Disclaimer: The story, all names, characters, and incidents portrayed in this production are fictitious. No identification with actual persons (living or deceased), places, buildings, and products is intended or should be inferred. Not to mention that I have absolutely no claim over anything from Bleach.

The Diplomat's Daughter

Chapter Two

The weather was perfect. Endless blue skies, sparsely decorated with small tufts of white and the early summer sun enveloped the world in a warm haze; a soft breeze tickled the grasses and gently tousled the trees. The air was rife with lark song and the swifts and swallows soared and darted so high they were barely visible.

Yet nothing could shake the sadness that had permeated Hisana's heart. It was silly, really. In many respects, she was going up in the world and she knew that she should be grateful for the opportunity presented to her family, but somehow, the idea of being stuck behind that wall and so far removed from the rest of the world was utterly depressing. No longer would she be able to walk barefoot through the meadows without raising the eyebrows of her respectable acquaintances. No more avoiding the disapproving looks from her honourable associates. And no more hiding from her noble family.

She tried to console herself that her father would be around like-minded peers, and that her elder sister, Takara, would be beside herself with the busy social life that beckoned. Maybe even she could make a friend or two. It would certainly help with what promised to be a world of petty politics and social hierarchy.

Perhaps the most unsettling thing, however, would be the Shinigami. The few encounters that she'd had with them left Hisana dizzy with their loudness and bewildered by their vigour. They seemed so sure of themselves. It was a surety that bordered on arrogance and self-righteousness. They'd never had any qualms about showing off to the local girls and women, either. Yes, those eye-rolling encounters left Hisana with the distinct impression that they were worse than a bunch of preening peacocks with their flashy displays of strength and agility. She didn't like to consider that maybe she was jealous they weren't competing for her attention.

Still, she couldn't help but smile as she was approached by her eldest sister, Atsuko. Now fat with her third child, nothing could hide the fact that motherhood suited her. Pulling Hisana into her warm embrace, she softly chided, "Cheer up, my love. I promise to write to you every week. Now just you promise that you won't let them get to you."

"But they hate me," Hisana muttered.

"No one could hate you, my darling. This will be good for you; just look at the skies. Good omens are abound today." Hisana turned her attention to the swooping swifts and swallows, and gently squeezed the hand resting on her shoulder.

"Thank you, Atsuko." A commotion in the distance broke their reverie, as their disgruntled father argued with a servant over where to put a particularly large trunk.

"Now go! Before father has a fit." Sharing one more glance, Hisana waited for Atsuko to waddle back to what had been her childhood home before giving a final wave and turning to her new life beyond the wall.