Thank you to all my reviewers! You are so nicee! I cannot thank you enough! Thank you to my readers too! I'd like to answer some questions :D
TheCatWithTheHat: Yes, Reika is dead :'( And yes, that was Orihime. And yes! You are absolutely right. But since Ichigo and Orihime have normal human life spans, I'd like you to think that they already went through the cycle. So, they died in the living world, went to soul society, but died there as well and have been reincarnated back into the living world. Because Hisana died so early, she's been through the cycle lots of times and has been reincarnated lots of times. Thank you for pointing that out! I probably wouldn't have noticed...and...no. The murderer isn't Aizen :D but that was a good guess...
Other notes: Byakkuya is not a noble... not this time.. and since this is set 500 years into the future, Karakura Town will be different. But don't expect flying hovercrafts or robots to be in the spotlight... But Byakkuya is of the very few who can still cook with his own hands, and not have to use instant meal tablets or robot help. OK... I'm probably not making any sense. I'd also like you to know that there is no school, it doesn't exist anymore :)
Also! I will be EXTREMELY impressed if anyone can guess who the murderer is. EXTREMELY. And you might get a prize! Hint: He/she is a Bleach character.
As I watched Reika's soul go by, it burned, angrily, at so unfair of a death.
Reika didn't get to grow up, didn't get to warn Hanabi, and didn't get to live. I watched. Souls are soft but cold, and they have so many different colours. I have seen ones that glow dimly, and ones that are completely dull and lifeless. But the ones that truly burn, casting off light in such brilliance- they are the ones that I watch. I watched Reika's soul detach from her body, and walk with anguish, pale and colourless yet burning brightly.
I didn't want to die…It will not be long before one of my death gods find her, cut the chain, and send her off to Soul Society, where I will wait for her. She didn't want to die- but, for only a very few will death come when they want it to. This murderer. I watch him, too. I know of his ignorance, his avarice, his cruelty, and most of all, his sorrow. You will find, fair reader, that no humans will ever be of one colour. This world is neither black or white, for we tread in many shades of grey. No human will ever be purely good or purely evil, for it will always be a mix of each other, fighting with each other. That is what makes them so interesting.
Let me explain one thing.
The wall.
Karakura Town is split into two, the rich and the poor. It was done because too many of the rich would cause chaos, and too many of the poor would cause desolation. There is a wall that separates them, a silent, cold stone wall that is impenetrable. And in the middle of the wall, right smack in the middle, is a building. It is the highest building in the town. It rules over everything, and the people there are unknown, just shadows. They govern over everything and make sure everything and everyone is controlled, that the rich do not become too rich, and the poor to never become too poor. There is some measure of peace, I suppose. There has not been a war for so long that many have forgotten what it is.
However, the wall was built almost solely of having the means to control the people.
Half of the building is on the poor side, and half of it is on the rich side. They people of the rich and poor side are completely separated. They will never cross the wall, and it is strictly forbidden. Each have their own police, their own hospitals, their own stores. The people are content—they do not seek anything, because they have never known there was anything to seek. They live in comfort, in ignorance. Our heroine of the story, Hanabi, on the poor side, will get the rare opportunity to see the rich side.
It was snowing, the world blanketed in white and the snowflakes swirling peacefully to the ground. The first snowfall of the year, in November. Everything looked beautiful and tranquil.
The funeral was a quiet one. Reika had no relatives. Her last name was unknown. She was buried in the local cemetery. Hanabi silently berated herself for not asking for a way to contact Ichijo.. a phone number, anything. He had disappeared, but perhaps it would not have mattered anyway. Ichijo barely knew Reika, and yet the brief exchanges they had shared gave the impression that they had been good friends.
Afterwards, everything seemed unreal. Hanabi's fragile feeling of peace had been shattered. They continued work at the restaurant, but business was slow, which was a good thing because Reika was no longer there. She was gone, nothing but a vacant chair and no one to buy tomatoes.
"Byakkuya," she said. "I'm going to find the murderer."
He looked at her with the eyes of an old man. None of them expected this. The police were all over, yet none of them had any idea to the murderer's true identity. Hanabi had a clue. It was a membership card to The Red Piano, a high class club. She had found it on the ground, where the police had overlooked, and where Reika had been attacked, so it was most likely the property of the murderer. The card was simply a flat piece of paper, but Hanabi clung onto it, refusing to give up, while Byakkuya looked at her sadly with eyes filled with hurt and sorrow.
"Reika didn't deserve to die," she whispered, pleading, looking into the depths of those grey eyes that remained blank.
"The Red Piano isn't here, so it must be on the other side of the wall," he said, his voice flat, defeated.
"There is a way to the other side through the building in the middle," answered Hanabi, refusing to give up. "If the murderer found a way through, we can too. If you won't go, I'll go alone."
"Hanabi-san, Byakkuya-san!"
It was Takahime Inoue, the police officer who had seen Reika minutes before her murder. "Nice restaurant you've got here!"
"Uh, Inoue-san," began Byakkuya. "Would we be able to see a picture of the murderer?"
The officer glared at him. "No! Last night someone stole into our files and erased all the pictures we had of him, and also took down all the posters," she said angrily, obviously frustrated. "And besides, we're sure he has different disguises. But, we'll catch him soon. You don't need to worry."
See? Byakkuya stared at Hanabi. Give the card to the police, and let them handle it.
The conversation was interrupted by a loud buzzing.
"Yes, this is 1204. What is it?"
"What?"
Hanabi and Byakkuya exchanged worried glances.
"What happened to the police around that area? Don't tell me he got away AGAIN! Listen! LISTEN TO ME! He killed two this time!" Takahime was practically screaming.
"I'll be there with reinforcements right away!" she screeched, distressed.
She replaced the phone-like device back into her pocket. "You need to stay here," she warned Hanabi, her voice tense with strain. "You may be the next target."
Both of their eyes asked her the same thing.
Who is it?
The police officer sighed, a long drawn out sigh that reflected all the despair. She looked at Hanabi, sadly, pitying, her eyes saying I'm sorry.
"Your parents. Found dead in the house."
She refused to believe it, at first. Takahime left, her big grey eyes still regarding Hanabi with pity. Hanabi's house would soon be a crime scene, covered in yellow CAUTION tape.
"No…"
Hanabi ran outside, into the freezing cold world. "Hanabi!" Byakkuya yelled. "What do you think you're doing? Get a jacket or you'll freeze to death!"
But Hanabi didn't care. She just wanted to escape. Her parents. Dead.
No.
Gone.
Forever…
The tears on her cheeks froze immediately in the freezing cold air, and she started to shiver violently. Even so, she fell on her knees, into the soft snow. The hot tears cascaded down her cheeks, but began to freeze, icicles forming on her eyelashes and vertical lines of ice on her cheeks. She remembered Reika's happy, bubbly personality, and her smiling face. There was something there, in the deepest part of her heart. There it was. A feeling like Reika…had been… her sister. And all the grief came crashing down upon her like a great raging current, all the tears she held back…
She was all alone now. Alone. Her parents, gone. Even if they had done nothing but scream at each other, they were still her parents, and in the past, they had smiled, and held both of her hands while swinging her around underneath a cherry blossom tree. Cherry blossoms… Strangely, she felt something else, underneath all that grief. Recognition… She had met Byakkuya before…
"Hanabi!"
Hanabi didn't want to think anymore. She closed her eyes, the cold seeping through to the bone, making her cold, freezing…
The world turned into a hazy blur, and it slowly dimmed until it was pitch black.
Byakuya-sama, why did you pick me? There were a lot of other girls, of noble birth….
They could never compare to you. I love you… I promise you, I'll love you 'till death, and even after that…
Byakkuya took off his jacket and wrapped it around the kneeling figure in the snow, her tear tracks glowing in the half-light. "I'll find the murderer… and I'll protect you, so that you won't ever cry again," he murmured, as he lifted Hanabi up, bridal style, towards the tiny, dusty restaurant. Not just a shabby restaurant—
Home.
Hanabi awoke to a ceiling. Everything came flooding back to her. She sat up, feeling dizzy. She was warm. Thick blankets were piled on top of her. Byakkuya sat in the chair next to her, staring off into space with an expression impossible to read. He noticed her and immediately jumped up and disappeared. He reappeared with a bowl of steaming soup and a spoon. He handed it to her, the eyes soft and a trace of worry in them.
She took the bowl. There was a silence. He had saved her from freezing. In fact, he had saved her from many things. He gave her a place she could call home, a friend to talk to, something to look forward to everyday. She wanted to tell him all that, but couldn't find the words.
Instead, she scooped some soup with her spoon and brought it to her lips. It was pleasantly hot, and filled her with a warm feeling. He made this for her. He took the time… Hanabi's eyes welled up with tears. That's right, she told herself. You were never alone.
Byakkuya noticed, as he was silently observing her.
"Don't cry, Hanabi. I…I hate it when you're sad. I hate it when you get hurt, too."
She looked up at him. Right now, she could only think of two words to say.
"Thank you…"
She tried to put a lot of unsaid things in those two words, and perhaps he understood them, for when Hanabi concentrated on gulping down the soup with gusto, she didn't see the smile on his face.
Don't worry! I didn't forget about the servant in the Kuchiki Manor :D hope you liked this chapter! It's looong, but hope you enjoyed! Guess who the murderer will be after next? *dramatic music*