Evenings
Disclaimer: Bleach (c) Kubo Tite.
-
Kuchiki Byakuya had often believed that he had outgrown nightmares.
With a wry air, he reflected as he lay in his bed in a sickbay, that he had been living in one all this while. This pride, this honour… it had been something that he upheld with his life when it was something that chained him down and weighed on him.
But after his admittance of the truth to his sister, something had been unlocked. He had told Rukia the truth because he owed that much to her. After the chains had been loosened when love finally kicked honour and pride away from his heart, he realized that he owed his sister that much, for all he had done.
And also because he wanted her to know the truth before he went to join Hisana.
He had truly believed that. His wounds from his fight with Ichigo combined with that stab taken for Rukia had cost him blood. Blood that seeped away with his life. He had honestly thought he would die again.
But he did not.
He had had no visitations from any of the dead. Neither Hisana nor Shiba had come to see him or pay him a friendly visit with a message or two. It seemed to him, like he had just awakened minutes after the sword had stabbed him.
Black lashes fluttered open to a blurry swirling view of white and gray. How long he lay there, collecting his wits, he didn't know. But when memory and feeling returned, he noted the throbbing pain in his side and his memories threw questions at him.
Where were Tousen, Aizen, Gin and Ichigo? Why wasn't he at Soukyouku Hill? What had happened to Rukia?
His eyes darted as fast as it could around him to find clues.
All was answered when his eyes caught an exhausted Rukia sleeping by the side of the bed. So… everything was over. He couldn't even bear to move his fingers, such was the intensity of his pain.
But he was alive.
And so was she.
He had been able to keep his promise to Hisana.
From that day onward, Byakuya could drift into peaceful sleep, the nightmares somehow faded.
-
A black swallow tail butterfly floated into the fourth division office that morning. It emerged out of a window on the other side while a figure came out of a door.
"Good afternoon, Yamamoto-sama. Captain Unohana Retsu of the fourth division reporting," came the soft spoken greeting.
The first division captain inclined his head in a nod of acknowledgement. "Sit, Captain Unohana."
She duly obliged and the old captain began again. "I have been made aware that you were amongst the first to gain knowledge of the betrayal that has befallen the Gotei 13. I wasn't able to ask you for the past two weeks since I was busy. However… will you elaborate further, any information of Aizen Sousuke?"
Captain Unohana hesitated for a moment, unsure of how to phrase her words.
Then she decided that the best place to start would be from the very beginning.
"The 'body' of Aizen (she winced as she said this. How used she had been to Captain Aizen of the fifth… and not Aizen the traitor) had always been suspected from the beginning…"
And so she went on, describing her doubts but her inability to prove it, what Aizen had told her in that ice-filled room just two days before, how he had used his Zanpakutou to deceive the eyes of those who could see… and how he had gone in a whirlwind, leaving her and Vice Captain Isane behind, bewildered.
"…I see." There was a heavy sigh from the old man's side of the room.
And Captain Unohana remained silent, lost in her own thoughts, suddenly feeling drained. After three weeks of concentrating on healing and three weeks of trying to forget what had happened… relating the experience again was like a sudden blow to the gut. It took her wind away and left her limp.
"…you have been working hard this past week, Captain Unohana. I thank you for your cooperation. I give you leave for the next three days, beginning today."
Whatever Captain Unohana had been expecting, this wasn't it. Nevertheless, she looked up. Yamamoto caught her expression and nodded.
"For the next three days, you are permitted to rest from your duties. Many who should have perished didn't because of you and your division's efforts. Have Vice Captain Kotetsu take charge. I am aware that most of those injured are now stabilized."
"…yes. They are."
He nodded again. "Then you are dismissed for now. Have a good rest, Captain Unohana."
"…thank you."
As she left the room, Unohana sighed. Yamamoto's motives for sending her on a three day break were something of a mystery. Perhaps he needed time to decide her fate or the fate of the others. Whatever his reason…
She looked through the windows in the corridor. It was already late evening. Dusk had arrived with its red and orange hues, yellow hovering in between the two.
Whatever his reason… whatever conspiracy that was rising next… it could wait.
Even the sun had to rest after a day of shining.
-
Two days later…
There came soft footsteps in the corridor outside. Then a voice tentatively called out.
"Niisama…?"
"Come in."
Rukia slid the shoji open to see her brother sitting by his low desk in the middle of his reading room. He had been allowed to rest at home for a few more days after being able to leave the sickbays. (Well, more like forced but anyway…)
He wore a black yukata with subtle white embroidery on it. With that on and even if his Shinigami uniform was nowhere in sight, he still looked like a captain. It helped that Senbonzakura was in his hand. Yamamoto had not called off the orders for restricted Soul Cutter releases, just in case. It served to make everyone nervous around their superiors whenever they were in bad moods. Dying by way of a shikai or a bankai just because the coffee that morning was just a bit too sweet really wasn't worth it.
She walked quietly and knelt in front of the desk on the tatami mat. "Good evening, niisama. You called for me?"
He nodded. "I'm going somewhere for the day. Should anyone question my absence, please assure them I will return by this evening."
Rukia nodded quickly. "Hai. Uh… can I ask where you're going, niisama?"
Byakuya was silent for a while, as if evaluating his sister's trustworthiness. Then just before Rukia could wave away her question, he spoke.
"I'm just going to visit someone."
Rukia's eyes reflected surprise but it was clear her brother wouldn't reveal anymore. And she knew better than to ask who or why. They hadn't reached that level of familiarity… yet. So she just settled with a nod. "I see."
"I would appreciate it though if you didn't tell anyone about this. I'd like to keep this trip discreet."
She couldn't help but smile. Discreet meant never existed in Byakuya terms. "My lips are sealed."
"Good. That will be all."
Rukia bowed then got to her feet. As she headed towards the door, she glanced back, the smile still on her face. Even if it didn't seem like anything had changed, she didn't feel so scared now when she had to face her brother. It was as if some large black fog had been lifted. Meetings were still a little awkward but they weren't traumatic.
It felt… good. For both brother and sister.
"One more thing."
She turned, her hand already on the door.
"Thank you."
Her smile grew a little wider. "That's what sisters are for. Have a good trip, niisama."
Without giving Byakuya time to object, she slipped outside, somewhat surprised at the growing boldness she possessed when facing her brother but strangely pleased.
And Byakuya allowed a corner of his lips tug slightly into a not-quite-there smile.
-
Unohana felt the evening breeze caress her skin as she sat on her wooden verandah, drinking her tea.
The past three days had been a boon. It had given her time to rest, to think and to pause. She had had news about the patients from Vice Captain Isane and was glad to hear that Ichigo and Byakuya had been deemed fit enough to leave the sickbays. Captain Komamura had also recovered enough to leave.
Vice Captain Abarai and Vice Captain Hinamori though had been occupying her worries. She had pored through the medical tomes in her home, wondering what she could do. In the end, she placed the books on herbs, medical conditions and other miscellaneous topics back on their shelves.
It was their own will that would bring them back, not any magical herb or medicine she could make.
Unohana took in a breath and suddenly felt strange. It had been a long time since she truly breathed… breathed like the humans did. There were times when she didn't take in air because souls, scientifically, couldn't breathe because they didn't need to. They were souls, not flesh. Sighs and deep breaths were, more than anything, a force of habit.
As she looked at the sky, she couldn't remember what it was like to breathe properly again.
She wanted to but she had forgotten.
How strange that the tiniest of details become so important to you when you realize that you have lost them completely…
Spirit pressure told her that someone had paid her an unexpected visit. Getting to her feet, she walked quietly to the front door. Sliding it open, she was startled a little to see who it was. But nevertheless, she smiled.
"Good evening, Captain Kuchiki."
He nodded, his face passive. "Good evening."
She didn't ask why or how, merely saying "Please come in."
"…thank you."
Unohana led him out to the verandah where she had been sitting and bade him sit down. She poured out a cup of tea and handed it to him. He took it without words but with just a nod of thanks.
Both captains kept silent for some time. For what reasons, it wasn't too clear. But the silence was needed, if only to clear the air of questions.
"You're looking better since I last saw you," commented Unohana finally. "That is good."
For some reason, he humoured this small talk. "Then the reason for your orders to your vice captain to supply me with certain herbs after I left the sickbays is?"
"That is to speed up your full recovery." She smiled. "Usually we only allow people to return after fully recovering. But with you, Captain Kuchiki, I thought it best if we released you after about three quarters of the way."
"…the herbs are bitter though."
She didn't question if he was making small talk or talking of something deeper, only looking out onto the scenery before her. Unohana smiled at the thought that came to mind. "They say that most things that taste bad are good for us."
Byakuya took in a breath and let it out softly.
"The irony is something to behold."
She smiled, closing her eyes. "Indeed."
There came another wave of silence as they collected their thoughts while sipping tea. Then Unohana opened her eyes again and saw the orange, red and yellow colours of sunset.
"Hisana-san would have been proud of you, Captain Kuchiki."
"…how do you know that?"
She chuckled slightly. "Meeting her once is enough for me to know how proud she would have been. You on the other hand, were with her for five years. You should know better than I."
He sighed. "I always held the opinion she knew me better than I knew her."
"…on the contrary. I believe that you knew each other just as much as you knew yourselves." She smiled. "That is, truthfully, enough."
Byakuya contemplated the green tinted liquid in his clay cup, deciding now would be a good time to state his reason for coming.
"Captain Unohana."
She looked up at him, calmly as he turned his face towards her.
"Thank you."
She smiled gently, knowing well the reason for this stoic expression of gratitude, and nodded.
"You're welcome."
And with that, the sun dipped below the horizon and fiery hues of the evening faded gently into the blue black velvet of the night.
The End.
Author's Rant: No, Hisana didn't meet Unohana in the manga. This idea stemmed from a beautiful fic I read: "The Untold Stories" by seal-chan. The third drabble, "Dear Diary" had Hisana going to Unohana for treatment and I kind of played off that idea. So, credit goes to seal-chan for that bit. :)
What was the point of the above? I too have little clue. Perhaps to illustrate what goes on after that mess some chapters back? (read: Aizen) But since chapters 180 and 181 have emerged, shouldn't this classify as AU? What am I babbling about?
...I think mostly, this is to feed theByakuyaxUnohana energy. Yes, I said ByakuyaxUnohana. The above seemed to have that. It was a blink-and-you'll-miss-it kinda thing. And if you have any opinions on ByakuyaxUnohana and how utterly CRAZY (and more adjectives that I shall not place here for fear of getting banned) that pairing is... ask any of my friends and they will confirm that I'm just weird that way.
Putting all that aside, I thank you for bothering to click the link to this story. Please do give your opinions politely in a review. All constructive criticism is most welcome. I'm not particularly happy with the story myself so I'd like all the help I can get in making it better. Thank you again and have a nice day. :)