Sakura Biyori
Summary: If Ukitake hadn't dragged him to drink with him in Rukongai, they would have never met.
Pairing: ByakuXHisa
Rating: T
Genre: Romance/Angst
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Ch. 1 First Encounter
A/N: Hi, Hisana here! This is my first story, so I hope I've done a good job and that you'll enjoy reading it. Umm… first, "thanks" to Red Princess for posting the story while I didn't have an account! Oh, and enjoy!
Dedicated to my friend and "sister" Red Princess.
Disclaimer: Sadly, I don't own Bleach, or the song "Sakura Biyori." They belong to Tite Kubo and Hoshimura Mai.
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A/N: I know that Byakuya probably became captain after Rukia was adopted… but in this story, I made him a captain before… in any case, I hope you enjoy the story
A young woman with violet eyes was sleeping peacefully on a mat in a dilapidated house. Named Hisana, she woke up to a loud commotion outside the hut she shared with the people who, like her, lived Rukongai. She rubbed her eyes sleepily and rose to wash her face. 'Wonder what's going on?'
A child named Yuriki flung the door open, yelling with enthusiasm, "Onee-chan! Onee-chan! Guess what?! There're shinigamis around!"
"Oh? Tell me about it, Yuriki-kun." Hisana knelt to be eye-level with the eager boy.
"They look scary! One has white hair and a white haori over his black uniform and the other has a kenseikan!!" Yuriki clung to Hisana's yukata sleeve tightly momentarily before releasing it.
"Yuriki-kun, the one with the kenseikan is a Kuchiki noble. Kuchiki Byakuya taichou-sama," informed the young woman patiently.
"Anyway, come on!!" Yuriki pulled her impatiently out the door.
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Ukitake Juushirou and Kuchiki Byakuya were strolling in Rukongai. According to the former, there was a good bar around there. Although Byakuya had refused to go, Ukitake dragged him along. "Cheer up a little, Kuchiki-taichou!"
"Ukitake-taichou, we are in Rukongai. Besides, I have much paperwork to do back at my office," said Byakuya coldly.
"Lighten up a little. Your aura is scaring away the children." With those words, Ukitake reached into his sleeve. "I had candy."
"Anyway, come on!" A small boy dragged a young woman out the door to their right.
"Yuriki-ku—" Seeing the two shinigamis in front of her, Hisana bowed down low. "I'm deeply sorry for this disturbance." She turned to Yuriki with a sharp look in her eyes. "Now, in."
"Hold on! What's your name, young lady?" asked Ukitake, reaching into his sleeve again.
"My name is Hisana, taichou-sama. This boy is Yuriki." Hisana bowed again, taking care to keep her gaze trained on the ground. "It's a pleasure to meet you."
'Hisana… What a polite Rukongai girl,' thought Byakuya. 'That's something new.'
"Hisana-san, huh? Here!" Ukitake filled Hisana's arms with brightly-wrapped candy, at which Hisana lifted her gaze in surprise. "Take it, Hisana-san, and give it to the children. We'll scare them off if we are the ones who offer it, so, please."
"O-Of course, taichou-sama. Thank you very much. The children will love it."
'Very polite…' noted Byakuya.
"Ah! Forgive my negligence. I'm Ukitake Juushirou of the Gotei 13. This is Kuchiki Byakuya, also of Gotei 13." Ukitake introduced themselves.
Hisana smiled. "Oh no, not at all, Ukitake-taichou, Kuchiki-taichou." She took Yuriki by the hand. "Please excuse us. The other children would want this candy." She bowed. "Thank you so much for your kindness."
As Hisana walked off, Byakuya said to Ukitake, "A polite girl in Rukongai. Is that even possible?"
"Well, Hisana-san is a polite lady. Yes, I suppose that there are polite people in this dreadful place. Anyway, are we going to head back to Seireitei or are we going to find that bar?"
Byakuya said firmly and a little too quickly, "We should head back."
The two captains walked back to Seireitei. Silence hung in the air for a split second. A bird broke the silence with a loud and cheerful "Cheep!!" A gentle breeze whispered through the leaves, adding to the bird's cry. Then, the usual clamor of District 78, otherwise known as Inuzuri, the worst of all the Rukongai districts, resumed.
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"Onee-chan!! Candy!! Please!!" All of the children squealed, pushing and shoving to get closer to the girl holding the sugary confections in her arms.
Hisana scanned the crowd of children. Sighing inwardly, she thought, 'She's not here.' "OK!" Putting on a gentle smile, Hisana distributed the candy.
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Back at Seireitei, Byakuya stepped into his office.
"Ah, Kuchiki-taichou, welcome back," Sakihama Moriko, the 6th division assistant captain, greeted her captain from behind a towering stack of paperwork.
"Sakihama-fukutaichou. Please continue working. I must step out again for a while."
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Ok, so this is the first chapter of "Sakura Biyori!" I hope you liked it. When it was under Red Princess's account, the chapter was slightly shorter, I think. But as I know people'd want to read long chapters, I added some more to this (mainly details). If there's anything else you'd like to see, just review to this story! Thanks for reading, and don't forget to R&R.
Til Chapter 2!
hisana