The 14th Court Guard Squad, The Girl From 78th District Rukon Arc, Chapter 4, Senbonzakura
~Three weeks later~
Byakuya and I walked side by side through the Squad 5 Barracks. Ginrei, Sojun, Koga and most of Squad 6 was out battling a group of hollows. Because of that Byakuya and I had come to the squad 5 Barracks in search of something to do. We had come to the Squad 5 Barracks to say hello to Shinji. But when we had gotten to Shinji's room Aizen had been there with him and it obviously ended in an argument. Byakuya and Shinji had to practically drag us both away so we wouldn't kill each other. Byakuya and I then turned the corner and saw Gin standing there. We both stopped. "What do you want, Ichimaru?" I asked angrily. "Your too late." We both looked at each then back at Gin. "What do you mean, were too late?" Asked Byakuya. "He's already dead." Said Gin and we both gasped. Gin then flashed stepped away. Byakuya went to flash step after him but I grabbed his arm and pulled him back. "Don't Byakuya it could be a trap." Byakuya stopped. "Okay, but what should we do, if were not going to follow him?" Asked Byakuya and I could hear the worry in his voice. He was worried about his family. About Sojun, Ginrei, his aunt and Koga. "For now we will just head back to the Kuchiki Manor. We have to tell Sojun about this. And don't worry, for all we know he could mean one of my brothers." I said looking down sadly. Byakuya pulled me into his arms and I rested my head against his chest. After a couple minutes he let go of me and the two of us headed back towards the Kuchiki Manor. It took us about 20 minutes to get to the Kuchiki Manor and when we got there we saw a swarm of people out front. We looked at each other. Did this mean... The moment all the people saw Byakuya they moved to the sides allowing Byakuya and I to get to the gate. The two guards crossed their weapons. "No civilians... Oh Miss Shihoin, Master Kuchiki it's just you." They un-crossed their weapons and we entered the Kuchiki Manor grounds. We quickly headed inside. After a couple minutes we got to the living room and I gasped. On chairs in the living room sat Ginrei, Koga, and Koga's wife, Natsumi. In front of them sat a black coffin. "No, please god no." I said quietly. I looked at Byakuya. He swallowed hard. He walked over to the coffin and I did to. Inside the black coffin was the body of Sojun Kuchiki. I felt two tears drip down my face. I looked over at Byakuya and wiped the tears from my face. I felt bad for him. He, like me, had lost his mother and his father, at such a young age. I watched as tears dripped down his face and felt an overwhelming urge to comfort him. "Father, no." I looked down sadly as two more tears dripped down my face. I then felt Byakuya's eyes on me and I looked up. He was snarling right at me. He took a step towards me and I took a step back. Why was he directing his anger at me? "THIS IS ALL YOUR FAULT! YOU GOT HIM, AND THE REST OF MY FAMILY INVOLVED IN YOUR STUPID MESSED UP LIFE AND NOW MY FATHER IS DEAD!" Byakuya took another step forward and I took another step back. "Im sorry Byakuya, I never knew this would happen. I never wanted anything like this to happen." I said taking another step back as he took another step forward. "I swear on my life that I didnt want this to happen." I said as Byakuya took another step forward, and I took another step back. "YOU'RE LIFE! YOUR STUPID, MESSED UP LIFE DOESNT MATTER! WHAT MATTERS IS THE FACT THAT MY FATHER IS DEAD BECAUSE OF YOU! YOU'RE JUST ANOTHER STUPID GILR FROM RUKON!" Everyone else in the room including me gasped. Ginrei and Koga got to their feet. "What do you mean, just another girl from Rukon?" Asked Ginrei. "I BROUGHT YOU IN AND YOU CAUSED HIS DEATH! I COVERED FOR YOU SO THAT YOU COULD TRACK DOWN THAT MURDERER AND THEN YOU ENDED UP DRAGGING US INTO YOUR STUPID MESSED UP LIFE!" Byakuya took another step forward then grabbed me by the front of the shirt. "YOU DRAGGED US ALL INTO THIS AND GOT MY FATHER KILLED! ARE YOU HAPPY NOW?" I shook my head. "Why would that make me happy? You and Sojun and everyone else were all so nice to me! Why would I want any of you dead?" I asked. Byakuya pushed me back and I hit the wall. I tensed as Byakuya walked over to me. He then punched at me. I closed my eyes waiting to feel the punch connect with my face but it didnt happen. I opened my eyes to see that Ginrei and Koga had both pulled Byakuya back. "LET ME GO!" Exclaimed Byakuya angrily. Natsumi walked over to me and gently rested her hand on my shoulder. "Are you alright Sango?" I nodded. The door slid open and Lady Yoruichi walked in followed by Captain Urahara. Koga and Ginrei let go of Byakuya and Yoruichi walked over to him. Captain Urahara walked over to me and Natsumi walked over to Koga and Ginrei. Captain Urahara then kneeled in front of me. "Don't worry Sango, this isn't your fault. Don't start blaming yourself just yet. Yoruichi and I found out about something that you all need to hear." Said Captain Urahara and I nodded. Two more tears then dripped down my cheeks and Captain Urahara gently brushed them away. He then stood up. He rested his hand on my shoulder and I rested my head against his side. I then saw that Yoruichi had her eyes locked with Byakuya's. This seemed to calm him down a bit. "Calm down Byakuya, this isn't Sango's fault." Said Yoruichi. Shinji then walked in closing the door behind him. "What do you mean?" Asked Byakuya. "Aizen wasn't targeting Sojun. Sojun's sickness meant that he would most likely never become the Head of the Kuchiki Clan." Said Yoruichi. "Aizen was targeting you, Byakuya." Said Captain Urahara and we both gasped. I felt a strong urge to be closer to Byakuya but I was too afraid of what he might say to me if I did move closer to him. "But why me?" Asked Byakuya and I could hear the terror in his voice. "Because you are the next head of the Kuchiki Clan." I said. Byakuya looked at Kisuke and he nodded. Now it made sense to me. "You are the next head of the Kuchiki Clan, because of that Aizen wanted you dead. If you died then Aizen would have the perfect opportunity to kill Ginrei, while he grieved over the loss of his Grandson. And once Ginrei was out of the way there would be no one left to protect Sango, or the Kuchiki Clan." Byakuya's eyes narrowed. "What does the Kuchiki Clan have to do with this?" Asked Byakuya angrily. "Like most people, Aizen knows about the child that is going to born into the Kuchiki Clan in about half a year…" Yoruichi trailed off. "If he could kill you, Sojun, Ginrei and Koga then make it seem like Natsumi died during child birth, then he could ultimately take over the Kuchiki Clan. Many people trust him and because of that they wouldn't doubt it at all if he said that Natsumi died in child birth. He could then take the child and promise to raise it so that it could be the next head of the Kuchiki Clan, and within that time he would be the acting head of the Kuchiki Clan." Said Captain Urahara. "The four great noble clans all hold a lot of power, because of that Aizen would gain support and a lot of influence if he were to take over the Kuchiki Clan. And from what you have told us Sango, it is obvious that he wouldn't use the support or influence in a good way." Said Yoruichi. "We found out about his plans and confronted him about it, with a rather large threat. And now we can be sure that he won't be targeting the Kuchiki Clan again." Said Captain Hirako. Yoruichi, Kisuke and Shinji walked over to Ginrei. Byakuya looked back at Sojun's coffin. He then dropped to his knees and buried his face in his hands. He started sobbing and I walked over to him. I sat down beside him and pulled him into my arms. He wrapped his arms around me and sobbed into my Kimono. "It's all my fault this happened!" I shook my head and cooed in Byakuya's ear. "No it's not. It's my fault. If I had focused on getting Aizen exiled like I should have then none of this would have happened. Im sorry Byakuya." Byakuya looked up at me and I met his teary slate eyes with my brown ones. "Im sorry Sango. I acted so cruel to you. I blamed father's death on you when it was my fault. Im a terrible friend! I mean I blamed his death on you, my best friend, and then tried to hurt you. Im a disappointment as a friend and a future head of the Kuchiki Clan." I gasped. "No you're not Byakuya!" He rested his head against my chest again. I pulled his hair tie out then ran my fingers through Byakuya's silky black hair. I could tell that Byakuya took comfort from it so I kept running my fingers through his hair. I had to admit that I took some comfort from it as well. Byakuya then pushed me back slightly. "Leave me alone. I don't deserve to be comforted!" Exclaimed Byakuya. "It's my fault all this happened! Im such a fool!" I saw tears drip down his face. "YOU IDIOT! Who ever said that I was comforting you because you wanted me to? I was comforting you because it made me feel a bit better!" Byakuya gasped. "The least you can do is help me feel better." Byakuya moved forwards slightly and rested his head against my chest again. I then began to run my fingers through his hair again. I watched Byakuya as I ran my fingers through his hair. His eyes were closed and I could sense just how much he had calmed down. After a couple minutes his breathing became slower and deeper, he was asleep. Yoruichi walked over to me. "I can carry him to his room for you, Sango." She went to pick him up but I gently pushed her hands back. "No thanks, Lady Yoruichi." She smiled. "Oh I see, you want to keep him to yourself. That must mean that you LOVE him." I felt my face go red. Lady Yoruichi's smile turned to a smirk. "I DO NOT LOVE BYAKUYA!" I exclaimed angrily. "And the reason I said no is because Byakuya wants to stay close to Sojun." I looked at the clock. It had already been an hour and a half. It was 5:30 and the spring sun was just starting to set. Natsumi got up from her seat. "I'll go and tell them to start dinner." Koga nodded. Byakuya shifted and I rested my head against his. After a little while some women brought us food. I then gently shook Byakuya awake. His eyes flickered open and he looked up at me. "It's time for dinner." I let go of him and he sat up. A woman then handed a tray of food to each of us. We sat side by side and ate our dinner and when we were done we gave our trays to one of the women. Byakuya moved closer to me and crossed his legs. He pulled me into his lap and I blushed slightly. I rested my head against his chest and he rested his head against mine. "Im sorry Sango, I was an idiot to blame fathers death on you. I was just so stupid. But that isn't an excuse. I tried to hurt you, I…" I narrowed my eyes at him. "I don't deserve such a good friend. Im just so damn stupid. I was the one who got you involved. I put you in danger and I…" I slapped Byakuya and his eyes went wide. "We should be protecting each other. It shouldn't be you constantly trying to protect me. It's insulting when you won't even let me protect you! I thought we were friends Byakuya!" He gasped. "Im sorry Sango, I just…" I snarled. "STOP APOLOGIZING!" I exclaimed angrily. Byakuya smiled slightly and nodded. I rested my head against his chest again and closed my eyes. Byakuya kissed my forehead. "I hope that one day you can forgive me." Said Byakuya and I could hear the sadness in his voice. "I have already forgiven you Byakuya." He then gently kissed me on the lips. I smiled and let myself doze off.
*Byakuya*
I gently picked Sango up and carried her to my room. I put her down on my bed and pulled the blankets up around her. I then layed down on the bed beside her and watched as she slept. She looked so peaceful. Even though she had already forgiven me, I had still not forgiven myself. How could I? I had blamed fathers' death on her. I had tried to hurt her. How could I forgive myself for such a thing? I had treated her so awfully when really it was my fault. After a couple hours her eyes flickered open. "Byakuya?" Sango sat up. "What's wrong?" I shook my head. "It's nothing." I saw a bit of worry on her face. I had only known Sango for about 3 weeks and yet I was already so close to her. And I was close to her in a different way too. I was friends with Hiyori; I was friends with Yoruichi, and Kisuke. But with Sango it was different. I didn't want to be Sango's friend. I wanted to be more than Sango's friend. That was when the thought of Yoruichi teasing me about liking Sango popped into my head. I shook my head slightly. That was when I heard numerous sets of footsteps headed towards my room. Both of my doors opened and guards walked in. "We are here to escort Sango Li Abarai back to Rukongai District number 78 Inuzuri." Both Sango and I gasped. "If you refuse to come quietly then we have orders to take you by force." I looked over at Sango. "Fine, just let me grab something of mine." They all stood straight. She walked over to the closet and opened it. That was when she threw Senbonzakura at me. I caught my Zanpakto and drew it. I jumped off the bed and into the center of the room. Sango jumped to my back and we stood back to back. Me with Senbonzakura and her with two Seela Schneider. All the men then jumped at us. "Sango stay close to me." She nodded. "Scatter, Senbonzakura." Senbonzakura then flower around the two of us and began to slice at all of the guards. I needed Sango to stay close to me because if she didn't then there was a possibility of her getting hurt by Senbonzakura. That was the exact reason that I had the 85 cm safe zone. All of the guards then fell to the ground. That was when Grandfather and Koga walked in. "Byakuya let her go. She has to return to Rukon, it is where she belongs." I snarled and turned to face him. I glanced over my shoulder at Sango. She looked afraid. I looked back at Grandfather. "I don't care what you say! Sango doesn't belong in Rukon! She belongs right here, with me!" I exclaimed angrily. Grandfather sighed. He then drew his zanpakto. That was when Sango stepped between us. "Wait, instead of actually fighting it out, in which case one of you would get badly hurt, why don't you have a different kind of fight?" We both looked at each other then at Sango. "Fine then." Said Ginrei. "If you can get my down on one knee, then I will let Sango stay. But if I defeat you then Sango returns to Rukon." I nodded. "Fine but I have a rule of my own. No Bankai. It's only fair considering the fact that I don't have a Bankai yet." Grandfather nodded. We then walked out into the yard. Sango ran over to me. She wrapped her arms around me and I wrapped my arms around her. That was when the thought that this may be our last moment together flashed through my head. Sango looked up at me and I kissed her. If this was our last moment together then I wanted it to be a good moment. I then pulled away. Koga grabbed Sango by the arm and pulled her back so she wasn't in the way. I turned and met Grandfathers eyes with my own. "Are you ready Byakuya?" I reached into my pocket and grabbed a hair tie. I kept a small stash of them on me because of the fact that mine were constantly stolen by Sango and Yoruichi. I then tied my hair up. "Anytime." Grandfather then flash stepped behind me. I turned and our Zanpakto clashed. He then pushed me back. I spun in the air and landed perfectly on my feet. I then jumped at him and our zanpakto clashed again and again. He then flash stepped behind me and I slashed right at him without even looking. His zanpakto clashed with mine again and I saw that his eyes were wide. He obviously hadn't expected my reactions to be that fast. He held out one of his hands. "Hado, 33 Sokatsui." I dodged Sokatsui then kicked at Grandfather. He jumped back and landed perfectly on his feet. "You seriously need to stop doing that." Grandfather looked at me. "Doing what?" He asked and I smirked. "You need to stop under estimating me." Grandfather smirked. "I guess so. It's just that you're stronger than I expected." My smirk widened. "Well you haven't seen anything yet."
"Scatter, Senbonzakura"
The 14th Court Guard Squad Profiles
Name: Gin Ichimaru
Race: Soul Reaper
Height: 4'4 1/2"
Weight: 67 lbs
Birthdate: September 10
Birthplace: Rukongai
Blood Type: AB-
Status: Alive
Hair Color: Silver
Eye Color: Turquoise
Likes: Dried Persimmons, Playing Jokes
Dislikes: People with no sense of humor, Boiled eggs, broccoli
Favorite Color: Ice Blue
Best Friend(S): Rangiku Matsumoto
Position: Lieutenant
Previous Position: 3rd Seat
Squadron: 5
Previous Squadron: 5
Partner(S): Sosuke Aizen
Previous Partner(S): Rangiku Matsumoto
Shikai: Shinsou
Release Command: Shoot to kill Shinsou
Bankai: Not yet achieved