The next few days were quiet. While Ryoko hadn't been given a seated position, though she couldn't really fathom why, she was able to settle nicely into the life of a Soul Reaper. Her dad said missions would be available soon, so she'd have to wait a few days before doing some actual work.
She mainly stayed in her Division, thinking of different ways she could approach Byakuya. He'd been avoiding her for years, and she had given him space. But it was getting ridiculous now.
He had joined the Gotei 13 as a real Soul Reaper nearly a year ago, and even back then he'd avoided her. She didn't understand why. It hurt then, and it hurt thinking about it now. Did she do something wrong?
Surely he couldn't still be upset because of his dad…? Even she had moved past the death of her previous family, though it had taken quite some time.
Maybe it had something to do with that girl she saw him with a while back?
She quickly shook her head, ridding herself of that train of thought. He was allowed to have other friends, just like she was. Even if that friend made him smile the way she used to, laugh like she used to…
He had a right to make new friends. So why…
Why did it hurt so much?
The day started well enough.
Well, except for a stomach ache. It nagged at her, twisting and biting and hurting.
It felt familiar.
Not in the way one would usually think about stomach aches. She's had plenty before, mainly from binging on candy and other sweets her dad would give her. She knew what a stomach ache felt like.
This one was different. This pain was familiar.
This is a pain she's felt only once before.
It was not a happy feeling.
She hadn't known when it happened before; what the feeling was. But after what happened with Shinji, she had gone to Unohana for her stomach ache.
"Anxiety."
"Anxiety…?"
The kind woman nodded, a soft smile on her face that comforted Ryoko. "Simply put, you had a feeling that something bad was going to happen. It made you anxious, and that anxiety twisted your stomach."
The young child lowered her head, eyes looking at the offending stomach thoughtfully. Finally, she frowned. "...I don't like that feeling."
Unohana's smile faltered.
That feeling only appeared once. But it was never forgotten.
She hated that feeling.
And it only got worse the further she walked through the streets of the Seireitei. It took longer than she would like to admit to notice everyone's gazes. Fear, worry, anger, and curiosity were the more common emotions she saw in the faces of those she passed. But...why?
Now, there were a few Soul Reapers who didn't look at her in disgust. It wasn't as prominent, but there were some who looked indifferent, while others would smile or wave or even offer a greeting.
She didn't really notice it until after the fact, but the Soul Reapers from Squad 13 were the kindest. Not a single one gave her a negative expression, or made her feel unwelcome or unwanted.
She passed through Squad 10, since it was a shortcut to Squad 6. The looks didn't go away.
"Hey! Hold on!" a voice called out, stopping Ryoko in her tracks. "Wait up!" She looked around for the voice, turning around fully before suddenly having her face pressed into something large and very soft.
"Hmph Ranffkyu," Ryoko greeted, though it was muffled by the older woman's chest. The woman was practically suffocating her.
"Oh, Ryoko! I'm glad I caught up to you!" Rangiku released her hold on the child, letting her suck in some much-needed air. "I was so worried! With the rumors going around, I was afraid you'd get hurt. Personally, I couldn't care less about those rumors. You're too adorable and innocent to be any dan-"
Ryoko lifted her head and gave the woman a confused look, cutting her rant off with her own question, "Rumors? What are you talking about?"
Rangiku stopped, brows creasing as her exaggerated frown turned more serious.
"Is that why everyone's been giving me these looks?"
"You… You really don't know?" the Lieutenant asked.
The feeling grew worse.
"No. What's going on?"
Rangiku seemed to hesitate a bit. "Ryoko, the rumors were that you have Quincy powers." Ryoko's eyes widened in horror. "They popped up a few days ago. No one knows who started them, but almost everyone in the Seireitei probably knows about it by now."
Rangiku felt worse as Ryoko's expression grew more and more horrified as she explained. This not only proved the rumors were true, since she was positive the girl wouldn't have this reaction if they were fake, but she clearly hadn't expected this to get out.
"E...Everyone…?" Ryoko finally asked, voice weak with a slight tremble. The strawberry-blonde nodded.
Ryoko never liked stomach aches.
"Ryoko!" Rangiku called out, reaching toward the girl who just turned and ran past the corner. Something was wrong.
"Is everything alright?" Rangiku turned to Gin, who walked up from behind her. His grin was present, but it was muted. "You seem upset." She sighed, lowering her hand and turning forward again.
"I'm worried."
Ryoko ran as fast as possible, ignoring the glares and looks sent her way. They didn't matter. They weren't important.
Only one person was important to her right now.
And she was terrified of him.
It didn't take long to get to Squad 6. She had taken multiple shortcuts and was on the edge of using Shunpo the entire time. Her heart thudded loudly in her chest, but she ignored it. It wasn't important.
"Bya-kun?" she called, her voice echoing in the streets of the barracks. When no one answered, she tried again. And again. "Byakuya!"
Turning another corner, she collided rather harshly with someone else, the force and speed of the impact sending both of them to the ground with yelps, Ryoko landing on top of the unfortunate obstacle.
"Ow…" She pushed herself up, rubbing her forehead that had slammed painfully into the other's. "What did I hit? A brick wall?"
"Ouch…"
Ryoko opened her eyes at the noise, looking down at the person she was sitting on. Her eyes widened in recognition.
"You… You're that girl Bya-kun's been hanging out with."
The woman blinked opened her eyes, wincing at the pain she no doubt felt after being slammed into.
She physically looked to be around twenty, same as Byakuya. Though she was definitely shorter than him. Her hair was black and medium-length, and her eyes were wide with surprise. She was also extremely pale and rather thin, a look Ryoko herself is all too familiar with.
Ryoko shifted off of the woman and stood, holding out a hand to help her up, which the woman gladly took. The shorter girl looked ashamed. "Sorry… I-I didn't mean to run into you like that…"
The woman smiled kindly. "It's alright. It was an accident, right?" Ryoko nodded. "You're Ryoko, right?"
Golden eyes widened. "You know my name?"
She chuckled. "Of course. Byakuya talks about you a lot."
"I uh… He...He does?"
"Mhm. My name's Hisana. It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Ryoko," the woman, HIsana, introduced herself, holding a hand out. Ryoko stared at it for a moment, debating, before finally taking it and giving it a small shake. Hisana's smile was soft, kind… It was like a mother's smile; it reminded her of Uno's, though without the scary edge.
"Um… The pleasure's all mine." Ryoko's mind was still trying to wrap around how nice Hisana was, and the fact the apparently Byakuya talked about her. "Bya-kun… What exactly did he say about me?" Hisana didn't look disgusted, so it couldn't have been too bad, right?
Hisana hummed thoughtfully, then grinned. "I recall him saying you two were once quite good friends. He spoke quite highly of you."
Ryoko stared.
"...You're joking."
"I'm not."
"Then you're delusional." Hisana frowned. Ryoko wasn't looking at her anymore, her head down and eyes turned away. "If he speaks highly of me, then he should still be able to talk to me… Not ignore me."
What did she do wrong?
A hand placed itself gently on her shoulder. "I'm not entirely sure why Byakuya doesn't speak with you anymore," Hisana said softly, Ryoko looking up into her warm eyes. "But I promise you, he doesn't hate you."
'He doesn't...hate...me?'
…
"I hope you're right…" she whispered, shoulders sagging a bit. She was relieved, honestly; if Byakuya didn't hate her, then it's possible their friendship can be fixed, even after so long.
Hisana lowered her hand. "I assume you came here to speak with Byakuya?" Ryoko nodded. "Unfortunately, he had to speak with his grandfather, but I'm sure he'll be back soon."
"Oh…" Ryoko winced slightly. She had a feeling about what the conversation topic was…
Hisana seemed to notice her increasing stress. "Would you care to take a walk with me?" At Ryoko's surprised look, she continued, "Byakuya shouldn't take too long, and I could use some company. Besides, I'd like to get to know you a bit more. If that's alright with you."
Ryoko was a little thrown off, but nodded. "Uh, sure."
"You came from the Rukon District?!" Ryoko exclaimed, staring at the girl beside her in shock. Hisana chuckled, nodding.
"Yes. District 79, I believe Byakuya said."
"How did Bya-kun even find you? He never goes outside the Seireitei."
"Well, we actually bumped into each other similar to when you bumped into me."
"Bumped? I plowed into you."
Hisana's smile widened slightly, and Ryoko shook her head. The woman's smile faded as she remembered that day.
"Byakuya was very upset when I met him. He'd apparently run in a random direction, not knowing where he was going until he finally bumped into me," she explained, "After he finally calmed down, I told him where he was. It took a little bit before he was comfortable with telling me why he'd run so far away."
"When was this?"
Hisana hummed lightly, closing her eyes as she thought back. "It's been a few years now. His father had passed away, and…" she trailed off, eyes opening and turning to Ryoko in sad realization. "...he had a fight with you."
Ryoko flinched, looking away and wrapping her arms over her chest. She had a feeling that was it, and hearing it out loud made her feel worse. She made him so upset that he'd run from the Seireitei… No wonder he didn't talk to her anymore. "Oh…"
Hisana frowned worriedly at the child beside her. Of course, she knew that Ryoko was technically older than her, but her appearance was very deceiving, and it was clear the girl wasn't as mature as herself and Byakuya. It wasn't necessarily a bad thing, but it still worried her.
"So, do you live here now?" Ryoko asked, getting Hisana out of her thoughts. The child's golden eyes were looking at her. "I've seen you around recently." Hisana nodded.
"Yes. Byakuya invited me to live with him once he had gotten to know me a bit more." She chuckled, bringing a hand up to lightly cover her mouth. "He was so flustered when he asked me. It was adorable."
Ryoko chuckled, though she couldn't help but feel a little jealous, her stomach twisting just a little as her grip on her arms tightened slightly. "You two... got really close, huh?"
"It took a little while, but yes," Hisana answered, looking up into the blue sky. "He's a wonderful man. A little uptight, but still caring." She didn't notice Ryoko looking away with a small frown.
"I see."
Hisana looked at her, finally noticing how uncomfortable Ryoko seemed to be. "Ryoko?"
"Bya-kun...seems so happy now," she said quietly, "After his dad died, he was so sad… He'd never smile and got all broody. But now… the few times I've seen him, he's looked happier than he has been in a while. I'm glad he's happy now. But…" She paused, trying to find the right way to say what she wanted, "But I wish I was there to help him. Maybe if I was, he wouldn't ignore me. And I'm scared that when I see him, now that he knows I'm a Quincy, he'll… he'll hate me…"
Tears had formed in the Soul's eyes as she spoke, and her grip on her arms only tightened further.
"Oh Ryoko…"
"Hisana."
Both girls stopped, Hisana turning around to see Byakuya walking brusquely toward them. She glanced at Ryoko for a split moment before looking back, giving him a gentle smile.
"Byakuya! So, you've finished your meeting?"
He didn't reply. Hisana's eyes widened when he grabbed her wrist, pulling her behind him and putting himself between the two girls. Ryoko finally turned to face Byakuya, a little shocked at his action.
"Bya-ku-"
"What are you doing here?" he asked coldly, interrupting her. Ryoko frowned.
"I wanted to talk to you," she stated, straightening herself and wiping her eyes quickly with her sleeve. Byakuya was silent, so she took it as permission to continue. "I know we haven't talked to each other in a while… well, a lot longer than a while…" she looked away for a moment awkwardly. "But I… Well, I wanted to clear things up between us. I'm sure you've heard some things about me and I wanted to make sure we were all good. Y'know?"
Byakuya's eyes narrowed slightly.
"So Bya-kun, I was wondering-"
"Enough."
"H-Huh…?" Ryoko's eyes widened, her stomach coiling in worry. Did she say something wrong?
"Do not call me that name," he ordered, making her flinch.
"Byakuya…" Hisana placed a hand on his arm. He looked back at her, frowning.
"Bya-ku-... Byakuya. Please." He turned back to Ryoko. Her eyes were wide, pleading. "Did I...do something wrong…?"
Silence.
"I mean, I know you don't like Quincies. And I understand why. But, we're friends. Aren't we?" Her voice became quieter the more she spoke. Byakuya...he was more quiet and composed than she was used to. Did his father's death really impact him so much? She didn't know how to deal with him if she could only see narrowed eyes and a frown! "It… It wouldn't matter if I was one. Because we're best friends. Right?"
…
Too long. It was taking him far too long to respond. He just...glared at her, his eyes filled with anger and disgust, and another emotion she couldn't tell. Conflict? No… yes? It was so hard to tell…
Was this really Byakuya?
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, Byakuya turned away from Ryoko, and started to walk away. Ryoko's eyes widened, horrified, as her shoulders slumped and her arms weakened.
"Leave."
Golden eyes stared at his retreating back, unable to fully comprehend what was happening.
Hisana watched, surprised at her boyfriend's actions.
Ryoko hesitantly reached out, taking a step forward before she was frozen in place. "B...Byakuya…" her words were little more than a broken whisper. "I…"
He stopped.
Hisana looked between the two, her fist held closely to her chest.
"...I have nothing to say... to a Quincy."
Crack
"Come, Hisana." He started walking again. Hisana hesitated, eyes moving from a shell-shocked Ryoko to Byakuya's back.
"H-Hisa-chan…" Hisana turned to Ryoko. The girl's head was down, nails digging into her arms trying to control her trembling. She lifted her head, a smile on her face.
Hisana knew it was fake.
"I-Its alright. I have to go, anyway. I just remembered I had something I needed to do. Don't worry."
"Hisana," Byakuya called again. Hisana frowned, looking once more between the two, before finally turning and following him.
Ryoko watched them turn the corner, eyes locked on their backs until they were out of sight.
And then she ran.
She didn't want to bother Toshiro again. He was preparing for the academy, and she didn't want to burden him with something like this.
She didn't want to worry her father, either. He has a lot of work to do, being a Captain and all. Plus, he hasn't been feeling well lately. She didn't want to add to the stress.
Kaien...he was busy, too. He would probably just tell her Byakuya was being a butt and he would go kick some sense into him. She didn't want a fight.
So, she went to the only place she could think of.
It didn't take long at all to get there. Squad 6 was close enough, and she didn't bother with roads, simply using Flash Step to jump through the air.
Once her feet landed on the edge of the cliffside, she collapsed. Knees buckling under her, her hands pressed against the rocky earth to keep her from completely falling.
She stared without seeing.
Was it raining?
Her hand rose, fingertips lightly brushing her cheek. Lowering her hand, she glanced down at it, seeing a few water droplets.
It wasn't raining. But she liked to think it was.
Her breathing became harder, uneven as hiccups interrupted each breath. Her hands trembled, her body shaking as sobs wracked her body.
She wanted to scream, but she didn't. Her lungs wouldn't do it. So she cried silently.
She shifted so she was sitting at the very top of the cliff, her legs bent and arms wrapped around them, head buried in her knees to stifle her cries.
She's lost so many friends before. Goldilocks, Kitty, Mashi… so why…?
"Wh-Why does it h-hurt so much…?"
She could hear Flamey and Winter in the back of her mind, trying to comfort her, or calm her down. But she could barely hear them over her cries.
It wasn't too long until the sound of footsteps met her ears. She didn't look up. She didn't know who it was. At the moment, she didn't care.
The person stopped beside her, not speaking for a good while, simply letting her cry peacefully.
When her sobs had quieted, and her sniffles decreased, they spoke.
"Do not take what my grandson says to heart," they said, gruff voice holding a bit of softness for the child, "He is stubborn, and prideful to a fault. While he makes mistakes, his pride gets in the way of any apology." There was a small pause. "Despite having grown and matured quite a lot he is still, in many ways, a child."
She didn't respond.
Ginrei let out a small sigh. "Ryoko, know that as long as I am the head of the Kuchiki clan, you will always be welcome in the manor."
The elder man turned when he heard another person approaching. He'd freely admit he was disappointed it wasn't Byakuya.
Ryoko didn't move.
"Sosuke," Ginrei greeted, giving Ryoko one last glance before making his way to the other man.
"Good evening, Ginrei," Aizen replied, smiling at the other man. However, his smile dipped when he caught sight of Ryoko. "I happened to see Ryoko above my Division a moment ago. She seemed to be in a hurry." He looked at Ginrei. "Is everything alright?"
"I'm afraid not…"
Ryoko sniffled, burying her head further into her arms, her grip tightening around her legs. She just wanted to be left alone…
A hand placed itself gently on the top of her head, making her flinch.
"Oh Ryoko," Aizen said softly. He sat himself beside her, his legs hanging off the edge of the hill. His hand smoothed her hair which had become a bit messy during her impromptu flight up. "I'm sorry."
She sniffled again, a hiccup escaping as she felt tears forming once more. She furiously rubbed them away. She was sick of crying, so why won't they just stop?!
"It's okay," he soothed.
Nothing more was said between them, Aizen simply stroking her hair or back.
He blinked in slight surprise when she suddenly shifted, moving closer to him and leaning her head against his chest. She was still crying, tears staining her face, but she had unfurled herself from the ball she had curled into.
He wrapped an arm around her, pulling her close and offering comfort.
"It's alright," he said, "Everything...will be alright."
Behind them, standing beside the large halberd tied to the rocky earth, Gin watched silently, a frown replacing his usual smirk. He felt bad, not warning Ryoko of what was to come. But it was necessary. He'd apologize later, when she had calmed down. He'd feel bad if she ended up having another attack because of him.
Though, he was a little surprised there wasn't an attack already. She was having such a strong reaction to what happened, and he'd felt her reiatsu increase before he and Aizen had shown up, meaning she was close to having one.
So, what had calmed her down?
…
No, it didn't matter at the moment. For now, he'd wait, and focus on helping her. Maybe he'd plant a little idea in Lieutenant Kusajishi's head for a prank on Byakuya. Maybe even Tosen. He never did like him.
It was the least he could do, after all.
"Well now," Aizen spoke, getting Gin's attention. The brown-haired man shifted slightly, looking down at the child in his arms. Her eyes were closed, chest rising and falling rhythmically; peacefully. Tear marks still stained her cheeks, but the tears themselves had long since stopped. "It seems she finally exhausted herself."
Gin approached, stopping to Aizen's right, looking down at the sleeping girl, his frown deepening when he noticed the red coloring around her eyes.
"Would you like me to take her back to Squad 13?" he asked. Aizen seemed to think on this. "I do recall you still having quite a load of work left at the division," he pointed out. Aizen glanced at him, but he didn't flinch or change his words.
"Very well," the Captain finally agreed, "It wouldn't do for the Head Captain to get angry with me over a few late papers."
"Of course," Gin chuckled, "You don't want to ruin your perfect image, after all."
Aizen stood, handing the smaller Soul Reaper to Gin, being careful not to wake her up. Gin held her close to his chest, making sure he had a good grip, before using Shunpo and disappearing with a puff of air.
Aizen stared at where his former Lieutenant once stood, frowning. "It seems...she still has quite a way to go before she can truly be useful." His eyes rose to the large weapon thoughtfully.
A gentle, if somewhat awkward-sounding, knock reached Kaien's ears. He immediately stood from his desk, happy and eager to get away from the monotonous work even for just a moment.
He slid the door open, eyes widening in surprise when fox-like eyes greeted him, the usual grin gone from his face. "Captain Ichimaru?"
"So sorry to bother you, Lieutenant."
Kaien's eyes drifted down to the girl in his arms, eyes widening further when he realized who it was. "What the hell happened? Is she okay?!" He stepped toward them, eyes scanning Ryoko for any injuries she may have sustained.
"Don't be so loud," Gin sighed, his words causing Kaien to frown. "She's fine. Just asleep."
The Lieutenant paused, glancing up at the Captain thoughtfully. He hadn't failed to notice the red around her eyes when he checked her. He straightened, turning serious. "Come on, follow me." Gin moved out of the way so Kaien could pass, following him down the hall. "Tell me what happened."
"I'm afraid news of her status as a Quincy was leaked before the announcement could be made."
"What?!"
Gin quickly shushed the man. He suddenly wondered if Ryoko got some of her louder personality traits from watching the Shiba boy. "I don't know exactly how anyone else found out, but I've passed a few Soul Reapers talking about it. No doubt it's reached all across the Seireitei."
"Damn," Kaien growled through gritted teeth, his fists clenched tightly by his sides. No wonder she was upset. But...the more he thought about it, the more it dawned on him that people finding out wouldn't have had such an effect on Ryoko. It would be upsetting, but not to the point of crying to the point of passing out. Something else happened.
They finally reached her room and went in. Gin placed her gently down on her bed, taking one more look at her before he and Kaien left, the door closing softly behind them.
As soon as they had walked out of earshot, Kaien spoke again, "You didn't tell me everything, did you?" Gin frowned.
"To be honest," he stated, voice surprisingly quiet, "I'm not entirely sure of what went on, myself. I know the general gist of what happened, but clearer details are…" he trailed off. Kaien sighed.
"Well?"
The white-haired man paused, trying to figure out the best way to say this without having it end in someone's death. "It seems little Byakuya found out before she could confront him about it herself. I wasn't there for the confrontation, but I saw her leave. Whatever happened, it was not good."
"That's a damn understatement," the other man growled. His fists clenched and opened by his sides, and Gin found it amusing how they looked like they were choking some invisible person. Taking a deep breath, Kaien ran a hand through his hair. "This's turned into a fine mess… The Captain's not going to be happy about this…"
"I do hope you're not planning on confronting the boy?" Gin asked, his grin returning cheekily. To his surprise, Kaien grimaced.
"No… But Ukitake might." He turned to Gin. "Ukitake loves Ryoko, and cares for her a lot more than it seems. We both know he'd do anything to make her happy. If Byakuya went so far as to make her like that, who knows what he'd do."
Silver eyebrows rose. "Really? I figured the guy was pretty harmless."
He let out a huff of a laugh. "He is. Until you break his daughter's heart."
