AN:
Hi again! I am back with another chapter!
This one was extremely emotional for me (I swear... I almost cried myself)! I hope these feelings reach you as you read the chapter.
Thank you to those who had sent me a PM on the last chapter when you couldn't post your review. I really really appreciate it! :)
Again, please give me your feedback... !
Thank you for reading the story!
Spoilers: Turn Back the Pendulum chapters
A note on the setting of the story in relation to the Bleach timeline - I had originally thought that Rukia had died 150 years ago (taking what she had said to Ichigo about being 10 times older literally) when I first wrote the story. Thus the setting for the beginning of the chapter is around the end of the Tokugawa Shogunate in Japan. However, upon carefully re-reading the manga, I realised that the Turn Back the Pendulum chapters only go as far as 110 years before the actual timeline of Bleach... and Byakuya was still an adolescent then! So now for this story up to the present chapter, if we follow the actual Bleach timeline, it should only be 101 years back, 9 years after Urahara became captain of the 12th division.
I am assuming then that by this time Byakuya has grown and graduated from the Shinigami Academy. Thus, it is safe to assume that he is already a 5th seat in the 13th division ('cause he is so damn talented and smart XD).
The only problem is that you will have to tolerate a little bit of historical inaccuracy in the story, since 101 years ago, Japan had already long evolved from the shogunate period to the Meiji period.
Currently listening to:
Pavane pour une infante defunte; Les entretiens de la belle et de la bete; Jeux d'eau by Joseph-Maurice Ravel
I Dreamt About You, Infernal Affairs OST
Lady Kuchiki
Chapter 9: Goodnight and Goodbye
Goodnight princess. Goodnight love.
May you dream on and never rouse
To see that the rose garden
Has never been
So that those rosy cheeks
Would never lose its luster
So that your heart would not bleed
from the thorns that pierce you through
Hisana turned to her side, curling up her body and sighing contentedly at the warmth and softness that had her enveloped up. A wonderful fragrance surrounded her, soothing her mind, and gently seducing her to fall back deeper into the hazy depths of that delightful world... had the Sun not been shining through! Bursting into that beautiful haziness with its unvarnished brightness!
Her eyelids fluttering, Hisana yawned and stretched. She pushed herself up and saw just in time the remnants of last night's dreams take flight through the window... cherry blossom petals rising and dancing out of the now opened window. She reached out a hand to catch some in her grasp. But slyly, they slipped out of her fingers while one brushed against her cheek, bidding her farewell.
Hisana blinked and shook her head, trying to wake from her reverie. She glanced to the side of her bed. A single branch of cherry blossoms sat on the dressing table, accompanied by a note addressed to her.
In a casually elegant script, the note read:
Sleep tight princess.
You were right, I had never seen the most beautiful flower before I met you.
Hisana felt her heart beat madly against her chest and her face glow with heat. Oh no! Was her first thought. She was all at once ecstatic, nervous, excited and frightened. What had he meant by that?
She was going to re-read the note, when it hit her sharply that she was back in her room at the ward. Her kimono was lying on the chair next to her bed, and her obi, folded carefully, on top. Her shoes were standing by the bed faithfully, while her jewelries sat on her dresser, next to the branch of cherry blossoms. Holding her breath, Hisana looked down and pulled the blankets up again when she saw that she was wearing only her undergarments, the white robe beneath her kimono. Tentatively, she reached inside her robe and felt for her chest binding. It was still there.
Hisana covered her cheeks with her hands, bit her lips and squeezed her eyes shut as the realization of what had happened the night before dawned upon her. He had undressed me! A man, who I had known for barely a week undressed me! Hisana shivered at that thought. But then, gentle Byakuya-kun had not tried to take advantage of her. She smiled weakly at that thought. He must have taken off her kimono out of consideration for her, so that she need not wake up stiff the next day.
Getting out of bed, Hisana stood in front of the dresser and gazed at herself in the mirror. A cherry blossom was tucked in her hair. She smiled. In the warm morning sunlight, her reflection glittered back at her. There was a faint purple streak in her ebony hair and her big violet eyes sparkled. Her cheeks were fuller and rosier and she realized suddenly that she was actually very pretty.
She started brushing her hair, humming a tune that she made up. After going through with her morning routine, she stepped out of her room to greet everyone in the living room.
---
"What? The entire investigation team from the 9th division was wiped out?"
"Well, the precise wording from the report was 'disappearance'."
"Disappearance? You mean no body was found?"
"No, the only things that remained were their attire, completely intact. The sashes still tied up and the socks still in the sandals."
"What is the order then?"
"The Captain wants to gather as many of the seated officers as possible in the headquarters to make preparations for the relief work to come, and to investigate with the 12th division about this sudden illness. All recuperating souls will be transferred to a central ward, but they should still be discharged according to schedule."
"You are kidding me. Everyone will still be discharged according to schedule with all these disappearances happening in Rukongai?"
"They say that only the lower districts of Rukongai East are affected. And it seems that, from the list I have here, no one scheduled to depart within this week are assigned to Rukongai East."
Aino Matsu rubbed her temple, disconcerted by the whole situation.
"When will they have to start leaving?"
"A wagon is already on its way over. You should also start preparing to report to headquarters."
Aino nodded, before sliding the door shut. When she turned back towards the corridor, she came face to face with Hisana, pale-faced and looking apprehended. The girl spoke up first, her voice shaky, "Aino-san, I... I didn't mean to eavesdrop... But... is it... is it true that we are leaving today?"
"Yes Hisana-san. Best not to think too much about what you've just heard." Aino said briskly.
Aino felt tired and listless. Another mission coming up again. But this time however the enemy is unknown. An invisible force that disseminated fear throughout Seireitei, fear that broke out of its containment and trickled down from the upper ranks to every common shinigami, sending the entire Gotei 13 in a general state of disquietude.
And disappearances?! An enemy that was not a tangible monster, with hands and legs and a head to cut off?! But wasn't that what they were trained to fight against? Wasn't how they had always fought? To fight the formidable hands-on, to cut through these menaces! One that was invisible, one that one could never dodge from, cut through, however much one is prepared to fight... the only rational expectation is inevitable doom, because isn't it that when the enemy was invisible, you had already lost half the battle?
"Run along now Hisana, and get your things ready. We will all be leaving soon." The petite girl in front of her nodded and hurried back towards her room. Aino now proceeded to the living room where most of the recuperating souls were to break the news to them.
Within half an hour, everyone was gathered in front of the cottage, a foreboding silence in the air. Aino Matsu had refrained from letting them in the details of why they were moving. However, as if these souls had already decided from the start they were at the mercy of the shinigamis, there seemed to be a general languid resignation for whatever unknown that was to come. Even Hana, usually cheeky and restless, was squatting down quietly in a corner, poking a centipillar with the end of a stick.
Aino jerked her head up at the the trampling sound of hooves and the clattering of a wagon. She brought up a hand and saluted her colleague, shielding her eyes with her other hand from the glare of the Sun. She watched as her colleague helped everyone up the wagon, watched as little Aki tripped over her own kimono and Hisana pulled the girl up to her feet, wiping her face with her own handkerchief. Watched, like an outsider, as grandpa Watanabe hobbled towards the wagon now, raising his walking stick in stubborn annoyance when her colleague offered to help him up.
Aino could not help but smile a little. It was a funny sight, in a way, since despite his elderly physique, he was no doubt much much younger than she was.
Aino waved a little as the wagon pulled off. She did not feel emotional in the least. She was a shinigami after all. And for shinigamis, it was important to keep one's composure through all sorts of situations. Aino tightened her fists.
Locking the cottage behind her now, she picked up her bundle of luggage and leaped on to the roof, running against the wind to her division's headquarters.
---
Hana and Aki huddled close to Hisana, their little hearts pulsating wildly at each bump that the wagon rolled over on that rocky path. Aki tightened her grip on Hisana's kimono, her face frozen in a strange expression that was between crying and a strong resolution to keep the tears contained. She relaxed a little when she felt Hisana's hand on her head, gently stroking it.
"It's going to be alright. We're just moving to another ward, that's all."
Aki looked up to see that Hisana nee-chan was smiling down at her reassuringly.
"But isn't it true that we're moving because there are monsters in Soul Society? And isn't it true that they're still sending us away with the monsters out there?" Hana asked, her voice screechy.
Aki clasped her hands over her ears. "Stop it Hana-chan! Don't say that!" She could feel the familiar rising of a lump in her throat that always preceded the tsunami of tears.
"Shut up shrimp! You're just making it worse!" Udo snapped at Hana, motioning with a tip of his head to where Aki was, her eyes squeezed shut tightly to prevent the tears from coming.
Hisana said nothing. She continued stroking Aki's head and tightened the clasp of her hand over Hana's shoulder. Her face remained calm and expressionless as they passed walls and walls of nameless trees.
Nothing in that warm, cheerful weather could betray the dread that loomed over the little wagon as it hauled itself up and up to where that big rundown wooden structure was. The clank, clank, clank of the wheels counted down to their eventual expulsion from this paradise where eternal life should be as promised to the suffering, mortal man.
The central ward was crowded when the little wagon stopped in the middle of its little courtyard. Counts and counts of souls were wandering around as they got off from their wagons. There were the disaccorded cries of little children, the loud shouts from the shinigamis who were coordinating the scene, the calling of women for their children, the swearing of men and a general excited chatter that formed the base of this unpleasant commotion.
After getting off the wagon, Hisana followed the group into the building quietly. They stood in a queue, waiting to be checked off the list and told where to go. Hisana looked around worriedly, wondering if Rukia was already here. Will she be taken care of personally by a shinigami since she is after all still a baby? Or will they actually let her wander around on the floor on her hands and knees like those poor toddlers over there? Hisana pursed her lips and waited as patiently as she could, all the while wrapping her arms around herself to keep herself sane and calm. She focused her gaze on Aki and Hana in front of her, making sure that they did not get pushed out of her sight in the chaos. She also tried to keep herself looking as composed as she could despite feeling conspicuous in her exquisite gown and expensive jewelries among a room of mostly impoverished looking souls. It did not help though that lewd, crude looking men were ogling her and a nasty looking woman was throwing her contemptuous glances.
Finally, when it was her turn at the clerk's table, she took Aki and Hana's hands and walked forward. She gave her name, and the full names of Aki and Hana. The clerk nodded. "All from the same Soul Recuperation Centre?" "Yes, sir." "Here's the key to your room. You are all scheduled to depart tomorrow six in the morning. Go down the hallway behind this desk, turn to the right and go up three stories." Just as the clerk was waving her off, Hisana quickly asked, "Sir, I have a sister who was staying in another ward. I am wondering if she is here already, and if it is possible that I can be reunited with her?"
"Name?"
"Rukia, Rukia with the same surname."
"A Rukia, you said?" The clerk flipped through the pages of his large notebook.
"Aha! Rukia... arrived this morning at 9, is scheduled to depart today at 1 in the afternoon, that is, in ten minutes."
"I beg your pardon? How is this possible sir? We're both assigned to the same district!" Hisana asked sharply, alarmed.
"I am sorry miss, I am simply following orders from above."
"Where? Sir, where is she now?"
The clerk shrugged and lazily called out, "Next."
"Wait sir, please." Hisana cried as the man behind her jostled his way forward.
Hisana tried to move back towards the table, squeezing herself through the crowd of people. "Please sir, just let me know where she is!"
The clerk ignored Hisana and continued jotting down notes in his book. He is not going to help me at all! Hisana thought fervently. She turned around sharply and made her way to the centre of the hall, sweeping her eyes around the room for any baby that would resemble Rukia. When she was done looking through the hall, she did not know if she was relieved or just simply horrified to not see Rukia anywhere - relieved because that meant Rukia was not like one of those abandoned children, crawling or loitering around, exposed to all sorts of danger; but horrified because that also meant Rukia might already be on her way to some unknown faraway place.
Hisana ran out of the building now, scanning the courtyard. There were already wagons moving out of the courtyard. How much time has it been? Five minutes? Hisana turned to one side of the courtyard where some people were getting onto wagons.
"Excuse me!" She cried, "Has anyone seen a baby by the name of Rukia? She's my sister!"
Men, women, and children looked at her as she frantically made her way through the lines and lines of people. "Rukia!" Hisana called, tears rushing to her eyes. She sweltered in her kimono, and felt a drop of sweat slide down her face.
"Has anyone seen my sister?" She cried hoarsely. She had already gone through all the wagons and the lines of people waiting to get onto empty ones. But no Rukia in sight at all!
Just as she was about to go deranged with anxiety and grief, a moving wagon caught her eyes. And on the wagon, she saw a pink bundle in the arms of an old lady. Rukia!
Hisana pushed her way forward and ran after the wagon as fast as she could. "Stop! Please stop the wagon!" She cried. I must go on, faster! She urged herself, ignoring the pain in her lungs.
Her shouts startled the kindly-looking old woman, who saw her and immediately alerted the shinigami driving the wagon. The wagon came to a halt and everyone on the wagon turned back to look back at her. It took Hisana a few more seconds to reach the wagon. Stopping in front of the shinigami driver now, she heaved and panted, trying to catch her breath. The shinigami, a thin, unpleasant looking man stared down at her.
"Sir," Hisana gasped, still out of breath. "My sister Rukia is on this wagon. I was told that she and I were assigned to the same destination. May I please take my sister back so that we can leave together tomorrow?"
"Nope, that is out of question. I have a name list here. And Rukia you said? Rukia, yes. She is on the list. I have to get going now lady. As you can see you are holding up the traffic." He said wryly, pointing at the wagons with their neighing horses waiting impatiently behind.
"But sir," Hisana protested, "Rukia and I are supposed to be headed to the same destination."
"I don't know what the original plan was 'supposed' to be. In any case I am not going to let this Rukia get off the wagon. Now get out of the way."
He flung his horse whip at Hisana.
Hisana shrank away but looked up once more with determination as she pleaded again, "Sir, wait! May I get on the wagon then? I just need to be with Rukia. I am begging you! Please!"
"Well then just let her get on." A grumpy looking man spoke with a gruff from his seat while the other passengers looked on interested.
"Quickly now!" The shinigami commanded.
Hisana scampered to the back of the wagon and clumsily climbed up, helped by a couple of others already on board.
Once seated, she eagerly took Rukia from the old woman's arms, verifying with a brush of her fingers under the pink bundle that this was indeed the blanket she had embroidered for Rukia, and confirmed it when she saw Rukia's face peering back at her. "Nee...!" Rukia squealed.
"Rukia!" Hisana breathed, her shoulders falling as she heaved a deep sigh of relief. "Oh Rukia! What would I do if I had lost you?" Hisana whispered hugging Rukia and burying her face on little Rukia's shoulder. Hisana wept freely now, ignoring the other passengers on the wagon. She didn't care what they thought, having been so close to losing the only thing that mattered most to her. She didn't care to know at the moment either where they were heading to. What mattered most was that she had managed to reach Rukia in the nick of time...
---
Byakuya could not concentrate at all tonight. He wondered why Hisana had not come to see him. It was by now past the time when she would burst out of the woods like the light illuminating the darkness of the night. He closed his eyes and tried to concentrate on finding her reiatsu. There was nothing. She did not seem to be in the vicinity.
Maybe... maybe you scared her off with that note you left her..? A voice in him spoke timidly.
Or maybe, you were being too forward, what with abducting her to your mansion last night and then leaving her a branch of flowers?
Byakuya shook his head, cringing at those thoughts.
But still, if she were already leaving tomorrow, perhaps, well, he had hoped that she would at least come and say goodbye one last time, especially since he had shown her so much goodwill over the past couple of days.
Ever since hearing about the trouble at Rukongai this morning, he had even thought that maybe he could take her and her sister in to the Kuchiki mansion. It would of course be much safer for them there.
But on what terms should they enter the Kuchiki mansion? He had thought long and hard about that. He could not just turn up with a young girl and an infant at the mansion demanding extra quarters for them. What would his grandfather say? What would everyone else think? He would not bring them in as servants either, even though that would be the least awkward and the easiest means of introduction. It would just be insulting to Hisana. And then he had thought, with a thump of his heart, as his wife? This way, she could be kept safe under his watch, while also enjoy an esteemed position in the household which he hoped for her, without suffering any humiliation.
Then, that had meant he would need to bring up this proposition to her tonight.
But where was Hisana?!
Finally too fazed to do any training at all, Byakuya sheathed Senbonzakura and shun-poed to where her ward was. It was dark and quiet inside. He moved to the side of the cottage and looked into her room. There was nobody.
He could not feel any reiatsu from the cottage. There was no one in there at all.
Frowning Byakuya tried to slide open the front door but it was locked.
Has she already left? Byakuya wondered, feeling his heart sink. Didn't she say she was leaving in two days?
There was no use moping about, he decided finally.
Tightening his fists, Byakuya shun-poed towards 4th division's headquarters, determined to find out what had happened.
---