Breathe In
Long pink ribbons, tied around low hanging tree branches, fluttered lazily on the breeze.
It was beautiful, Hisana thought to herself as she pulled her robes tightly around her. She was leaning with her shoulder pressed against the door frame; her arms were folded against her stomach in an attempt to fight off the morning's chill.
She watched in silent contemplation as a pack of children wandered into the garden and started their way over to the tree. Absently, she smiled the moment she saw the young ones. It was a small painful smile. Most of the children housed in the infirmary would never fully recover…
"Miss Hisana!" one dark-headed little girl cried. She flailed her arms about, making exaggerated circles in order to get Hisana's attention.
Hisana's smile widened and she gave a small wave in return.
"Miss Hisana, help! Please?" the girl's voice was pleading as she lifted her arm to expose a brightly colored ribbon dangling from her hand. "I can't reach!"
Hisana lifted her index finger to indicate that she would be there in a moment. Slinking into her room to slip into her footwear, she breathed a sigh, happy to oblige. Just as soon as she had disappeared from the girl's sight, Hisana reappeared with sandals on her feet, and a haori about her shoulders.
"Thank you, Miss Hisana. You are so kind!" the girl exclaimed, raising her arms so that Hisana could lift her to reach the only low-hanging tree limb that was still bare.
Hisana bent down to gather the girl in her arms before lifting her. "Is this better?" she grunted, hoisting the child upwards, bracing some of the girl's weight against her hip.
"Much!" she exclaimed, hurriedly tying the ribbon around the branch. "Does it look good?" she asked, wrapping an arm around Hisana's neck.
Hisana readjusted her hold around the child to accommodate her sudden shift in weight. Feeling secure, the girl rested her head against Hisana's shoulder. "Does it?" she prompted again.
"It looks stunning," Hisana assured her, tenderly placing her head against the girl's.
Silently, she appreciated the gentle flutter of ribbons on the wind, the fragrance of the flowers in full bloom, and the soft noises of children playing a game in the background. So caught up in the beautiful distractions around her, Hisana had completely forgotten all about her dilemma. In her own little world, she was lost to everything… until her world came crashing around her once she was alerted to the faint snores tugging at her ear.
Glancing down at the slumbering child, Hisana smiled sweetly and turned on her heels. She had just lifted her gaze to the door when she felt her heart come to a halt with a resounding "thump". Thunderstruck, Hisana paused mid-shuffle. Her eyes widened the moment she saw him, and she was sure that if she hadn't been carrying something so precious, she would have dropped it.
Regaining her composure, she continued forward, stopping just short of him. Instinctively, she averted her gaze to the floor and bowed her head respectfully. "Lord Kuchiki," she whispered almost imperceptibly.
Placing his forefinger under her chin, Byakuya gently lifted her head up so he could look into her eyes. She was reluctant to let him have his way, for the moment she inclined her head she turned her gaze to the side. She was terrified of staring into those piercing eyes of his, fearing that with one look he could shed away all of her layers of armor thereby completely exposing her.
The tense moment, however, was broken by the sound of an abrasive female voice. "Kim! There she is!" The voice belonged to a short rotund nurse from the pediatrics' ward. "I hope she has not inconvenienced you too much, Lord and Lady Kuchiki."
Hisana's complexion immediately blanched at the woman's gaffe. With breath held tightly in chest, her attention shot over to her betrothed. Byakuya, however, seemed unperturbed by the nurse's faux pas.
'Perhaps, he did not hear it?' she thought to herself.
"Kim just sort of stole away this morning. Quite a little escape artist if I do say so myself," the nurse continued apologetically as she relieved Hisana of the girl.
"She is a good girl," Hisana said kindly. Carefully, she untangled the child's arms from around her as she handed her over to the nurse.
"Indeed," the nurse answered with a small smile. "Please, pardon the intrusion." She gave a quick parting bow before scuttling down a corridor with Kim in her arms.
Hisana watched the two until they disappeared from sight. Still hesitant to turn and address Byakuya, she folded her arms defensively against her chest before realizing that she no longer had anything to distract her attention from him. Cautiously, she turned to face him.
"You're wearing the haori I gave you," he observed in a soft voice.
Summoning enough nerve to glance up at him, Hisana managed a small nod of her head. "Yes. I like it very much."
She swore she could have seen his lips lengthen into a small smile if only for a blink of an eye.
"It suits you," he responded, breaking the tense silence that had fallen over them.
Hisana's cheeks flushed with color – a deep shade of pink. For a few long drawn out moments, she stood dumbfounded; her mind slow at apprehending a reply.
"I need to collect my things," she said, finally remembering why he had come – to take her to his estate. At the thought, she felt her heart pound heavily in her chest as a heady feeling overcame her. She would be taken to the Seireitei... and she did not find the prospect very comforting…
"Your things have already been packed," he said evenly. With a graceful gesture, he offered her his arm, and escorted her to the carriage awaiting their arrival outside.
The walk to the carriage was not nearly as long as Hisana would have liked. In fact, she stalled the moment she crossed the threshold to the infirmary and into the harsh morning light outside.
"Is something amiss?" he asked, glancing down at her.
Hisana returned his gaze; her eyes probing his in search for any expression of emotion. His taciturn nature made it hard for most to decipher any feelings hiding behind that fortressed face. Yet, she was sure that she could detect a glint of concern lighting his eyes; although, she couldn't be sure… Perhaps, it was only an optical illusion?
"No," she murmured, shaking her head slightly.
Once the two were near the coach, Byakuya helped her inside before attempting to climb in beside her.
The moment she was in the carriage, she felt her blood pressure skyrocket along with her heart rate. Feeling anxiety bubble inside of her and spew from every pore, Hisana gave a cursory scan of her surroundings. She was beginning to feel like a caged animal, and before he had the chance to join her inside the carriage she leaned forward. A frantic expression was etched into her features. "Wait," she cried.
Confused, Byakuya lifted his brows slightly in response.
"The ceremony," she stammered, "what – where is it going to be?"
Her blood ran icy through her veins the moment she realized that they had never so much as discussed what the wedding was going to entail. Perhaps her utter disbelief at getting married had stifled such consideration from ever entering her head, but now, in a cold panic, she realized that she needed to know what exactly was going to happen to her.
Byakuya examined her expression with a discerning eye. He easily read the fear, panic, and anxiety painted across her face. Silently, he climbed into the carriage and positioned himself comfortably beside her.
"It will all be taken care of shortly. There is no need for concern."
"What kind of ceremony?"
"A traditional one."
"With many people?"
He lifted his head, astutely reading her concern. "What sort of ceremony do you desire?"
This question silenced Hisana. She had never thought about it. But before she had formulated an opinion, her mouth engaged, "A small one, a quiet one."
The moment she gave her response, she turned her attention to him. Half afraid that he would be angry or disgusted by her reply, she winced slightly the moment her eyes met his. To her pleasure, he did not seem unsettled by her answer. In fact, she was almost certain a look of relief had crossed his stoic facade.
"You want a simple ceremony?"
She nodded her head. "Very simple."
"I could arrange for the Minister of Social Affairs to give the rites at the Ministry. There would be no ceremony involved; it would be a short legal union."
Hisana bowed her head, repressing the urge to shudder at the coldness of the proposition. "Perhaps we could have something a little less clinical than that."
Byakuya tilted his head to the side as he tried to gauge her reaction. Gently, he took her hand in his.
Instinctively, she lifted her head in response; her gaze lingering on his face for longer than she had intended. In that moment, she felt her worries melt away from her, and she realized that indeed everything was going to be alright.
Hisana offered him a smile before turning her attention to the window on her right. Absorbed in the beautiful spring scenery careening past, she felt her body finally relax. "We could be wed here," she suggested aloud to her own chagrin.
"In the First District?" he asked, somewhat baffled.
The moment he asked the question, she felt every fiber in her body tense. She slowly turned her head to read his expression. Her large eyes met his gaze, and her lips parted. "Unless…"
"Springtime in the Seireitei is far superior to this."
She inhaled a sharp cold breath. "But…" she couldn't bring herself to speak the words. She felt too selfish for even considering the musing let alone expounding it to Byakuya. He, however, didn't need to hear her explanation to understand her feelings -- and valid feelings they were. She would be lost in a sea of unfamiliarity in the Seireitei, even more so than she was now. It was only fair, he thought, that they go about their marriage in neutral territory. Most of the plans for them marrying in the Seireitei were tentitive -- nothing had been carved into stone yet. And, conducting the ceremony in the First District provided the additional benefit of keeping the marriage as quiet as possible for as long as the two deemed necessary to acclimate to each other.
"Very well."