...
"So be it." For some moments, he thought the other would leave. But then, he seat down again. And stayed, the whole night, at least as far Kaien was awake and knew...
They hadn't met again. Neither the next day, nor later on. But some days later, the Shiba boy had gotten his assignment.
He had wanted to meet the boy again. But he couldn't find him anymore, and not knowing his name, he couldn't even ask someone, so he ended up believing, that he wouldn't find him ever again... Until some day in early spring, when there were a ceremony at the Seireitei, because the sixth squad got a new captain – the famous young head of the even more famous Kuchiki clan.