Disclaimer #1: I do not own Bleach or its characters as they belong to Tite Kubo, but I do own my Original Character in this story, Kohana Hisakane.
Disclaimer #2: Prepare for some major shock value, implications of yaoi (just mentioned, nothing more) and lots and lots of sadness.
Kohana rushed left and right. She was late for her very first day as a shinigami.
"Oh crap! Just my luck that I oversleep on my very first day!"
She yelled, running down the street. The girl saw a line of new recruits and no higher-ups around. Thankfully she was in time. The woman smiled.
"I wonder where they are..."
Kohana pondered out loud. She froze as she heard the small sounds of the little girl, Kusajishi Yachiru. The female decided to look around until she noticed her Taichou and before she knew it the man appeared. Now, Kohana, knew Yachiru was her older sister's daughter upon first glance (that's how similar the small girl looked to her sister), but Zaraki Kenpachi?
"Interesting..."
Well, he rather scared her.
Ch. 10: Last Flower
"Dammit! I can't believe him!"
Kohana cursed. She sat underneath her favorite tree for a second time that beautiful, Spring night. Tonight surely had been a long night, but not the long night the woman had been expecting. She had just ran away from a large argument with Kenpachi. It was the type of argument that made Kohana run out of the room, crying her eyes out while Kenpachi sat there and called himself an idiot. Kohana still cried in the aftermath. She despised crying, but couldn't stop her tears.
"That fuckin' bastard. I absolutely..."
She paused. That fight was still so vivid in her mind. She could recall every bit down to the last detail.
"...I-I don't hate him, but how can I love him after what he said?..."
The woman sighed and went over the details in her mind again. That bastard was going to get a piece of her mind next time she saw him.
"My little flower..."
Kenpachi called. The couple had finished round one of what looked to be a long night full of love-making. Kohana was laying down. She wanted to sleep, but couldn't so she got up. She smiled.
"What is it, sweetheart?"
She said hazily. The blanket that was placed neatly around her and covered all her private areas almost fell. Kenpachi, though, pulled the blanket up. He didn't want to get distracted when he desperately needed to talk to his woman.
"Listen, we need to talk..."
Those words always held a negative connotation. Kohana didn't like them so she thought about something else.
"You know what I've never told you, Kenpachi?"
Her blatant disregard for his previous statement infuriated the larger man.
"Kohana, you aren't listening to me. I told you that we need to talk!"
The pink-haired shinigami didn't want to listen. She didn't even want to speak, but if she didn't speak he would and Kohana didn't want that to happen.
"You know what I've never ever ever told you?"
Now she was just pissing Kenpachi off.
"Listen, Hisakane, I need to know how you feel for me! I can never get a straightforward answer from you. You're such a difficult woman to read!"
Kohana smiled as she stared at her lover...her friend...her Taichou...and so much more...
"You know, I've never ever told you this, but I love you."
Her voice quieted for a brief second.
"I love you, Kenpachi."
Kohana continued smiling. She couldn't tell the exact emotion in Kenpachi's eyes as the room they were in was so dark. How did he feel? Did he return her feelings?
"Love, huh? So you're sayin' that if me and Yasashika were side-by-side, both alive as can be, that you would pick me over him?"
The female gasped at his statement. On one hand, she was pissed that he would ever ask her something like that after she just confessed her love and on the other she was sad. How long had he been thinking about that?
"I-well...I-would...You see I-I..."
"Spit it out already!"
Kohana ran through the possibilities in her head. It wasn't possible, but if it was, what would she do? She didn't want to lie, but she also didn't want to answer him...
"I would choose...Yasashika..."
She declared. A single tear rolled down her face as she said those words. Kenpachi had a hard time figuring out how to respond to those words so they sat in silence for a good three minutes.
"Leave then, Hisakane. If you would choose Yasashika over me, then I see no point in competing with a dead man."
"Kenpachi!?"
"LEAVE!"
Division eleven's fourth seat stumbled over to her clothes which were scattered all over the floor. Frantically, she put them on. She cried as she did so and didn't dare look at the man.
"You know, Zaraki..."
Kohana smirked as rivers flowed from her eyes. She turned to look at him one last time before walking out the door.
"What I said before was really true..."
The pink-haired woman sighed and walked out the door, closing it behind her. Kenpachi didn't move for around five minutes.
"What was true? The part about choosing a dead man over me or the love part?"
He growled, and with that he slammed his fist hard into his floor.
It was amazing it didn't break.
"Now, why is a pretty, little thing like you crying? Did that mean, ol' Zaraki break your heart?
Kohana stopped all her tears immediately upon hearing that voice. It was the voice of none other than Ichimaru Gin, the lowest form of scum in all of Seireitei. His voice alone made Kohana squeamish, but when you added in the silver hair, creepy fox-face and all the over sarcastic statements he made, you seriously had one creepy guy.
"Don't be talkin' shit you don't know nothin' about, Ichimaru!"
She quickly replied. Her reply only made Gin laugh, though.
"Now, now, that's not the way a nice, young lady should be acting. Right, Aizen Taichou?"
The female got up upon hearing that name.
"Shut the hell up, you goddamn bastard!"
She didn't want to believe it. Aizen and Ichimaru together? She had thought those two hated each other!
"Yes, little girls like her should really know their place."
Kohana turned around quickly to avoid Ichimaru who was coming near her. However, when she turned around she hit something that felt like a wall. It was Aizen's chest, though. Before she knew it, Gin was directly behind her and she was sandwiched between the two men.
"Get the hell away from me!"
The pink-haired woman violently broke away. She landed on her knees only feet away from the two. She started crying again.
"Aw, now Yasashika's girl really shouldn't be acting that way..."
Kohana didn't bother looking up as the two approached her slowly, but steadily.
"After Gin and I kicked him out, we thought we had lost all touch to Hisakane Taichou."
"Oh yes, after we killed little Hiroshi, we thought we would never hear the name "Hisakane" ever again."
Aizen and Gin stepped closer and closer to Kohana. With every step they took, the fourth seat's breath hitched. Her eyes had widened at the name "Hiroshi" and stayed that way. Hiroshi was her older brother's name.
"I still remember Yasashika. Now that was truly an amazing man! Hiroshi, wasn't so much. In fact, he was quite the nuisance..."
Gin placed his hand on Kohana's shoulder. The woman shivered at the touch. His hands were cold like death unlike Kenpachi's which were warm and comforting. The silver-haired Taichou turned Kohana around to look him in the eyes (even though he technically had them closed almost all the time). He smiled.
"What's wrong, Hana dear? You haven't heard this before?"
"No...when Yasashika died...in my arms...he told me he couldn't go back to Seireitei...but he never told me why..."
Ichimaru tilted her head up, moving her face towards his. Kohana knew he was doing this to provoke her to do something she didn't want to do so Kohana broke away and nothing more. She wouldn't play this sick bastard's games.
"I think we should tell her then, Gin. I mean, shouldn't Yasashika's ex-girlfriend and Hiroshi's little sister know how her brother died and why her boyfriend couldn't return to Seireitei?"
Aizen chimed in. He was laughing between certain words. Kohana looked around to see where he was. He had positioned himself leaning against the tree. Something about that sort of angered Kohana. He looked so bored.
"Hm, I guess so? I don't mind telling her."
Gin smiled as she grabbed hold of both of Kohana's wrists with one hand and her waist with the other. He was surprisingly very physically strong. Kohana couldn't move out of his grasp.
"Now, I don't think Zaraki even remembers all this. In fact, he came into things during it. If he would've known, he would've told you. Zaraki never had too good of a memory."
Kohana hadn't even thought about if Kenpachi had known all this. Was it that long ago that he wouldn't remember? Kohana didn't need an answer to that question. She knew that unless it was relevant to him, Kenpachi didn't remember things that far back. A better question is why hadn't Yasashika told her all of this? Why hadn't he told her that he was a Taichou?
"Hiroshi was a prodigy in every sense. He wasn't in the academy that long, but people already began to recognize him as strong, determined and respectable. He easily obtained Bankai and became Taichou, much like tenth division Taichou did."
Ichimaru smirked. Kohana looked over at Aizen again. He was still leaning against the tree. He looked even more bored than before. He smiled occasionally, but mainly stood there as he let Gin do whatever the hell he wanted.
"Yasashika, however, was completely opposite. He took his time and worked his way up the ranks to become Taichou of division six with ruthless tactics and cunning strategies. He was the most respectable man of them all, besides Aizen Taichou at least. Hiroshi was nothing more than the grumpy, depressed runt that commanded division three before I usurped his position. I really did not like that man."
Kohana desperately wanted to respond: "Good. He's dead to me anyway. I don't care," but Gin didn't deserve a response from her. He was still scum and that wouldn't change.
"I liked Yasashika. Maybe I liked him too much? After all, when I approached him about Aizen Taichou's plan to betray Soul Society, he wasn't too happy. In fact, he refused. Can you believe that? And here I thought he was the type of man who enjoyed having absolute power..."
The female shinigami gulped. Aizen and Gin were planning on betraying Soul Society? Wait, now that she knew were they going to kill her? Kohana didn't want to die or did she? It didn't matter. Kohana was uncomfortable in Gin's arms and she finally managed to push him away.
"Aw, now I was enjoying our time together, Hana dear."
The silver-haired man moved towards her again. Kohana began to run away until she ran into something again. It was Aizen who had decided to stop her and it just so happened that she recoiled into Ichimaru's arms which were wide open behind her. She so did not want to be in this position again.
"Gin had never given thought to one thing and, well, neither had I. We wanted Yasashika to join us and he would've if it wasn't for Hiroshi..."
"You see, Yasashika and Hiroshi were in love."
Kohana's eyes grew wide as she gasped at the outrageous statement. "No way! That isn't true! That can't be true! Yasashika loved me, not my brother!" She thought over and over. Every time it went through her head she believed it less and less. Both men were enjoying watching her suffer.
"I had approached Yasashika with Aizen Taichou's offer, but he refused. You know what reason he gave? He told me it was because "Hiroshi is the most important thing in the world. More important than power. More important wealth. More important than life. He's everything to me. " So we had to kill him. He knew our plan and we knew about the forbidden affair between two Taichous of the Gotei thirteen. Someone had to die. We tried killing Yasashika, though, but unfortunately the little runt got in the way. Truly a shame, huh? Your brother died protecting the man who died while saving you."
The female began shedding tears like mad. She didn't want to believe this. It wasn't true. Yasashika had never told her this. He would have told her this, but he never did. Kohana wanted to deny it, but she knew deep down inside that Gin wasn't lying. She was just in denial.
"What was even more of a shame was the little runt's final words, "Find my sister. I only wish I could've been there for her," as he lay dying in Yasashika's arms. How lame. I mean he didn't even tell Yasashika he loved him!"
Kohana pushed Gin away and fell to the ground. She still cried. Her brother had cared all this time? He cared enough to send Yasashika to her, but if Yasashika and him had been in love then Kohana wouldn't have wanted Yasashika to come to her in the first place.
"Hiroshi never told Yasashika to love you or buy you things or compliment you or sleep with you when Yasashika left Seireitei in search of you. He only told Yasashika to find you and take you out of that brothel. I doubt Yasashika was even in love with you. Knowing Yasashika as the cold, ruthless man that he was, he only saw Hiroshi in you. After all, with that spiky, pink and red hair and that adorably creepy smile and those gorgeous red eyes, I bet he only saw your brother when you two fucked."
The pink-haired shinigami gritted her teeth at his final statement of Ichimaru. Now, that was where the line had been crossed. She stood up and unsheathed her Zanpaktou. She didn't want to believe a word, but everything he had said made so much sense.
"You mother fuckin' bastard! Yasashika wasn't like that! The Yasashika I knew was gentle and kind and loved me! The Yasashika you knew isn't the same! Don't you dare slander his name again!"
She raised her sword. Aizen smirked at the gesture and began to walk over to the tree.
"Oh, Gin, take care of this mess you started, will you?"
"It would be my pleasure, Aizen-sama."
Gin smiled immensely as he pulled out his Zanpaktou. He started walking towards Kohana.
"Well, we must be talking about two different Yasashikas. Sorry for making such a horrible mistake."
Kohana charged forward. She cried. She never cried during battle. It was a strange feeling, but the tears mixed into her eyes as she moved and the blindness was actually quite welcoming. She didn't want to see him anyway. As she tried slashing at Gin, she began to think about those who she had cared for. Her sister was dead. Her brother was dead. Yasashika was dead. Kenpachi hated her guts and Yachiru? Well, Yachiru wasn't even her daughter. She was Yumiko's daughter. Kenpachi had confirmed to her that he found her in Northern Rukongai district #79, Kusajishi. That was the last place she had seen her sister. It was the last place she had seen her brother. Kohana knew she was pathetic. Somehow she always hurt the people she cared for. She was truly a fool.
"Aw, Hana dear, that isn't going to do! I want to see Yasashika at his very best."
The silver-haired man smirked. Kohana was being too reckless. She didn't want to use her shikai, but she figured she would have to even if it was a risk in her condition. Carrying a sword as big as hers was a burden and Kohana was running out of breath faster than normal.
"Goodbye...Yasashika..."
Yet, somehow those words came out and lifted her spirit as her Zanpaktou began to grow in size. They were her release in more ways than one.
"Good, Good. Now, shoot her dead, Shinso!"
The woman ducked and covered herself with Yasashika. Shinso, she had to admit, was terrifying in the way it extended. She was actually scared. Kohana didn't know if Yasashika could handle the pressure from the elongated blade. She hoped it could, but hoping didn't always turn out the best for Kohana. Kohana was, however, grateful that Yasashika was a big sword.
"May the devil drag him down, Yasashika!"
Kohana yelled as Yasashika grew red and she chopped the air in front of her. Unfortunately, by doing her special attack she left herself open and Shinso was able to pierce her stomach, but Kohana was trying to drag Gin literally and metaphorically down to hell and this time she wouldn't stop and let her opponent live. Kohana watched as Gin was being pulled into the ground. She smiled, her tears were beginning to dry up. It couldn't be over, could it? No, Aizen was still there, wasn't he?
"Oh, Hana dear, don't count me out so soon."
Just then Kohana felt another pain, this time in her back. She turned to look behind her. Gin was there, but he was here? How could that be? He was dying, but he was living? Wait, this must be Aizen's doing!
"No, you-you can't be...If you're there then I lost...I-I can't lose to you!..."
She felt Gin pull out of her back and he began to slash at her many times. On her chest, on her shoulder, on her face, on her stomach, he slashed her all over. He accidentally managed to slice off a good portion of Kohana's red hair. Kohana couldn't believe this.
"Aizen-sama's Zanpaktou is special, Hana dear. It does something called hypnosis."
That was it. Kohana knew she was finished. She looked forward and no longer saw Gin dying. She saw Aizen instead. He was laughing.
"No, it-it can't be! I-I'm going to die?"
She felt Gin pull his sword out of her again as he had pierced her only seconds before. She looked around. Yasashika had transformed out of his Shikai? That meant her wounds were more serious than they felt.
"My little flower, you are going to feel something much better than death."
The pink-haired woman heard Aizen's voice. He approached her and Kohana's body began to feel numb. No, she couldn't die! What about Ikkaku and Yumichika and Maki-Maki and Nanao? What about Kyoraku and Kurotsuchi and Ukitake and Momo? What about Kenpachi and Yachiru? She had so many people to live for!
"Isn't that right, Gin?"
"Yes, Aizen-sama, it truly is a feeling better than death."
Gin snickered with excitement s he pushed Kohana near her tree. Kohana landed flat on her face. Aizen smirked as he towered over her. He picked Kohana up and slammed her against the tree. She reached for her Zanpaktou, but it was so far away.
"Goodbye..."
She felt Aizen stab her heart. She couldn't hear a single word he said anymore. Kohana smiled. The cherry blossoms fluttered down as at the brunette man in front of her kept mouthing something over and over. He was saying something, but all Kohana noticed was the beauty of the blossoms. She loved this time of year.
"Kenpachi..."
And then everything went black.
-end ch. 10-
A/N: This chapter makes me sad. Eh, but I love tragic romances. It's my thing. Anyways, before you move on to the epilogue, I would just like you to know that I thank the following people: Alumias, AnimeWitch02, BishiHunter123, BloodyDragoon, Breezy411, Byakuxhisa4eva, Celeris, Conterra-san, Corrigan Rose, Crystalline Dream, Cyr, Dead Heart, FluffyDog2006, Fuzzy Makes Me Happy, Genisyn69, GreenEyedGrimKitty, Ishasuki Mitochi, Jeneysa, Kaitou Tenshi, Kei-Ten, KillmeKissme15, KitsueMage, Kumori no Carlie, Legend of Shadow, Legostrat, Lirael Abhorsen, Loves Her Friends, Milli Tora, Mizuki Assasin of the Mist, Myrna13, Poet Bucky, Reaping But Never Grim Riley Baragon, Se-chan, Sesshylover978, SheWhoIsLost, SleepMotherWar, SmartOotori, Sulhadahne, Tainted Light, The D.o.D, The Yuri Gnome, ThePranksterQueens, The butterfly from hell, TwitchyKid, Z-AKA Andrea-, black dimanond, creedboy, dark soul 1313, darkangel211101, darkheart1992, deathberry1392, dfxcm, greenteamachine, half-demon priestess, hawkeye 207, kittykitty03, kirara939, little-girl-in-a-big-world, necromancer king, otakubandgeek, rallybabe89, ryosa echizen, sonia555220, sorikarona, trust-is-false, uaintRICHazimiz1, and ulkoilla! People in bold are people who I really really thank. Check them out, plz? All people on that list are people who either favorited or alerted my story. Review this chapter or the Epilogue and you'll make me happy. :)