Thank you for your reviews as you always make my day more beautiful. Even though we are on chapter 21, reviews never get even a second old for me and I must confess that I do go back to my old reviews from time to time!
I feel terrible for making you all wait and so to redeem myself I tried to spend many hours on this chapter. Once again, we present to you...
*=Unseen is His=*
Recognizing the very object of her wish appeared before her, Rukia looked away and spoke with sincerest honesty for the very first time.
"If my dying would have given you happiness, I would have gladly done so, Nii-sama."
One thought instantly made it to his mind : the execution. Did she think he was happy then?
She continued to rest in his arms as the water dripped from her drenched body onto the surface of the pool, adding to the rippling effect underneath. Byakuya held her fragile existence against him as he stood stock-still over that glassy pane. The silent pitter-patter of droplets caused his mind to go dizzy, for he could find no response to such a statement. It struck a chord, and something began to fall into place in his heart, as the woman cradled to his chest artfully unraveled more of the underlying truth in their strange bond with her next words.
"But such a futile attempt is no longer in my mindset, as you and I both know. It would only end in drastic consequences. And so, I will try to live for at least as long as you, even if it includes holding you back from a life of your own, so that all you believe in and all that you live for remains by your side."
And he beheld her eyes gazing into his, causing Byakuya for the first time to truly see their vibrant sapphire shade as her own. Not that of his late beloved wife, or the beautiful evening sky, but something that belonged to Rukia alone.
A color that adorned the current sky of his secret world.
"I promise to never take that away from you."
It was almost whispered to him. A promise, in the form of something unseen.
Her words hardly registered in the noble's ears, their weight too heavy to bear. It was a promise. Until this moment in time he had never known how it felt to be struck by lightning, or have his heart be torn out of his body. He was so shocked that he even forgot to express his emotions in that characteristic widening of his eyes; and that had nothing to do with his seldom allowing a portrayal of any feelings. As the pit of his chilly grey orbs stared down at the pool of sapphire familiarity, not only did the lord of the Kuchiki's throat feel constricted, but he lost all sensation for a second.
A splash echoed right afterwards.
He had dropped her. And he did not know why.
Byakuya saw a whirlwind of astonishment, sorrow and apology whisking across her wide eyes as she acted on her survival instinct a little late intrying to float on the surface as he was. Had she trusted him that much? So much so that she allowed herself to give him a few seconds to catch her, without any fear of drowning?
Trust was a very cruel thing, yet akin to a rare sweetness.
Neither could speak, but they shared volumes nonetheless. In their current situation, even simple forms of communication could not be relied upon. No verbal apologies were shared this time, except the heartfelt comfort that they took in each other's presence, unexpectedly arrived at by the most extraordinary sort of way. Sometimes silence spoke wiser than any other truth, and what existed between them right now would steal away any sensible meaning from a word if uttered. So they simply settled on gazing into each other's faces, which seemed to encapsulate for a frozen eternity the instant around them.
But of course, eternity did not exist.
"We have an intruder!"
The voice was deathly. It seemed to break Byakuya out of his reverie, and he fluidly collected Rukia from the pond, causing her to gasp in pain from her lingering injuries. Only then did he notice the bruises near her wrists and ankles. But he had pressing matters at hand. The 6th squad captain then faced the masked guardsmen in his accustomed defensive demeanor.
"Identify yourself!" The leader of the group ordered as they came upon the scene.
Oh, foolish nuisance.
Shrugging away the need for any immediate response, Byakuya calmly left the pool's perimeter and settled by the edge, depositing Rukia just behind him and unsheathing Senbonzakura with slow, purposeful elegance.
"I am your death." The Kuchiki leader spoke the only words he deemed fit the occasion, then flash-stepped forward with the intention of bringing them down one-by-one.
He was angry.
* * *
"Yama-jii!" Kyoraku chirped from beneath his hat. "Something doesn't feel normal about this. Forget how we got here, where exactly is here? Not Soul Society, it has surely never been this peaceful."
Yamamoto barely gave a nod in recognition of having heard. After a few moments of gazing steadily at that unfamiliar sky, their commander finally came up with, "Hmm, it would seem so."
The flamboyant male waited to see if more would follow, and when it did not, he rolled his eyes and sighed glumly, then gave his lifelong best friend Ukitake a poke in his side and whispered through the glacial white hair, "Even the old wit doesn't know, it seems."
A wrinkle-wrapped eyelid cracked open and peered over at the pair then. "It would also seem that your manners are withering with age, young one" came a deep, authoritative tone once again.
Ukitake blew out his breath in consternation while the captain of the Eighth division pretended to cower beneath Yamamoto's gaze.
"Nevetheless, it is nothing that is not fortuitous," the centuries-old General assured his cohorts wisely. "The air is once again pure."
"Something our Yama-jii isn't telling us?" Shunsui said casually, earning a look of agreement from Jushiro.
More silence followed as the group of shinigami searched around with all their senses to make sure this place, whatever it was, did not prove too good to be true. Their formal glory was eclipsed by the splendor of this locale, causing more than one to feel unaccountably shabby by comparison.
A familiar presence caused them to halt briefly. All present then turned their heads to see a figure sauntering towards them, long purple hair waiving in the breeze and golden eyes flashing with the light of this unearthly paradise.
"Trust Kisuke to dump a bunch of old clogs on my shoulders," Yoruichi smirked when she noticed Yamamoto drooping against his stick. "My charm too flashy for your eyes, eh, General-sama?" She stuck out her tongue and followed it up with a wide grin.
When the ancient warrior's brow seemed to knit in annoyance ever so slightly, the were-cat inclined her head in apology. "Forgive this impertinent member of Kisuke's crew. His manners are rubbing off on me," she scolded herself out loud, earning a knowing look from Kyoraku.
However, in spite of their apparent levity and the tranquility in which they found themselves, one concern resonated in everyone's mind.
Aizen.
* * *
It was true that he was already in a ragged condition from his last battle, but Byakuya had to admit that his opposition possessed an extraordinary caliber of strength. Given his upbringing and knowing somewhat the intentions of the maniac that had lead them to this situation, he had more than just an idea about where they were, which in turn made his concerns spike a bit.
The guard captain was speaking again as they faced off across the green sward. "Why do you wish to protect this lowly soul, when you are neither related nor affiliated with each other?"
The regal protector sent a shower of razor petals towards him in response.
"Perhaps you should mind more the fact that she will be the reason for your end."
Reason? Even Byakuya himself did not know the purpose behind their treatment of his pride, but he knew it was not the case at stake in this battle. It was something of higher value, something unseen. And he wished to see the unseen, even if it meant wielding Senbonzakura for the rest of his life.
The leader, who had decided to take Byakuya one-on-one, dodged the attack swiftly. "You are only digging your own grave."
"It matters not who is digging the grave, but the one that takes residence in it." The prince of sakura held his zanpakutou vertically before uttering his signature release. He closed shut his gloomy grey eyes and breathed a crisp command.
"Bankai… Senbonzakura Kageyoshi."
***
Across the way, Rukia could feel them lashing out, their soul power roaring against each other. Her Nii-sama had been in his Gokei attack for quite a while now, but in spite of this, the fight had still not reached a conclusion. Also, the fact that she could not see what exactly was transpiring inside of his sphere worried her immensely.
"Nii-sama, be alright, please."
***
Blood soared out of his body for the umpteenth time. This fight was harder and much deadlier than the one against Aizen. Or could it be that…
He was getting weaker.
But he would carry on until he freed Rukia from them. Gathering up every bit of his remaining strength and energy, despite all his muscles protesting this abuse, Byakuya sped forward as fast as he could manage, Senbonzakura's dancing multitude of blades ready to strike down with all of their sharp glory.
The enemy evaded once again in a technique never before seen. It could not be a flash step. More like inhumanly precise and accurate movements, so slight they seemed to only barely keep him away from Senbonzakura's kiss. Tantamount to dancing, always just out of reach of his partner, but never showing the slightest hint of distress.
How would Byakuya's reaction to this display be described?
Arrogant, cold, impassive, jerk, heartless – he might have been all of those things and many more, but the captain of the Sixth division never suppressed his curiosity, even in the battlefield. If nothing else, he was an honest warrior. If he feared that this virtue would come back to bite him, he much rather preferred to stay behind his invisible barrier of icy disdain, keeping his thoughts unexpressed. Likewise, though, when another fighter's action's warranted his respect, he never balked at giving credit to anything worthwhile and deserving, even if it was done in his usual disdainful manner.
"I see you hold a technique which magnifies your speed. It is as if the land moves under your feet. What spell of yours grants such unusual footwork?" A mere statement of idle curiosity on its face, as if the man he fought against was not a superbly talented warrior, but a mere wizard, a trickster, who should be shunned by honest society or ashamed to be seen in it, at the least.
"You are a mere alien in our world. There is no way to enable you to understand the source of our..."
This pompous speech cut off abruptly, much to Byakuya's surprise. His opponent had drawn to a halt and was now standing at attention, causing the weary nobleman to wonder if some new and more powerful player had not suddenly popped up behind him without his having sensed it. A quick glance back confirmed that this was not the case, and once more he regarded his inscrutable assailant. Had you asked him why, he could not have explained it, but something about the man's bearing right now reminded him of a servant being remonstrated by his master. Most unusual, indeed.
Without warning this bizarre behavior switched off. The man under the golden mask then came forward at a more sedentary pace, causing Byakuya to wonder almost petulantly why he had not bothered to use that astonishing technique once more.
"Our fight must halt. You have been summoned, as you clearly seem to have some sort of connection to that being."
The Kuchiki noble visibly flinched at his remark, though he allowed the vibrant pink murder-globe in which they had been encased to die out. "She is a member of one of the greatest noble houses, as well as my sister, and as such I demand Rukia be freed from this land."
The guardian grew silent for a second. Probably taking the time to smirk, if it could be judged from his insulting response.
"Here every serving soul has a status lower than the dust. If you must know, you and that being, nobles though you may be, are barely akin to even the garbage of this land."
Byakuya did not care in which world he was in. He would not be spoken to in this way, much less allow Rukia to be so insulted. His glare of fury seemed to go unnoticed, however, as the highly arrogant guard leader turned towards his men.
"Bring the girl! We are off."
2 more chapters now. 2 BIG chapters if I must add. I will try to stick to my own guidelines. Might do an epilogue after that, a small one!
I have a surprise guest for my next chapter. A woman who was only mentioned by name in Bleach. We can't just have villains in this fic now, can we?
Thank you
~*~