Tears half blinded her and her chest burned- the picture had filtered his pain but seeing him in the flesh, so close, those eyes, so full of wont and so lost, her tears came unbidden. Her feet stopped and she took deep gasps of air. She wasn't ready to look at him, not with those eyes. She leaned against a wall and slipped down she closed her eyes against the gray wall opposite her, she wasn't ready to see those eyes up close, she wasn't ready to take responsibility that came with those eyes. She took a deep breath and opened her eyes, seeing immediately the skinny yellow flower growing at the bottom of the wall- she could though stand seeing her own face it wouldn't be the same eyes, but it would be the same face; different eyes but not hard to look into. Sighing, Hisana got up and headed to the place she knew.
Byakuya had seen her, very clearly in yellow against all that black and when she had climbed up on the wall he had seen that too- in fact the moment she had made it to the from the was aware of her presence, but he had chose not too look. He did find it irritating that he was fighting his fukutaicho and his sister's presence distracting- a woman with whom he had spent the past fifty three years but at this moment he could not pay attention to his raging fukutaicho, he wanted to look at her, stare at the bright yellow at the corner of his eyes, find out what was distracting him so.
He saw her slip forward and saw her be pulled back but beneath the rage of his fukutaicho's reiatsu, he felt Hisana, distant and smothered, a flicker in the wind, a thought amongst dreams there was a whiff of the departed. Choice-less he looked back and saw those eyes, that face he had seen so often on his sister perfect beauty that ripped him to shreds. They stared at each other, memory and reality blending, distracting him and then she was gone, swallowed by the wall of uniforms but he could not stop staring because unlike all the other times, for the first time in fifty three years, he had lost his breath and his mind was frazzled.
Of course all of this happened in seconds and the battle in front of him was in every definition still going on. Renji came at his Taicho, from the air, the man had looked away but he knew his Taicho better, even if he was looking away, his senses was trained on him. The red head wield the zanpactu and it came down. Hitsugaya looked up from his hand he was flexing and at the sound of shocked gasps to see Kuchiki Taicho being diced by his fukutaicho. The red head pulled his zanpactu out, leaving a wound that cut bone and jumped back, looking at his Taicho in confusion. The air was tense with shock and the people in the crowd waited, breath abated.
"Tai-cho?" Renji was confused, his Taicho's blood was on his zanpactu, he had injured the man badly with a single swipe, a gash in his uniform, he could see bone and the blood dripping from fingertips and then he was gone and before Renji could even consider reacting, he was falling in a wave of pain, his blood exploding before his eyes and the permanent red stain of his hair dropping about his shoulders. Renji lay still, his body not as hurt as his mind- he had just injured his Taicho and not in the way he would have liked. There was no hard work involved, he just came at him and did not gauge the man properly, that was all.
"Do not under any circumstance Abarai let your guard down." Byakuya's voice came like deep grating steel over the cough of his footsteps as he came into view. He paused, two drops of blood falling on the dusty floor and Renji's blood rushed to meet them and then the noble turned away, heading back to the corridor of subordinates. Hitsugaya was startled, his fukutaicho giving out a gasp and was now talking like an excited girl to the equally shocked men around her, staring in disbelief at their injured Taicho and at the stoic man coming to them. Hitsugaya slipped between the men to the front as Kuchiki Taicho came, taking his scarf from the shocked third seat who held it.
"We should get you to Unohanna," Hitsugaya said, folding the silk and holding it to his chest. Byakuya looked at him, expressionless as ever but Hitsugaya could see a change in his eyes.
"Yes," He answered gratingly, for the first time looking down at his wound, he could not feel a thing, the tendons had been completely severed. He had never been injured this badly by his subordinate before but seeing her shocked him.
"Matsumoto you may come with us.' Hitsugaya said, turning around and making his was down the path of separated subordinates, tagging after Byakuya. Matsumoto had to bite her lips shut and for once she was mad at the boy of her Taicho, didn't he know how important it was that she ran off to the sake house and tell everyone of what happened? This was gossip of the century!
"Hitsugaya Taicho, when was Rukia due to return?"
"Tonight I believe."
"Did anyone notify you of otherwise?"
"No." Byakuya was silent, his steps steady, it was as though his blood was not cooling and he was in immense pain., but his mind was on the bare foot girl sitting on the wall, it was so Hisana to do that.
"Her behavior had changed," Matsumoto said softly, "she said it was part of her becoming more easygoing." Byakuya pouted slightly, his only expression to her words, even the excuse was clever like Hisana.
"I could check with her Squad for you," Hitsugaya offered, Byakuya shifted his head slightly, started out of his own thoughts.
"No need," He answered," I will see her tonight at dinner." Surely by that time those eyes, that face would have changed. The entered the medical squad with his wounds and everyone was set up in a fuss for medicines and balms and their Taicho. She came later with a look of disapproval, her features jumping to shock as she saw the shirtless noble being tended to and the report of the injuries sustained.
"Abarai fukutaicho's injuries were mild for this kind of attack," She finally said, putting down the report stating the need for bone, muscle and tissue reconstruction.
"Please flex your hand," the female attendant asked softly.
"It was a cause of my own distraction," Was his only answer, she looked him over, as closed a a book.
"Then can you desist from being distracted?" She asked softly, looking over the perfect job of one of her subordinates.
"I shall desist."
"Hitsugaya Taicho," Matsumoto came haltingly.
"What is it Rangiku? Hitsugaya was back in his office studying his hands.
"I am concerned about Rukia," She sighed, dropping down on the couch of the office. Hitsugaya nodded distractedly. "I mean I like the new her but the change is so sudden." She continued.
"Are you threatened?" Hitsugaya answered absently.
"What? No! Of course not!" Matsumoto laughed, "I cannot be replaced by some girl changed overnight." She flicked her hair.
"Because she might have some on you." Hitsugaya said, giving up looking at his hands and getting to a report.
"What is that supposed to mean?" She scoffed with a pout at the pile of papers on the center table.
"Her bust is larger than it used to be," He said, glancing at his hand again. The truth was everything about her was larger, fuller, softer. Her body was as though she had not spent the last fifty three years training to be a Shinigami.
"Her bust?" Matsumoto sighed at her Taicho's inexperience, "I do admit she does have a bit of a glow and in those clothes she just stands out- wait Toshiro!" She gasped, getting out of the couch quickly, her bust jumping , "you don't think..." She gasped and Hitsugaya looked up at her sudden silence. "You don't think she," She covered her mouth in excitement.
"Now Matsumoto don't draw assumptions." Hitsugaya warned.
"So how do you explained the glow and the sudden change of attitude? Her clothes are different and even her dress!" Matsumoto squealed again, "I wonder which one though, Renji or Ichigo."
"I hardly doubt she would defile herself with either." Hitsugaya shuffled more papers, Matsumoto sighed with impatience at her Taicho's ignorance.
"When a woman changes herself only two things could have happened either death or-"
"You should observe more before drawing assumptions," Hitsugaya retorted getting up and picking up another pile of papers. Matsumoto pouted in consideration.
"I guess you're right," She sighed getting up.
"Good now help me with this paperwork," Hitsugaya looked up and around, she was gone, "MATSUMOTO!"
Getting home was not based on memory- in fact it never was for the tree years she spent with her husband the method of getting home was quite easy, walk straight to the highest point of the the Sereitei until everything looked familiar. Needless to say it worked exactly the same as it seemed Sereitei hadn't changed for as long as she had been gone. The trees that lined the path were the same in number but had grown in fifty three years- gnarled and bent but in all the same. She wandered up one path and down another, her memories of the strolls and conversations rapidly coming back so that her head hurt. She wandered past the gates and through the opened doors of the front room of the first building. Change had happened there, someone had changed floor boards and a new vase stood in the corner, the adjacent garden had flowers whose names she didn't know and she was glad, her husband was at least living.
"Lady Rukia!" Hisana smiled at the aged adviser who squinted at her- well at least not everything had changed.
"Good day," She smiled, folding her hands in her kimono.
"Byakuya- sama is not home yet."
"I know," Still she couldn't believe he didn't recognize her.
"it is nice to see you in something beside your uniform Lady Rukia would you stay in it until Lord Byakuya returns?"
"He has already seen me," She answered, wandering out of the room, he followed.
"I suppose you would like to go to your room?"
"After," She answered, heading down a path she knew so well. The adviser frowned at her footsteps, the first of his suspicion arising as she took a sure footed way to the deceased Lady Hisana's room. The room was almost as she had left it, futon covered in light colored sheets, her table with the same kind of flowers in its small vase. Someone had taken the liberty of putting her papers in order. She flicked though the old books and studied the paintings with lazy eyes.
"Lady Rukia!" The adviser gasped," what are you doing in here!" She had given him the slip somewhere along the corridors and made it to the room but now he had found her.
"Looking," She answered, returning her attention to the sleeping face she had drawn, the stretch of chest and the shoulders nestled in silk, she could feel his eyes on her and she resisted the urge to smile and trace the mouth of the man she knew.
"Lady Rukia, I must insist that you leave this place at once!" Hisana felt irritation at the old fool who was disturbing her reminisce. She scowled at him.
"All right, don't get your panties in a bunch," She snapped, throwing the book back on the table where she knew she had left it fifty three years ago and folding her arms, stormed out. In a way she was flattered by the old man wanting to protect her memory so- she always thought the man was against Byakuya being with her from the start but the way he muttered curses about careless women and how he tenderly put the book back, it was apparent that wasn't the case. Then again a servant's happiness was based on the master's and from what she could see, Byakuya -sama was far from happy.
"Lady Rukia," It was a new face, timid and halfheartedly exerting, "I have been ordered to escort you to your room." She sighed and shook her head, and here she was going to visit her old garden.
"Lead on." Once again, she was in a post of convenience, having a servant feeling happy they were doing their job while she ignorant for the past was learning of it. As she was lead though, she began to feel a sense of apprehension. She was being lead away to the room furthest from Byakuya-sama's quarters which was odd considering Rukia would have been the only other person sharing this wing with him and she, Hisana herself had only ever had two personal rooms leaving some sixteen rooms for Rukia to choose from, yet the girl stayed in the one furthest from her nii-sama.
"Would you like a bath Lady Rukia?" She shook her head and shut the door behind her. This left her wondering- what kind of relationship did Rukia have with her nii-sama? Was there any at all? Knowing how stubborn her Byakuya was, she only just realized that just because she made him promise on her death bed to adopt her sister when he found her didn't mean he would love her and they would be going on picnics and talking about her boyfriend problems or anything.
In fact the just realized Byakuya-sama probably knew nothing of his sister and apart from making sure she was alive, did nothing to influence her life on a whole. Hisana frowned and looked around he large room, everything was so neat and it was not servant done but rather, as messy as she was, her sister was neat and that got Hisana wondering if everything about them was opposite.
"And I told you not to come but do you ever listen to me?" Rukia scolded, knocking the orange head boy beside her over the head.
"Hey I just thought I'd visit the Sereitei a little, you know, shake things up perhaps get in a fight or two with Eleventh and pound the shit out of Renji, maybe send up Byakuya's pressure-"
"You will not harass nii-sama in anyway." Rukia warned angrily, stepping into the Sereitei.
"Aw come on, from what you have been not telling me I can say Byakuya is back to his boring old ways of being a noble-"
"And what is wrong with leading a peaceful life? You should try that yourself Ichigo."
"I think how ever many centuries were enough of a peaceful life for him, besides, between beating Renji and the eleventh, I would only just be able to squeeze him in on my busy schedule."
"So long as you don't go out of your way."
"Rukia, changed so soon?" Said girl looked back to see Matsumoto coming up from behind.
"Matsumoto, it is good to see you."
"Why did you run off?"
"Oh Matsumoto, I am sorry for not telling you but I had my orders."
"Orders?"
"Yes and now Ichigo has decided he would like to come back with me-"
"Do you know where Renji is? I have a fight with him." Ichigo retorted. Matsumoto looked over the pair, Rukia had changed in the hours she had seen the girl. She looked paler and thin, more stern and worn, there was no light to her like before and her chest was quite flat.
"In the Infirmary-"
"What happened!" Rukia gasped.
"He was sparring with Kuchiki Taicho and he injured him and then they went to the Infirmary-"
"Wait, who injured who?" Matsumoto frowned at Ichigo, really even though she had started a bit late, the whole Sereitei by now knew the story.
"Renji injured Kuchiki Taicho."
"Nii-sama!" Rukia rushed into the ward she had been directed to. Byakuya looked up as the small girl halted at the edge of the bed beside which he stood, adjusting his uniform. Her face was full of concern but changed, weary and tired were the only things on them, she was back in her uniform and her zanpactu by her side- she looked like the woman he had been living with for the past fifty three years. The one who adored him and feared him and thanked him for his favor to her, for making her his sister.
"What is is Rukia?" The small woman did not miss the quick scan of her brother's eyes before his answer and the lack of formality in his voice, as though he had already known she was there and had gotten over the nostalgia of her absence.
"Nii-sama, Matsumoto just told me you were injured." This was not the woman sitting on the wall, not the creature in the yellow kimono and blue obi, not the one with the wide eyes that stopped his heart, not the reason he was injured.
"Is Renji getting that good?" He looked up to see the orange haired nightmare of a boy walk in with a grin on his face.
"It wasn't like that." The pair started and looked around to see Renji sitting on a chair whittling slowly.. "I only injured Kuchiki Taicho because he was distracted."
"Distracted?" Ichigo frowned, he had never know Byakuya to be distracted. Arrogant and hard headed yes but never distracted. "What the hell was so distracting?" Byakuya paused.
"Ichigo, nii-sama's business is none of our business." Rukia scolded.
"It's quite all right Rukia," The noble answered, putting on his new Taicho's robes, "I was distracted because I thought I saw your sister."
AN- a bit of a long chap... it wud have cum sooner but I got a cold... wahh!!! fever!!! u know, I don't get it but why when people write half a page of AN they get more reviews??? does anyone else notice that? I'd try it but that's just not my style... any who, if you wanna find out more, stick around!