Hello everyone, sorry it's been a while... Lots of tests... orals... urgh! Sorry. So, the usual: I do not own bleach, only Tite Kubo does (lucky bast***) sorry...
So here you go: enjoy!
REVIEWS ARE MOST WELCOME!!!! PLEASE!!!! Otherwise i'll never update again.... lol, sorry, but seriously, it doesn't take much time to leave a review.
Even if it is to criticize me, i don't care, review people: I do! Yes, 'cause I'm a reader, just like you guys!
Now, enjoy, and sorry for the outburst... review?
Chapter 4
-Welcome back Hanawa-san !
-Hello Kisuke. Isashiburi desu ne?
-Hai… O genki desu ka?
-Hai genki desu. Don't worry, I'm ready to go back
-As blunt as ever I see… You haven't changed.
-I can assure you, I have, just not the way you thought I would. I think I should actually thank Yamamoto soutaicho for my exile… It was beneficial, said Ayame vaguely…
As she sat down at the small table, Ururu arrived, carrying a plate of cakes.
-The senkai gate will be ready in an hour. In the meantime, why don't you tell me about you? About what you've been doing. Would you like some tea?
-Yes, please. And about my wanderings, there is not much to tell. Suffice it to say that I have come back stronger than I was. I would rather hear about what has been happening here while I was away.
And so, for a whole hour, Urahara Kisuke updated Ayame, telling her about Aizen's treachery, the rise of a half-human, half-shinigami, Kurosaki Ichigo, the bounto incident, Ichigo saving Soul Society once again.
Ayame was surprised to hear that Kuchiki Byakuya was captain of squad six, but did not let it … that was it, she had her answers. She didn't ask anymore questions, not wanting to reveal too much to the astute shopkeeper.
So much had changed… Was Kuchiki Ginrei still alive? And if so, would she be allowed to see him? Would he want to? After all, he had believed his son…
FLASH BACK
AN: listen to "Never meant to belong" instrumental piece of music by Shiro Sagisu.
-Taicho, said said one of the men, she was about to commit murder.
-NO! the girl cried, they were…
-She was, said the other man, cutting her off before she could say anything bad. I was right here, she was going to murder Kuchiki Fukutaicho.
There was nothing she could say. She had the lieutenant of squad six and a noble from the Shihoin clan against her. She could still try…
-I was not!
-Father, said the youngest of the two Kuchiki, I would not say that if it weren't the truth. I have no reason to lie.
The man was looking at his father, his eyes betraying nothing.
He was lying through his teeth, they both were!
-I'll kill you Kuchiki, she said struggling, raging.
They were lying, couldn't taicho tell? They were going to… Surely taicho would say someth…
-Hanawa san seki, you disappoint me, he said, his eyes conveying his words more than anything else, so full were they of pain, disbelief and sadness.
-But taicho…
-Take her away, Kuchiki Ginrei said, turning to the two men, his voice full of sorrow, she shall be judged tomorrow.
-Hai!
END OF FLASH BACK
The pain in her taicho's eyes had stabbed her heart deeply. He had not even wanted to listen to her. She had tried to explain herself saying that it was ridiculous, that she was too young to be lieutenant, why would she want the position? More to the point: why would she kill to obtain the position? It was no use… They had heard her pleas, but not listened, having judged her already without a really hearing. With two false testimonies, made by two nobles from two influencial clans, her chances had been close to nothing.
It had been so unfair, so unfair…
-Hanawa-san? The gate is ready. Are you?
A pointed look from the shopkeeper told her he was worried. He had been there when it had happened. He was the one she had to when she'd been thrown out of Seireitei. His should was the one she had leant against while her story had come flowing out of her mouth, along with the endless flow of tears. His arms were the ones that had comforted her…
-Kisuke, she sighed, you are too witty for your own good…
The sad smile that graced her lipos was all there was to see. She had not forgotten. Had it not been for him, she might have killed herself, committed jigai*. She was grateful to him, even though she did not show it.
Placing a hand gently on his arm, she leant forward, on her toes, her lips slightly brushing his cheek.
-Hontoni… Arigatou, Urahara Kisuke.
MEANWHILE IN SOUL SOCIETY
A lone figure was walking through the deserted streets of a particular part of Seireitei. The sun was lodged high in the sky, no clouds to taint this clear, sunny day. And yet, in his heart, the man was victim of an eternal winter, a dark, cloudy and cold winter, as a reminder of what he had lost. The man stopped in front of a tree, his stormy eyes fixing it as a distant, forgotten memory came to his mind…
FLASH BACK
-Ne, Hanawa-san?
-What is it?
-Why does my grand father like you so much?
Ayame stopped stretching and looked at the boy sitting against a tree, surprise clear on her face.
-I… I do not know…
-Do you like him?
-Yes. He has always believed in me; ever since I first arrived. He is the one who taught me how to better wield my zampakuto and release shikai safely. If it weren't for him, I would not be here with you now.
Silence descended between the two young people. After a minute the boy spoke softly, as though to himself,
-I suppose I should thank him…
-Why?
Realizing he had said that part out loud, the boy looked away into the distance, blushing, his hair falling a little more in front of his eyes, so as to hide his rosy cheeks, which didn't go unnoticed.
-Because I like you, you're my friend and if it weren't for him, I would not know you…
-Thank you… Byakuya…
END OF FLASH BACK
Kuchiki Byakuya was a man of few words, an example of nobility, who had all the traits of a noble born of a very noble clan… Distant, detached, emotionless, he did not get involved in petty matters; his station did not allow it. He was wealthy, his Ginpakukazaharu being the best example of it, for if sold, the precious scarf could buy you ten houses…
He had been taught, from the time he could speak, that he was above everyone else, that he could not associate with the people below his station, the "trash" as they had put it… A definition for nobility could be put into four words: wealth, arrogance, rigidity and aloofness. The world of a noble, especially the head of the clan, revolved around duty, to his family, to his clan, to his job.
Kuchiki Byakuya had defied the rules three times in the past: the first time had been about love, the two others about the promises he had made out of love. He had married Hisana, a commoner, because he had loved her deeply. She had been his safe haven when he would come back from his duties as a shinigami. She had made him smile, she had made him happy. And yet, fate took her away from him after only five years of blissful marriage, an unknown illness slowly killing her…
Losing her had changed him, it had left an replaceable void in his soul. The wall of unconditional trust and love in his heart had been reduced to pieces, small, sharp pieces that cut deeply, relentlessly.
Because of his promise made to his late wife, he had found Rukia, the sister of his late wife, and had adopted her into the clan. This affront, according to the clan elders, had been the second time Byakuya had defied the rules of nobility, and of his clan. And during the incident with Rukia, her almost execution, Byakuya had defied the rules a third time, and it had had consequences:
"one who commits a crime must suffer the consequences. If one is sentenced to death, the execution must take place. Those are the rules. In light of the rules, all personal feelings have no value. The Kuchiki family is one of the four noble families. We are the role models for all shinigami. If we do not obey the rules: who will?"
Someone else had committed a crime, supposedly. And she had been sentenced too.
FLASH BACK
-Grandpa?
-Yes Byakuya? Said the old man
-Where is Ayame? She was supposed to come this morning and I have yet to see her. Has something happened to her? Is she alright?
Sitting in his study, the old taicho put down his cup of tea slowly, his face betraying no emotion at all. His voice neutral, he answered:
-She will not be coming back Byakuya. She has been exiled.
-So she's left me, said the boy bitterly. Just like Yoruichi…
-I'm sorry Byakuya…
END OF FLASH BACK
Remembering these memories, reminiscing, Byakuya had a valid theory, superstitious though it may have been: he was cursed. Indded, all the women in his life never lasted long… His mother had died giving him birth, Yoruichi, the hell cat, had abandoned him to leave Seireitei with this Urahara Kisuke. Ayame had left too, although a small voice in his mind always added that she had not left of her own free will, but he never listened. Hisana had been with him for five years and then she had died… The only one who had not yet left him was his adopted sister, and yet, he had almost lost her. Kuchiki Byakuya was not a man who believed in curses, but there was a logic to his reasoning, facts that could not be just coincidences, or which could not be just ignored…
He was cursed to feel for women who would eventually leave him.
AN: a lot of them, very informative!
Jigai: means "suicide" in Japanese, yet it is the "seppuku" or "hara kiri" for women. Some females belonging to samurai family committed suicide by cutting the jugular vein with a knife such as a tantō or kaiken. The main purpose was to achieve a quick and certain death in order to avoid capture. Before committing suicide, a woman would often tie her knees together so her body would be found in a dignified pose, despite the convulsions of death. Jigai, however, does not refer exclusively to this particular mode of suicide. Jigai was often done to preserve one's honor if a military defeat was imminent, so as to prevent rape. Invading armies would often enter homes to find the lady of the house seated alone, facing away from the door. On approaching her, they would find that she had ended her life long before they reached her.
Ginpakukazaharu: very expensive scarf, that Kuchiki Byakuya wears at all times… Actually, he's rarely seen without it… huh… and yet, he's so gorgeous without it…. ( anime drop on the authors head)… Sorry ladies, he's mine!!!! (evil laugh)
JAPANESE WORDS:
Isashiburi desu ne?: It's been a while, hasn't it?
O genki desu ka?:How are you?
Genki desu: I'm fine
Arigatou: thank you
Soutaicho: general commander
Taicho: captain
Fukutaicho: lieutenant