Shoujuen Bleach- Long Forgotten Dreams of Better Times
Story & Art by Andromeda Saint Akke Andringa ~ Hyperbole Data Productions
Disclaimer: Original Story and Concept by Tite Kubo
Original Character Hitsugaya Hiori by Shiuta-san Senpai
Original Characters: Sugishima Samaiya by Akke Andringa
At least 100 ago, Kuchiki Byakuya was a young noble soul reaper-in-training. He was good friends with Sugishima Samaiya, a girl of the Sugishima, a family of lesser nobility. They grew up together and developed a relationship. Then it is announced that Samaiya has been arranged to marry Sarugaki Keieiro, instead of her sister, to both Byakuya and Samaiya's dismay. They both eventually get over it (not), and Samaiya weds into the Sarugaki family.
Byakuya
"Ohayō, Byaku-chan!" a high pitched, girly voice chimed. I swung my sword at the target one last time. "Byakuuu~" I held my stance. "Byaku-chan!" at the tip of my Senbonzakura bounced Sugishima Samaiya. I exhaled. Here we go again. "Don't ignore me, Kuchiki Byakuya!" She pushed my katana away, careful not to cut her skimpy hands. There goes my hour of peaceful training. She wrapped her arms around my neck and stuck her nose in my face.
"Uhh-" I blushed and dropped my sword. I tried to pry the tiny girl away from me. She was strong for her size. My face reddened.
"Ugh, you're all sweaty!" She stuck her tongue out at me. I leaned away from her, my face reddening.
"Gottcha, Byaku-chan!" She hopped off of me, grabbing me sword from the ground and skipped away. "I have you're sword Byaku so come en' get it!" I stared after her and sighed. "Chase me already, Byaku!" She was too fast for me, I had to admit. I started after her. "Gimme my sword, Samaiya!" She was my Samaiya. And she always would be. Or so I thought.
Shoujuen Bleach~ long forgotten dreams of better times
Chapter 1: Byakuya Idiot
I chased Samaiya around the courtyard and got her by the collar of her lose and poorly set kimono that was tied up to her knees. I tried to pry Senbonzakura out of her hands as I heard the tired voice of Hitsugaya Hiori, my grandfather's fukitaichou.
"Ha ha, you two are so cute together!" she snickered.
"Shut up..." I muttered.
"Finally up, Hiori?" Samaiya stuck her tongue at Hiori. I high-fived Samaiya and took the opportunity to yank the sword out of her hands, making her pout the way she always did when I won. The pout I loved.
"So it seems.." my grandfather grumbled over Hiori's habit of sleeping in and being late for work as the vice-captain of squad six of the thirteen court guard squads.
"Good morning, Sofu-sama!" I bowed as Samaiya followed.
"Good Morning, Kuchiki-dono!" Her rosy cheeks didn't match her shiny jet-blue hair that reached her waist as she goofily western-curtsied and mocked me. Causing slumping Hiori to giggle and a dreaded voice grinned. The dreaded voice belonged to Shihoin Youruichi, my arch nemesis. She smiled over Sam's mischievously as the short girl greeted Youruichi. I blushed and glowered at her forehead, avoiding her penetrating purple eyes as she flipped her short, cropped, violet hair and her tan face glowed with the glare of the nearby karp pond. Hiori giggled when I stomped my foot involuntarily and turned away from Youruichi, tightening my grip on my Senbonzakura. I quickly flipped her of when Ginrei wasn't looking. How did she always do that to me? When Samaiya was satisfied that she had enough of Youruichi, she grabbed my hand and dragged me away to wash up for morning tea. An average morning in the life of soul reaper in training, Kuchiki Byakuya.
After growing up with Sugishima Samaiya, I could be sure of a few things. One, 90% of the time, she was annoying and a pain in my side. Two, every day she got more beautiful. Three, she was MY Samaiya. And I myself couldn't even comprehend how much she meant to me. Of course everyone else could she right through me. I was just too stupid to see what they were seeing. Seeing really deep our rag-tag bond was.
Today, Samaiya had invited me to west Rukongai Inuzuri, to have a "picnic". I don't see why we couldn't just have it in the Kuchiki courtyards as usual instead of going all the trouble to cross under the great White Road Gate.
I don't care anyway. I pretty much did whatever she wanted me to these days. Guess I was pretty much her slave now. I managed not to even have considering the future pass through my mind. If I wasn't an idiot, I probably know that the closer Samaiya and I became the harder it would be for us...to be apart. Yeah, but I'm an idiot. An idiot who was in love with a girl that he could never have. Kuchiki Byakuya. Freaking Idiot.
We were both nearly adults now. Both blossoming. Like Sakura in spring. Bad comparison. Like... An idiot boy and a blossoming girl.
If I wasn't such an idiot I would know what was is coming.
Hiori and Grandfather were talking in hushed voices when I joined them at breakfast this morning. It always ticked me off when they were keeping stuff from me and Hiori would grin at me when I gave her an annoyed work. I tried to eavesdrop on their conversation but could only make out a few words. Something about clan politics. Ugh. "they're joined at the hip these days." I heard grandfather say.
"I'm worried if Byakuya-kun will be okay." Then I heard Samaiya's name. I exhaled.
"Come in, Byakuya."
"Yes, Sofu-sama." Grandfather noticed my presence when I Hiori heard my breaths.
I stood at the top of the hill gazing at friend. "Hey, Sam." "Hey, Byak." She didn't look at me. She stood at the edge of the hill, her back to me. Her beautiful blue hair blue wildly in the frigid wind. She shivered and I placed my Haori over her hanten. I smiled sheepishly at the back of her still head. Whenever I was with her now I felt so dazed. So goofy. So in love.
Why wouldn't she look at me, dammit? I wanted to gaze into her eyes. Her perfect eyes.
I tightened my arm around her neck.
"Sam-" She pushed.
"Byakuya." her cold tone made me freeze.
"I'm engaged, Byakuya."
"_W-What?" then she collapsed and cried out. I grabbed her elbow to support her in a daze.
"I'm freaking engaged, Byakuya!" I collapsed along with her. So this was it. This was what that old man and Hiori were talking about.
"I'm so sorry Byakuya! It's an arranged marriage!" she was pressed up against my chest. I wrapped my hands around her and buried my face in her hair. She protested.
"No. It's not fair for me to keep doing this to you. To keep running to you to comfort me." Keep? Had she been hurting inside all these years? Of course. She saw this coming. I tightened my hold on her.
"I don't care. I don't give a damn anymore. You're mine. I not letting anyone else take you. Anyone else have you." But that wasn't mine to decide.
Samaiya had gone off and married some bastard from a distant clan of lesser nobility. Sarugaki Keieiro, I think his ass was named. I wondered I he was related to Squad Twelve's Captain Hikifune Kirio's liutendent, Sarugaki...Hiyori? Not that I cared. I had pretty much given up on life (:he was born in the Soul Society as a Noble so he's not technically dead but not alive either...:) when Samaiya had gone away. She said it would be better if we didn't associate and had promised to never speak with me again.
The last thing I ever wanted to hear her say. Apparently she had to marry the guy instead of her sister because of some deal between their folks. Turns out the deal changed to the second born not the first. She said it was more important for her clan. "more". More important than her own happiness? Hey who knows? She and Sarugaki could be the happiest couple in the dimension! I wouldn't know.
The old man had stopped pestering me about being lifeless.
"Get over it." He muttered constantly during his and Hiori's tea sessions. I doubted anything could bring me out of depression. I couldn't ever fall in love again. Never. I wouldn't betray myself like that. I couldn't betray Sam like that. Not that she'd know. She wouldn't care. That's just the way she was, from my point of view. I was just training to be the next squad six captain like the good little boy I was. FUCK.
So.. let's talk about my story! First...names! My ocs' names are kinda lame... For Keieiro (he will truly introduced in the next chap) I just got the name Sarugaki stuck in my head so I thought i might as well relate Keieiro to Hiyori. That will come later.
This chapter really sets up the base of the story and tells the tale of the origin of Byakuya's despair.
What else.. that's pretty much it for now! R&R!