Silence was what greeted you when you entered the 6th division quarters. It looked like a deserted place but you knew better. Everyone was off doing what their taichou ordered them or they were training.
You also should be doing what your taichou told you but the heat was killing you slowly and you were too lazy to go outside in the heat and find Zaraki-taichou. What could you do? It wasn't your fault that the heat was too overbearing for your poor being, not that you were weak. You were a 3rd seat in the 6th division and you were strong, almost as strong as your taichou, but you would never say that out loud.
So you went to your room after finding a weaker shinigami from your division and made him deliver the message to Zaraki-taichou. Oh, ya, you were smart. The message would get to its destination without having to lift a finger or move a leg. Still, that didn't mean that your taichou wouldn't find out that you didn't do as he ordered. But, you decided to lay back and relax until he would call for you to start criticizing you for what you did. And, of course, you will just tune him out, again, and will start day-dreaming. In the end you will apologize for your behavior and assure him, for the millionth time, that it won't happen again.
But today wasn't an ordinary day. Your taichou never called for you and you started wondering if something bad happened. So, being curious, you made your way to your taichou's office and knocked. Nobody answered so you opened the door and peaked inside. There was no one there.
'Hm, taichou is always here. What happened?' you thought.
"Yo, Kiki! What are you doing here?" asked someone from behind. Turning around you saw your fukutaichou, Renji Abarai leaning on the wall, looking at you suspiciously."Don't tell me that again you were too lazy to do as Kuchiki-taichou asked you to do? Haha, you're in for another of his 'I am your taichou and you have to do as I say' ,I feel sorry for you!" he said starting to laugh
"So, you think that having to do what your taichou tells you is a funny thing,Abarai?" asked a deep voice from behind both of you, startling you and making Renji gulp nervously and turn his head towards the sound of the voice.
"No, taichou. Of course not. It was only a joke between friends. It wasn't meant to offend you or any other taichou." he said bowing to his taichou in respect." Well, gotta go finish my papers. See you later, Kiki. And good luck" he whispered the last part, after that turning around and leaving to finish his stack of papers.
"So, taichou, what a hot day we have, no?" you asked trying to act like nothing has happened.
"Sato, I know that you sent another shinigami to deliver the message to Zaraki-taichou. How many times do I have to tell you that you have to follow orders?" he asked a little irritated.
"But, taichou, it was so hot outside that I almost had a heatstroke. Would you want to lose one of your best shinigamis because of a heatstroke? I would rather die fighting a hollow than because of some stupid heat." you whined making your red-black bang fall in front of your eye and fake chibi tears appear in your eyes.
He didn't say a thing to you and just turned away entering his office, not paying attention to you anymore.
'Wah, he didn't start criticising me about having to listen to his orders. I wonder what happened that he is so out of this world?' you thought while going back to your room, not paying attention to your surroundings. After some time, you decided to forget about your taichous behaviour, although you had to admit that the stoic taichou got you preoccupied, mostly because of the feelings you harbour for him.
'Maybe he had a headache because of the heat' you thought 'I'm sure tomorrow he will feel better' And that was your last thought as you went to sleep.
The next day, you woke up around noon. You were surprised that nobody came to wake you up so you could receive your taichous orders. Maybe you were too sound asleep to hear somebody knocking on the door. So, you lazily made your way to the bathroom, got ready for the day and made your way to your taichous office. Once you got there, you saw again that Kuchiki-taichou wasn't there.
'Again he is not here. What could have happened?' you pondered in your mind. 'Maybe Renji knows' so you went to find Renji. You found him talking with Matsumoto and Hisagi.
"Hey Matsumoto, Hisagi, Renji. Watcha' doing?" you asked the trio, while smiling at them hearing about their plans about the party tonight. "Planning another of your parties?"
"If you already know, why do you have to ask, Kiki?" asked Renji.
"Cause I want to" you answered sticking your tongue out to him "But can I talk to you, Renji?" you asked seriously.
"Oh, Renji, she's gonna ask you out. Be careful man or you'll lose your head" said Hisagi while laughing.
"Really, Kiki? You don't know how much I waited for this moment' he said teasingly while smiling
"Yeah, Renji. I loved you for so long and I couldn't wait any longer to ask you out since you didn't make a move" you answered sarcastically, not noticing the figure that just left when it heard your answer. "Now, please be serious, cause I want to talk to you about taichou." You answered but the figure was to far away to hear this.
"Ok. See you later, guys" said Renji going with you to your division quarters. "So, what is the matter?"
"What is wrong with taichou? He didn't criticise me about not respecting orders yesterday, today he didn't send for me and when I went to his office, he wasn't there. And he always is there." You said looking at Renji waiting for an answer.
"Well, I don't know either" he answered sadly. "Who knows what he's thinking about." He said looking at the sky, like there was the answer. "Look, we can't do something if he doesn't want us to, so let it 'll see that in a few days he'll be back to normal and then you'll start complaining that he always criticise you. So, think of this as a short holiday, ok?" with that said he went off to do his job and his taichous job, since he wasn't there.
"A short holiday, ey? That sound good" you said stretching with a smile on your face. "Maybe now I can go to the Zen Gardens and relax"
Well, you went exactly there not caring about your division 'They don't need my help. Knowing them, they are probably relaxing before Kuchiki-taichou returns and orders them around again. So, I will stay here for a long period of time, like until tomorrow. It's good that I always have food with me. This way I can stay here for as much as I want. Hahahaha, I'm so smart and evil' you thought giggling to yourself about being 'evil' enough to let your friends to do the work themselves.
Arriving to the Zen Gardens, you immediately relaxed seeing all the flowers and trees there. From all the flowers and trees there, you had to recognise that the Sakura tree was your most favourite, mostly because it reminded you of a certain taichou, and partly because all your worries disappeared when you were near one of them. You climbed the Sakura tree and when you reached the top you had to exhale the breath you were holding in. Everything seemed so relaxing and wonderful from up there. You had a wonderful view, seeing the whole garden with its rainbow colours and how all the flowers were moving slowly in the direction the wind blew. It was like your own paradise. In here you always forgot about your problems and concentrated only on peace. Soon you were falling asleep because of the sound of the rustling leaves and slow, warm brise that gently played with your waist long, blonde hair. When you woke up, you saw that it was dark outside, meaning that you slept for a long time.
'Man, I always lose count of time when I am in here. But, I have to say that it was relaxing and I feel so good after this sleep.' You thought while stretching and preparing to go back down to earth. You stopped going down when you heard some footsteps approaching near your spot. Not feeling any reiatsu coming from the person, you've put all your senses on alert and perked your wolf-like ears so you could hear every movement from the person.
The person stopped underneath the Sakura tree, but instead of looking up, he looked down and started mumbling something you couldn't quite understand. You heard something like 'sorry' 'loves another' 'stop thinking about her' You didn't understand a thing but you felt sorry for the poor guy down there if what you heard was true. He almost was in the same predicament as you. You love Kuchiki-taichou but he doesn't even acknowledge you, he only thinks about his dead wife, Hisana. You know that he loved her a lot but he should move on, there are a lots of women that could make him happy and that love him, one of those women being you.
While you were lost in your thoughts, you didn't quite pay attention to the branch that was, slowly, breaking under the weight that it had to support for some time now. But when you heard SNAP and you fell down on the person under the tree, you snapped out of your daydreaming about your taichou.
"I am so sorry. The branch broke and-" you fell silent when you saw on whom you fell. Your taichou, Byakuya Kuchiki. Your eyes widened and you just stared at him, not knowing what to say when a thought stroke you like lightning. 'He is in love with someone, and that someone isn't me' With that your face saddened and you felt like wanting to be far away from this place and never coming back or at least having amnesia.
Byakuya noticed the sad look on your face because he soon asked "Are you okay, Sato? Did you hurt yourself while falling?" He looked like he was concerned but you couldn't exactly be sure.
"I am okay, taichou. I am so sorry for falling on you, sir" you said bowing to him.
"It is alright. But what were you doing up there? Shouldn't you be at the division,helping out or with Renji?" he asked looking at the tree at the mention of his fukutaichou.
"I decided that I need a little relaxation so I came here. But why do you think that I should be with Renji?" you asked him a little confused.
"Well, you asked him out so you should be with him, right?" he asked a little irritated.
"Asked him out? When? I was drugged when I did that, cause I don't remember doing something like that, taichou." You answered.
"Did you take any medication this afternoon then?" he asked. And then it came crashing upon you. The talk with Renji when you sarcastically told him you wanted him. But how did your taichou know about that talk?
"No, I did not. I was only joking around with Renji. But how did you know about that, taichou?" you asked.
You saw your taichous face lighten and relax like a burden was taken off his shoulders.
"I kinda heard you when I was passing by since you both talk so loud" he answered.
"Ah, okay. You know taichou, you shouldn't be so down that a woman doesn't like doesn't know what she's should get over her and find another one. There a lot of them around here, nearby." You said reffering to yourself in that last part.
"But I do not want to get over her. At least not now, that I found out that she doesn't have another man. The only thing I need to find out is her feelings towards me" he said looking at you in a way that made you shiver in a good way. You looked at him waiting to hear that womans name, not realizing that he wasn't talking about you. Seeing that you don't say a thing and that you are oblivious to the fact that he is talking about you, he approached you making you blush. When he came close enough that your bodies were touching, you took nervously a step back and he took one forward. And so, you continued your little dance, being surrounded by falling Sakura petals, until you touched the tree with your back. You didn't have where to escape no more and he inched closer to you until your foreheads were touching. Trapping you between his arms, he gently kissed you but only for a moment. Looking into your eyes, he asked "So, what do you, Kiki Sato, feel for me? Because I know that I love you and I don't need any other woman. Even if you don't feel the same about me I will always love you" he said making you feel like you died and went to heaven. He was looking at you, waiting for your reply while the Sakura petals were swirling around you both, like they were dancing, happy for the little confession and that your feelings were returned. You were left speechless after hearing what he said but your face was adorned with the biggest smile you ever had on your face your whole life. Seeing your smile, he only hugged you tighter, letting the warmth of his body spread through yours.
"I love you too, Kuchiki-taichou!" you finally answered, making him separate from you and kissing you as an answer for your statement.
Witnessing your happines, the Sakura petals kept dancing around you both like somebody was throwing them from up above to share that happines with both of you. Who knows, maybe it was Hisanas way of showing that she is happy that Byakuya moved on and that he found someone who could make him happy. She was sending her blessings from up there so you could live happily ever after, with her watching over your happines like a guardin angel. Of course, you later showed your gratitude by planting a Sakura tree in your garden and keeping it safe from any tree always reminded you of that magical night in which you found your true love. And you woould always sleep underneath the tree, together with Byakuya, with the soft Sakura petals falling around you both, meaning that Hisana was always near you both, giving you her blessings which only you could descipher.