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In his lifetime, Byakuya had met about three people who could see through his eyes. The first was Unohana. The second was Hisana. The third was…
"Kuchiki-taichou… Excuse me."
Orihime Inoue. The fact that this human could see inside of him unnerved him. More unnerving was the steadfast honesty in her soft grey-green eyes. They hid nothing. They said, "I know your secret."
He was silent.
Her lips almost trembled, but her eyes were unforgiving. The sun glared off of her hairpins into Byakuya's eyes.
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"You said you'd never forget."
"I'm sorry."
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The problem, Byakuya thought, was that every memory, no matter how precious, fades with time. As much as he'd wish it differently, memories of Hisana could no longer twist his heart the way they once had. The memories couldn't touch him. And that was it. They were pictures; nothing more. Not the tender, vivid realities he could escape to in his mind when things were bad. Not the loneliness like sandpaper that chafed at his conscience until he had almost gone insane. It was same one afternoon he had relived one-hundred thousand times until he couldn't remember what was real and what his mind had created.
Mainly, the thought of her didn't hurt anymore. And he wasn't sure why.
He had grown cold. He didn't stand in front of Hisana's portrait and cry inside. He just stared out of routine. And somehow, this orange-haired mongrel knew it all.
So he stepped closer. She held still.
He took out her hairpin and examined it, letting her hair spill over her ears. After a moment, he put the pin back, brushing her hair behind her ears. Finally, he looked in her eyes. For a full minute he stared until he was sure: Yes, they were good eyes.
"In the future, you would do well to be mindful of others' privacy." he said. However, the fact was that they both knew she could see straight through this lie. And his eyes told the truth: "I know why my heart doesn't hurt anymore."
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"A hibiscus flower is just as beautiful as a cherry blossom. And I forgive you all the same."
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AN: poop