sorry its been a while... life, ya know... it is a busy business. Well, as always:
humming tune of jingle bells
Don't own bleach, don't own bleach, don't own bleach, it's truuuuuuuee!
Kenai's mine, you can't steal her! But bleach is licensed toooooo!
ONE VOICE
Byakuya felt trapped now. Kenai still sat near the mouth of the cave, while Rukia brooded in the
back, and Ichigo and Renji lay upon their pallets in the middle of the cave. All these emotions...
these feelings and doubts... he couldn't escape them. it all was so foreign to him. He was Kuchiki
Byakuya! The cold, collective, silent one. The dignified noble who never let feelings get in the way
of life and law. And the law was the center of his world. But now doubts raced through his mind as
they had done only one other time in his life: when he had choosen to marry Hisana. He
remembered now the very words with which he had argued to himself many years ago about wether
or not he should propose. II can't let my life be ruled by what others say is right! I'm wise enough to
decide such things on my own./I Rubbish! Since Hisana's death all similar trains of thought had
been banished as just that: rubbish. With a heavy-hearted sigh, Byakuya padded silently over to
where Kenai lay, curled up in a little ball of sorrow and worry. As he sat beside her, elogently as
always, Kenai pulled herself up swiftly to her knees and fervently brushed stray tears from her
cheeks.
"We have laws for a reason... they dictate to us what is right and wrong... they help to guide our
actions justly." This time Byakuya's voice was quiet and almost... questioning.
Kenai shook her head. "Sometimes people make laws that aren't really that good... What if today a
law was passed that said all adults must either become shinigami or else become Hollow bait?"
"Such a ridiculous law would never pass... it does no good to anyone."
Kenai rolled her eyes. He was missing the POINT!
"Just pretend that it did."
"Pretending is a childish game, I am no rugrat."
Kenai growled in frustration and grabbed Byakuya's face in both of her hands. She squished his
cheeks and forced his head to turn untill the two met eye to eye. "FOCUS!" She snapped, slightly
irritated. "What If that law passed? Would you go along with it? Does it suddenly become just for
the simple reason that it is now a law? If Tomorrow A law was passed to wipe out all new souls
entering the lowest districts for fear of overcrowding, would it become the right thing to do? Does
the title "law" make things suddenly moral? Because if so, than society as a whole becomes a
fragile thing, and with one bad law we may see the ascension into chaos."
Byakuya snapped from his reverie as Kenai seemed to finish her argument. He jerked back from the
child's grasp, taking care not to hurt her, and frowned deeply.
"Where I come from, if I were caught stealing water, I could be murdered, and noone would so
much as bat an eye. Is that justice? What do YOU think?"
"No. Of course not. Petty theft is not a crime worthy of death."
"And yet it is an acceptible sentence in my old district. It is, essentially, a law. And it is a WRONG
law. It is an unjust punishment!But people follow it because it is seen as a law. Do you understand
now! People are dying because noone will use their brains and open their mouths and say wait, this
isn't right. It only takes one person brave enough to stand up and disagree... one voice, to ignite the
spark that will make others think. Someone has to become the catalyst that fuels change. Change
isnt a bad thing... things, laws too, can change for the better." Kenai finally sat in silence. Standing,
she went to the back of the cave to curl up next to Rukia. The woman smiled gently and smoothed a
few stray strands of hair away from Kenai's face as the child shut her eyes to rest. Byakuya was left
alone with his thoughts and emotions, which churned inside of him like a brewing storm. He knew
all too well that no peace would come to him this night.