Bond of Innocence
Chapter 2
Byakuya returned late that day and his manor was enveloped in darkness and slumber. As he stepped into the West Wing of his manor towards his room, he stopped. He felt an urge to check on his new sister but he tried to dismiss it as he walked further to his room. He stepped into his room and sat before his wife's altar. He spoke silently to her of his day and of their new sister.
He remembered how Hisana was unused to the big room he had for her on her first night. He remembered how she curled up into ball at the corner of the room and slept. She would have slept in that position all night had Byakuya not check up on her. She only managed to sleep on the futon(1) with Byakuya beside her as she fell asleep. After that, he would leave for his own room.
Rukia was different than Hisana. She was able to adapt to her new environment on the first day she came here. He saw how she tried to sleep on her futon when he checked up on her on the first night. Byakuya knew he could depend on her for her own safety. As he remembered the old days, he realized that his new sister might not adapt as well as Rukia.
"You will threaten to kill me if I don't go, won't you?" Byakuya said as he stood up with a faint smile. A figure curled up into a ball on the futon greeted him as he silently slid open the door to his sister's room. He stepped in and saw that her shoulders were exposed to the cold of the night air. He gently lifted the warm blanket to cover her shoulders.
As the clouds gave way to the moon, Byakuya saw the serene face on his new sister as the warmth of the blanket protected her from the cold. Her breathing became even and deep. Slowly, her curled form began to uncurl and she smiled faintly in her sleep. Byakuya smiled at the innocence he saw in her, it almost felt like the innocence Hisana had but his wife looked much wiser than this child.
"Thank you, O-nii-chan," Misaki mumbled softly after she heard the door closed. Byakuya's step faltered as he thought he heard his sister muttered her thanks. He shook his head and discarded it as a voice brought by the cool night wind.
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"You're sending Misaki to the Shinigami(2) Academy!?" Renji exclaimed too loud for Byakuya's liking. He cleared his throat at the glare he received from his captain and continued in a more decent tone, "Isn't she too young for the trainings?"
"Training is what schools offer," Byakuya answered, "They will train her well."
"But she can barely lift a katana(3)!" Renji's voice got louder and he received another glare again.
"They do not use katana in trainings," Byakuya began to wonder why he had to answer silly questions from his vice-captain.
"What about the Zanpaktou(4)?" Renji bombarded his captain with another question.
"The time will come for her to have her own," Byakuya began to lose his patience.
"But still–" Renji was cut off by his captain's glare that told him to keep his mouth sealed. Meanwhile, in another section of Sereitei, Misaki began to adapt to her new environment.
"Yoroshiku onegai shimasu!(5)" Misaki bowed to her new classmates and instructor. Murmurs of 'kawaii(6)' and 'she's so young' were heard as Misaki took her place beside a female classmate. She had long raven black hair with a tint of grey to it. She looked almost as old as Rukia but the relation between looks and age were different in Soul Society than on Earth. As soon as their instructor left the room, everyone crowded around Misaki and began bombarding her with questions.
"Alright there," Rin said out loud beside Misaki, "Give her some space. It's scary even for me when everyone started to get closer with complicated questions!"
"Misaki," she continued and Misaki looked up at her, "Just ignore them."
"Daijoubu desu!(7)" Misaki smiled innocently and her classmates, male and female, murmured 'kawaii' unanimously. "Everyone is a friend!" she said and a female classmate couldn't help but hugged the cute little girl.
"Sakamato-san(9)!" Rin tried to break the both of them apart, "You're choking her already!"
"Gomen!(8)" she replied. She had short light brown hair and was had quite an open mind. She continued with a smile, "I'm Yurin."
"I'm Yuuto!" a boy with short blonde hair introduced himself with a smile. His smiled faded when another boy shoved him away. His dark brown hair was a mess and he looked quite wild to Misaki.
"I'm Takashi! Hajimemashite(10)!" he smirked at her. One by one, Misaki's classmates introduced themselves and welcomed Misaki into their community warmly.
"It's time for our Hadou class," Rin announced as she looked at the sun outside their classroom, "Let's go everyone!"
"Conquerors of all, masks of flesh and blood, all of creations, wingbeats, those who controls the name of Man. Infernos and wars, seething over ocean walls, stepping south in advance. Hadou 31 Shakkahou!" Rin chanted and blasted the practice target.
"Sugoi(11)!" Misaki clapped as her classmate return to sit beside her.
"You can do it too!" she said encouragingly. Misaki smiled faintly as she remembered five minutes ago. Her chanting was flawless and her posture was correct but there was no spell cast. She thought about it as they entered their next class.
"I'll not go easy on you, Kuchiki-san," Takashi said as he took his stance with the bamboo sword. Across him, Misaki stood wavering the practice sword ever so slightly in fear.
"Hai(12)," she replied, "Onegai shimasu.(13)" As soon as she finished, her new classmate charged straight at her. Misaki blocked his attack with her bamboo sword but his strength was too much for a seven-year old to handle. She fell onto the floor with a thud.
"Daijoubu desu ka?(14)" he helped her up, "Gomen na.(15)"
"Daijoubu desu," Misaki said with a smile, "Arigatou gozaimasu.(16)"
"Misaki, daijoubu?" Rin asked as they exit the training room. She nodded in reply. "You know, we can always help you with the trainings," she stated. Misaki beamed at her in excitement. Her excitement lasted until she stood before her brother's room. Taking a deep breath, she allowed her presence to be noticed by her brother.
"I heard about today," Byakuya said with his back to Misaki.
"Gomen nasai," she apologized as she sat on her heels facing her brother, "I have dishonoured the family's name."
"Do you have a reason for it?" he asked sternly. Misaki shook a little at the anger she heard in her brother's voice.
"I'm not strong enough," she said softly, "But I'll work harder! I promise! Dakara(17)…" Tear began to flow from her eyes as she rubbed them away, "Dakara…gomen nasai(18)."
"You may retreat," Byakuya said coldly. Misaki bowed to him before she slid close the shoji door(19) to his room.
"O-nii-chan," Misaki said softly as she sat on the wooden floor in front of her room, looking at the garden, "I promise. I'll work harder. I'll do my best."
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"Are you ready?" Rin asked their little classmate. Misaki nodded and Yurin stood beside her. They chanted the spell together and aimed their hands at the practice target. As the chant came to an end, a ball of red flame shot out of the older trainees but there was still nothing that from Misaki.
"What's there to practice when she doesn't have reiryoku(20) at all?" she heard whispers from the senior trainees. Misaki became depressed as she stood looking at her small hands.
"Misaki, daijoubu," Yurin assured her, "I don't have my powers when I was your age."
"Un!" Misaki faked a smile at her classmates.
"Misaki-chan!" Takashi waved at her, "Wanna go to the dojo?"
"That's a good idea," Rin said and followed the boy. Misaki and Yurin then followed suit.
"All right! You're set!" Yurin helped Misaki to position her stance, "Get him, girl!" Misaki then charged at Takashi. She swung her practice sword as hard as she could but was blocked by his. Planting her feet firmly in the ground, she stood up to his strength.
"Hey, you're improving," Takashi commented when she did not fall at his strength. Misaki smiled and as swift as a dancer, she spun sideways and Takashi fell at the loss of the strength holding him up. "Ow," he muttered as he rubbed his chin.
"Gomen nasai!" Misaki came beside him, "Daijoubu desu ka?"
"It's nothing, just a scratch," he replied as he wiped the blood off his chin. His little classmate looked at him with worried eyes and he laughed. "It's really alright!" he said and patted her on the head, "Let's continue."
"Gomen nasai," Misaki said softly and touched his scraped chin. As her small fingers touched him, Takashi thought he felt a comfortable warmth much too warm for someone normal to possess.
"Misaki…" both Yurin and Rin gasped. Yuuto, who stood at the door, too froze in his feet at the scene before him. The classmate of theirs who was said to possess no power at all glowed in a gentle yellow aura. Takashi, who was closest to Misaki, saw the innocence intermingled with wisdom and gentleness in her eyes.
"What's going on!?" a senior trainee came into the room and saw the scene. Interrupted by the sudden voice, Misaki's hand left Takashi's chin in a jump. "Aaahhhhhh….." he gaped before running away from the dojo.
"Arigatou!" Takashi said when he realized that his chin had fully healed. Misaki looked at him and cocked her head sideway.
"What did I do?" she asked and she noticed that his chin had healed, "Sugoi! Takashi heals so fast!" The four of her classmates looked at each other and wondered what had gone into her a moment ago. Dismissing it, Takashi just laughed.
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"She's late," Byakuya said to himself as the last ray of the sun set behind the mountains. Usually, Misaki would be in front of his room when he returned to tell him about her progress in the academy. He had sent servants to fetch her from her room to him but they replied that she hadn't come back since she went out in the morning.
"Byakuya-nii-sama," he heard Rukia's voice from behind the door.
"What is it?" he asked. He saw Rukia's shadow hesitated before her voice spoke.
"Has Misaki come to you yet?" she asked.
"No," he simply answered in his stern voice. He knew he sounded selfish and arrogant but in his heart he began to worry about his new sister.
"I'm sorry to have disturbed you," Rukia bowed and left. Byakuya saw he worried figure walked away and the worry in his heart grew. When he looked out to the night, the moon had risen and he knew that even the ordered Sereitei could be a dangerous place for a girl at night.
He walked down the road and could sense the faint resonating reiatsu(21) of hers. Her location was far but he knew he could get to her in no time. As Byakuya walked, he felt Misaki's reiatsu intensified but as soon as he felt it, it died down once again. This time, it became so weak that Byakuya could no longer sense her exact location. In an instant, Byakuya flash-stepped to the placed he last sensed Misaki.
Stepping lightly on the roofs, he made his way to a secluded garden outside the shinigami academy building. Dropping down onto the moonlit grass, he scanned the surrounding for a sign of his sister. Footsteps were heard running towards him and Byakuya looked up to see two male shinigami trainees.
"Kuchiki-taichou!" they panted as they stopped before him and pointed behind them, "Mi-Misaki is…over there! We'll go get help!"
"Misaki-chan! Hang in there!" Byakuya heard voices calling his sister as he stepped around the corner. The scene before him took him offguard that he stood on the ground, stoned. Lying on the ground was his sister, unconscious and clothes drenched in her own blood. Her face was pale and streaked with thin lines of blood.
"Misaki-sama!" the servants gasped when they saw Byakuya returned home with Misaki in his arms. Byakuya did not heed them as he turned to walk to Misaki's room. Rukia trailed behind her brother as she watched in horror as the blood on the white captain's robe, which was wrapped around Misaki, began to draw a bigger red stain. Rukia opened the door to Misaki's room and laid out the futon before Byakuya gently placed their sister on it.
"What happened, Nii-sama?" Rukia asked but Byakuya was silent. His emotionless eyes were fixed on Misaki's face and he held her small hand in his. Rukia did not notice this small gesture as a shadow loomed behind them.
"Misaki-san's classmates came to me a moment ago and I've come to check on her," a gentle voice said.
"Unohana-taichou!" Rukia greeted with a bow, "I'm sorry to trouble you this late in the night."
"The night had just begun," the female captain smiled as she entered the room. Byakuya's hand released Misaki's as the captain came into his view. She sat across him and looked at the little girl who was adopted by the cold and distant Kuchiki Byakuya.
"They were practicing demon arts earlier," Retsu began to fill them in as she cleaned the blood stains from Misaki's face. "Misaki suddenly forced her spiritual powers into a spell but the spell got out of control and hit the boulder next to her. being the closest to it, she was hit by the shattered pieces of the rock," she continued, "They dissuaded her from training hours earlier but she said she wanted to practice until she could do it. She said she knew she has reiryoku20 too but hers is less than her friends."
"But," Rukia said, "She shouldn't have forced herself."
"Sometimes, one would go to ends to accomplish something," was all Retsu said as she looked at Byakuya, "Her reiatsu is getting weaker."
"I'm leaving her to you, Unohana," Byakuya stood up and left.
"Nii-sama," Rukia called after him. He stopped to listen to her, "Won't you stay?" Byakuya walked away after he had heard what his sister wanted to say. Deep in his heart, he wanted to stay beside Misaki, with Rukia. His pride prohibited him to do so and for once, he hated his own arrogance. He remembered how fragile Misaki felt when he carried her home in his arms. He recognized his feelings then. He remembered having those feelings when he was with Hisana. Both their fragility made them weak and yet their wills were stronger than any steel. He knew then that he must protect Misaki, just as he had protected Hisana before he fell in love with her.
1 futon – Japanese styled mattress
2 shinigami – Death God/Soul Reaper
3 katana – Japanese sword
4 Zanpaktou – Soul Slayer
5 Yoroshiku onegai shimasu – please teach me well
6 kawaii – cute
7 daijoubu desu – it's alright
8 gomen – sorry
9 -san – a suffix to address someone (in this case, it's 'Miss')
10 hajimemashite – nice to meet you
11 sugoi – great
12 hai – yes
13 onegai shimasu – please
14 daijoubu desu ka? – are you alright?
15 gomen na – I'm sorry
16 arigatou gozaimasu – thank you very much
17 dakara – that's why
18 gomen nasai – I'm sorry
19 shoji door – Japanese styled sliding wooden door
20 reiryoku – spiritual power
21 reiatsu – spiritual force
taken directly from the sub-titles from episode 46 by Bleach Society Fansub.