The day I first met you…
The skys were gray.
I remember because…
The rain was nonexistent as were the tears in your eyes.
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But…
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…but I saw them, those invisible tears you cried.
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The day I found you, I lost myself.
I remember because you looked…
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… looked so much like
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…her.
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I'm going to live forever or die trying!
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Hisana
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Color the Sky Blue
So strict in your beliefs.
Unwavering in your resolve, but,
Blinded by your black and white world.
I'll show you color.
Maybe then you can accept the broken rules.
Let's color the sky blue.
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Chapter one: She runs.
All she remembered was running.
Running was her whole entire life. During waking hours, she would creep silently next to a stand and stealthily steal a large gallon of water. Then she'd run, as fast as her short legs could take her, away from the pursuer, her hair whipping harshly against her thin cheeks against the wind.
The day would be spent keeping watch for danger, running when a fight broke out, far away. Hunger was a daily part of life. The soreness in her legs would be forgotten as soon as she heard angry, pursuing footsteps. She disregarded shortness of breath.
When she was awake, she was always running away from something.
Life was hard in Rukongai. Children like her did not survive for long. But she was tough. Having to fend for herself since she was a baby, the little girl had learned how to evade danger and steal water. She had taught herself how to stand, how to walk and then how to run. She had no friends.
Once, she befriended another orphan. (She guessed she herself was an orphan since she had woken up alone.) They had become allies in a sort, helping each other survive. But you cannot trust one another in Rukongai. One time in a ploy to snatch a piece of bread, the boy had been caught, but he pointed his finger at her, intending to drag her down with him.
She remembered the piercing anger.
She was a fast little child and she had escaped.
Life was hard.
But mostly, it was lonely.
Not a kind familiar soul she does not have to hide from in sight, in a century's time.
She even runs in her sleep.
But in her dreams, she is chasing after something. As everything around her is white, she is almost blinded by the brightness but she continues on, her breath coming faster and shorter, her heart beating rapidly. In her twisted, imagined maze, everything is straight. Just a vast emptiness. She doesn't know what she is chasing after, and she does not know where to go…but she knows she must reach the end.
Sometimes, she hears a voice, calling. Sometimes, she opens her mouth to shout, wanting to ask for a name.
But how could she ask that? If the voice were to retaliate and ask for her name, what would she say?
I am simply nobody.
At times, the white walls flicker for a nanosecond and she can see the outline of a faint kimono fluttering gently in the distance. As she reaches, a shimmer, and the image is gone.
Run faster.
She feels she is running out of time.
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I have to find…
What?
That person at the end of the maze.
Maybe they know my name.
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Who are you?
You look cold.
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Thank you… Byakyu-sama.
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Onee-chan?
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"Hisana?" Byakyu asked cautiously, his gray eyes betraying his concern.
Hisana craned her neck to look up at him after her coughs had resided, regarding his expression with her own blank one. Then, she smiled suddenly, waving away his concern. "I'm fine, Byakyu-sama."
He nodded but helped her stand before guiding her over the small bridge with his hand on the small of her back.
Hisana smiled softly, the warmth from the tall man soothing her.
Byakyu was such a kind man, she thought with a smile. It was true that he acted cold at times, but Hisana knew him. He was a kind man. She looked back up to him, grinning lightly at him. He returned her stare and then after a moment, his lips twitched up, only for her before he turned his eyes back ahead on the path. She never saw him smile for anyone else.
But when he did, he made the day bright for her.
You help me keep the loneliness at bay.
With a start, she realizes her vision is blurring. Wha-
As her eyes slowly close shut, she falls. But she doesn't notice. All she can see is the outline of a little girl with midnight hair as black as her own running.
Wait.
Strong arms encase her failing body as she lets out a soft, mournful cry.
"Rukia."
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Your smile makes my day bright. You make me stronger just by smiling. Coz, I wanna protect that fragile smile of yours. That…is the only reason why I wield my sword.
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Captain Kuchiki set a glass of water beside the sleeping woman.
Byakyu looked over at his still wife. He pulled the covers over her limp body gently, tucking her in warmly. He sighed softly as he wove his hands slowly through her dark hair before tucking a flyaway strand from her thin cheeks.
He tapped her cheek twice before bending over to give her a light kiss on the forehead.
The tall man pondered over what Hisana had said.
Byakyu felt something stir in his chest as he remembered how fervently Hisana desired to find her lost younger sister and his hands clenched. He despised Hisana going through this pain; the worry was making her body pitifully weak.
Anything Hisana wished for, he strived to make come true. He resolved to help his wife find her lost sister.
His sister.
"Rukia…" he whispered.
"Where are you?"
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"Rukia."
The little girl woke up with a pounding headache. She clutched her hands tightly to her temples, rubbing furiously. The girl tugged at the long, dark strands of her hair. It had grown so long now but she had been too preoccupied to cut it.
She shivered lightly, still feeling the light caress of the soft voice.
Only, she had heard it loud and clear.
"What does Rukia mean?" the black haired girl wondered.
She had also seen the kimono again, except this time, there was a person wearing it. Her eyes had widened as she realized the person wearing it had black hair as her own.
The woman's back was facing her but no matter how much Rukia ran, the figure kept moving farther and farther away.
She had tilted her head around to glance at her and her mouth opened to speak before she disappeared in a swirl of cherry blossoms. The little girl had caught a glimpse of violet eyes, just a shade lighter than her own before the woman disappeared.
Is that…?
"Rukia." She feels her lips form awkwardly over the word.
The sound of footsteps and she starts up frantically. Without another glance at her temporary home, she scrambles out of the worn down warehouse and starts another day of running.