"How the hell should you know Byakuya?" I screamed at the taicho of squad six as he held me back from him by my forehead.
"Because Sakurai... It's you. I know you too well." He smirked.
I slumped at that statement. It was so true. He always got me to shut up by saying something along those lines.
Sorry, rewind. My name is Sakurai Mitsugayani, I'm Taicho of Juuyonbantai of the Soul Society.
That fool I was arguing with is Byakuya Kuchiki, he's Taicho of Ryuubantai. Something to describe him more accurately would be:
My best friend and my closest enemy.
Me and Byakuya have known one another a very long time. I mean a long time. Over one hundred years. Due to my father being the lieutenant of squad 14 for a long time before becoming captain. We weren't exactly best of friends back then either. I was only a little girl when we first met. It was hard to believe how different I was then. So about One hundred and eleven years ago.
"Ah Byakuya." My father approached the young boy as he trained, swinging his sword back and forth.
"Mitsugayan-sama." The boy stopped swinging his sword, which was all it look like to me and turned to face my father. "You're visiting here today fukutaicho? I'm afraid my grandfather is not here today."
"Actually young Kuchiki, it's you I came to see." The boy looked somewhat shocked at my father, the lieutenant of squad fourteen's words.
"Me sir?" He asked, confusion showing in his voice, which I found somewhat amusing. "What for?"
"You see Byakuya, I have some one with me who could use a good sparring partner, she may be a little younger than you, but I saw great potential and spirit power in her when I found her." He pulled me from behind him to his side. I saw Byakuya for the first time then. That was the first time we met.
"Huh?" Byakuya seemed to scan me briefly. I watched him carefully also, neither one of us taking our eyes off of the other.
"What are you thinking about Sakurai?" Byakuya asked me as I leapt up onto a tree branch and sat down. He knew when I was in my own world, I hadn't heard him shouting me this time.
"Huh?" I looked down at him. My smile was one most people saw regularly, but only Byakuya, Toshiro and Yachiru knew if I really meant it or not. I smiled now, forgetting that for a second. "Nothing."
"You obviously are." He said bluntly, reluctantly, he leapt up beside me, though he refused to sit, he just leant against the trunk of the tree and watched me.
"Well, I was just remembering. I'm not sure if you'd remember now." I smiled to myself, looking at the sky. "The first time you and I met, Bya-kun." I looked at him brushing my long wavy hair back behind my ear. "Do you remember?"
Byakuya smiled at me. "Yes. How could I forget Saka-chan?"
"Byakuya. This is my adopted daughter, Sakurai." My father told him. "She wanted to train to become a soul reaper but I don't have time, perhaps you could help her out. She has a zanpakuto."
"She does?" Byakuya looked from my father to me in total shock. "I mean, is she already a soul reaper?"
"With my orders, she is in squad two, under supervision by Shihoen-Taicho."
"Hanorishi-san?" My voice was a lot younger than it is now. My long light hair was in pigtails at the side of my head, quite high up. I was wearing the Shinigami black kimono, but I had no shoes on. I had refused to wear them, even now I did. My pale skin had yet to change, my eyes were still reactant to my emotions, so it was easy to tell if I was angry.
"It is alright Sakurai." He motioned for me to step forward, reluctantly, I took a step toward Byakuya, who was watching me carefully.
"Nice to meet you Kuchiki-san." I bowed my head at Byakuya, who raised his eyebrows in alert.
"You as well Sakurai-chan, please just call me Byakuya."He told me, I saw my father smile out of the corner of my eye as I raised my head.
"Alright then. Hello, Byakuya." I smiled at him, my pigtails blowing in the wind as my eyes closed and I smiled sweetly at Byakuya Kuchiki."You had me totally fooled that day." Byakuya looked down at me, raising one eyebrow. "I thought you were pathetic back then, I wondered how on earth Mitsugayani-san could think some one like that could possibly have spiritual power as strong as he claimed it to be."
"I know, if you hadn't come out of shock in time the second time we trained, I could have killed you. You should really be more careful." Sakurai told him sternly.
"So you always tell me Saka-chan." He said emotionlessly.
"Ever wonder why we stopped training together?" I laughed.
"Have fun. I need to go somewhere." My father looked at the surprised look on my face. "Relax Sakurai, he's not going to kill you."
"Promise." Byakuya smirked at me. "Wait, you're going, she's staying?"
"That's right Byakuya." My foster father nodded. "Meet your new training partner, Sakurai."
"Hanorishi?" I looked up at him nervously. "I enjoyed training with Urahara-san, and Yoruichi-sama."
"Sakurai, Byakuya is to be the next head of the Kuchiki family. I am sire a child of one of the four great noble families should prove enough of a challenge for you. And would you stop calling me Hanorishi, I'm your father now."
"Challenge? She's just some shy little kid." Byakuya objected instantaneously.
"As are you Byakuya." My father laughed. "But not as shy."
"Hey!" The boy protested.
"Hanor-father..." I said his name again, softer this time, changing in mid-sentance.
"Sakurai, Byakuya, have fun." My father smiled down at me. "Kuchiki-Taicho will take you to the Squad 2 barracks later on, he has to speak with Yoruichi there anyway. I'll see you later, Sakurai."
"..." I didn't answer him for some time, I saw Byakuya looking at me and sighed. "You won't be at the manor with me and Tori-sama tonight again, will you?"
"Don't be sad child, at least you don't still live in Rukongai as an orphan anymore." He put his hand on my shoulder gently. "I'll see you soon my daughter." With that he vanished.
"You're from outside of the sereitei?" Byakuya asked me after a quite long period of silence between us.
"Huh?" I looked at him cautiously. "Yes." My blue eyes switched to my feet. "Yes I am Kuchiki-san."
"Byakuya." He corrected me, looking away. "You're very polite, and shy, for some one from Rukongai I mean."
"I am?"
"Indeed. From what I hear, most citizens of Rukongai are not very well mannered and are very cruel."
"Then maybe you shouldn't go by what you hear." I scowled at him. "The people that I knew in Rukongai, I think think they were a lot kinder to me than people make out."
"You think?"
"Yes, I don't remember." I told him. My hand hovered over my zanpakuto.
"So, you want to train?" Byakuya noticed my movement. He drew his sword.
"Does your zanpakuto have a name? Well, do you know it?" I asked, looking at his sword. I had been told by my father that the first he noticed when I met him was my infactuation with his zanpakuto. I knew I had a love of weapons, I always had. But I also had an infactuation with something else as well. That infactuation is what gave my name.
"Yes. It's Zenbonsakura." Byakuya told me, I couldn't help but smile.
"Nice name." I remarked, drawing my own sword.
"Do you know your swords name?"
"Yes." I nodded once. "It's Nami. Namine actually, but she doesn't like that name."
"Right." He nodded. He held his sword in a fighting stance in front of his body. "Ready, Mitsugayani-san?" He asked.
"Sakurai." I corrected. I noticed him suppress a smile. "But yes, I am ready."
Byakuya swung his sword at me, which I blocked effortlessly. We kept up this routine of him attacking and me blocking for around three hours, I could see he was getting frustrated. Three hours and not once had I even attempted to attack him. And not once had he been able to touch me. I was close to striking back, so it was a welcome relief when Captain Kuchiki showed up.
"Grandfather." Byakuya stopped, turning to face the new arrival.
"Byakuya, good afternoon." He nodded to his grandson, in greeting, then looked at me. "Ah, Sakurai."
I bowed my head quickly. "Kuchiki-tacho!"
"Don't worry about being formal toward me child." The Captain looked down at me. "Everytime I see you Sakurai, you always have that hair in front of your face, are you hiding something?"
"Of course not, taicho." I shook my head, but noticed Byakuya's eyes widen briefly.
"When I hit it from your face, you turned away." He pointed out.
"Because you hit me, Kuchiki-san." I shrugged.
His grandfather sniggered. "With your skills child, I find that unlikely." He obviously knew that I wouldn't tell him why my face was covered, it was what he said next that confirmed that fact. "Come along then, we should return you to Squad Two's barracks, Yoruichi will be wondering where you are."
"She is well acquainted with Yoruichi?" Byakuya asked.
"I am the fifthteen seat, Kuchiki-san." I told him bluntly. His grandfather noticed my bluntness and Byakuya's shock.
"She is the fifteenth seat? Yoruichi cannot be serious!" He laughed.
"Quiet Byakuya." Kuchiki-Taicho stopped Byakuya mid-laugh, he glanced at me briefly before facing his grandson again. "You have a lot of catching up to do, and to be told that at the cause of some one younger than you, it's a disgrace."
Both my own and Byakuya's eyes widened.
"Grandfather..." Byakuya's voice seemed saddened. If I noticed, I knew Kuchiki-Taicho did.
"Kuchiki-Taicho, we should be leaving." I said abruptly, causing Byakuya to shoot me a surprised look. "You have business with Lady Yoruichi correct?"
"Indeed." He turned to leave. "Goodbye Byakuya, come along Sakurai." With that he began to walk away.
"Yes Taicho!" I called after him. I bowed my head to Byakuya. "Goodbye Byakuya-sama." Then I ran after Kuchiki-Taicho.
"You know. You calling me 'Byakuya-sama', surprised me." Byakuya told me with a slight smile.
"Surprised you? Why?" That confused me a little.
"Well, you were being pretty cold to me, then called me 'sama'. I have a reason for being surprised." He said sarcastically.
I stuck my tongue out at him. "Well I-"
"Kuchiki-Taicho!" A member of squad six came running over to the two of us. He bowed his head to me. "Mitsugayani-Taicho." He smiled at me as he raised his head and turned his head to speak to his captain. "Kuchiki-Taicho, the head captain has requested to speak with you immediately."
"Of course. I will be there shortly."
"Yes sir, I will return to my post now sir." The soul reaper nodded, running off.
Byakuya turned back to me. "That was badly timed."
"Meh, whatever. I'm used to it now." I shrugged.
"I haven't spoken with you in a while, this was the first time I've properly spoken to you in weeks." He sighed.
"I'm sure you'll survive, besides, this is me, I'll probably still be here when you get back, Byakuya." I winked at him.
"Oh of course. Because you never disappear or run off on me Saka-chan." He rolled his eyes.
"You're pushing your luck Kuchiki." I put my hands on hips and raised one eyebrow at him.
"Just stay out of trouble Sakurai, alright?" He patted me on the head, I hated when he did that, just to prove he was older and taller than me, though the age thing, I didn't too much have an issue with. It was the height thing that bugged me.
"You're still pushing it Kuchiki." I wacked his hand from off of my head.
"Promise? This is an emergency meeting, something must be wrong. Promise me you'll be careful."
I sighed heavily. "Fine. I don't see why you're worried. I'm stronger than you Flower Boy." I just met his glare for a couple of minutes. "Fine. I promise alright?"
"Perfect." He patter my head again. "I'll see you later." Then he flash-stepped away.
"You say that everytime, Kuya-chan." I sighed.