Byakuya realized it would be one of those days. His petite wife had waked him up with her rough coughing and as usual, he had pulled her to his chest allowing her to rest against him whilst she coughed. He abandoned her in bed whilst he got up and ventured out into the hall were a chamberlain stood waiting.
"Make some tea for us," the noble said quietly, the chamberlain nodded and disappeared. He returned to Hisana's side, she was nearly sleeping again, but he knew all too well that she would wake from another attack soon enough. He never allowed her to see his tears; it would break her frail body even more, but now they burned like acid behind his eyelids.
Byakuya had taken Hisana to Unohana Retsu when her sickness first made its ugly appearance, the dark-haired captain had examined his wife, but to no avail. There was no cure, and so little time left. Yamamoto-sou-taichou had allowed him leave of absence for weeks at the time; he still made his paperwork though, in the nights when Hisana slept calmly. Byakuya knew that this was likely to be the last week he had with Hisana.
"Anata?" Hisana's quiet and sore voice reached him and he inched nearer and took her small hand into his own, smiling softly at her. She rarely called him that, she mostly called him Byakuya-sama.
"I'm here; I sent for some tea, do you wish me to carry you onto the patio?"
"It would be nice to see the sun come up," she smiled back at him, it had been one of their morning habits when she was well, to see the dawn just outside their bedroom, the few uninterrupted minutes of their day. Byakuya had always hurried off to the division; Hisana had entered into the Rukongai, searching for her lost sister.
He bent down and pulled her to him and carried her bridal style out onto the deck and sat her down on the futon the staff had already made sure was placed out for her use. Byakuya sat down next to her as the chamberlain arrived with the tea. He helped her up against his chest again as she sipped her tea, she seemed to smile at the rising sun as Byakuya laid her down again. They silently looked around, the plum tree in the yard, the buds were all closed but one, he could barely detect its sweet scent.
"Byakuya-sama, please find my sister. Then after you find her, please do not tell her that I am her sister," he turned to her sharply, and took her frail hand into his again.
"This is bad for your body, don't speak anymore," he said hurriedly, she was paler than before, and her lips were bordering on blue.
"Without telling her anything, please Byakuya-sama, please protect my sister no matter what. I abandoned her," she continued, blaming herself for what she had done out of desperation.
"Hisana!" Byakuya sighed, his eyes felt like acid again.
"So I don't deserve to be her sister, so I hope that she can be Byakuya-sama's sister."
Byakuya looked away quickly allowing that treacherous tear fall from his eyes.
"Look, one of the flowers like to bloom."
"I'm sorry that you have had to care for me at the very end. I'm sorry that I could not return the love that you have given me," her hand tightened on his, "these five years I've spent with you have been like a dream to me, Byakuya-sama."
Byakuya felt her hand slacken in his and he looked down at her face the tears now flowing freely, her face was so still, a slight smile and her eyes ever so slightly ajar, the beautiful plum of her eyes barely visible as her pupils dilated. He bent his head down, rested his head on her hand, and gasped with tears.
It was a year later when he walked through the halls of the Shinou Academy he heard a laughter, something about that laughter made him turn his head and he saw her. It was eerie how much alike the sisters were, he held no doubt that she was Hisana's sister, not with that hair, height and the plum eyes. He would be able to keep his promise to Hisana.