Itonami: Well, thank you so much for your reviews and here's another chapter for you all to enjoy.
Iwas in Korea with limited sources of the Internet and so I was not able to update. So sorry for the LONG wait for this. Forgive me!
Hope you like.
Disclaimer: I do not own any part of Bleach.
Chapter 3: Watching Her
The bright morning arrived peacefully upon Hisana two days before the arranged marriage date. She woke up but did not attempt to get out from under her warm covers. The birds chirped happily, as if they already knew of her excitement to be married. Her Byakuya-sama now addressed her frequently by name, unknowingly completing her empty heart bit by bit.
Her sleeping yukata was placed aside as she climbed into her regular kimono. Hisana wanted the day to pass into night quickly, for the sun to go down as soon as it had risen. It was night she wished for and another night after that. She had only felt this impatient when she was only a young girl looking forward to Christmas and presents.
Hisana exited her room, skipping breakfast and heading out into the garden surrounding the entire mansion. As usual, she found the Kuchiki patriarch on the porch meditating quietly. In the last two days, she discovered some things about the man. He liked his food very spicy, and although Hisana also favored spicy food, his taste was much too hot, and he also liked to spend his mornings meditating before he went off to serve as shinigami captain.
"Good morning, Hisana." Byakuya said even with his eyes closed.
Hisana was no longer startled by his voice or suddenness. "Ohayo, Byakuya-sama." She stopped. There was something amiss right then. The sun was shining too brightly and it was midway in the sky. "Is it noon already! I've overslept!" She exclaimed.
Byakuya's lips formed an invisible smile. "I told the servants not to wake you. There was no need."
The petite woman kneeled beside him. "Why are you not at the shinigami headquarters?"
"Grandfather instructed me to stay. I cannot disobey him." He replied. He was still in his meditative state.
Hisana smiled at his unresponsiveness. She would leave him to his brooding. Getting up from the porch, she made her way to the edges of the garden. Her little stream cut through the greenery and all you would be able to see was brown, green, black along the banks, which was why a strange pale pink color caught her eye.
Walking to it cautiously, she bent down to inspect this odd, out-of-place color. It stood out prominently against the grayish rock in which the pink was wedged in its corner of where it met the grass. At first, Hisana couldn't see much since the grass partially covered it. She reached out and brushed away some of the grass to find the small body of a dead baby bird.
It lay there harmlessly, its pink body marred with blue and black. It had broken its neck from the fall from the tree above her. Its large head was lopsided at a gruesome angle at which she couldn't bear to see.
Hisana let out a strangled cry of shock as she stumbled backward from it, suddenly being reminded of something horrendous and awful.
Byakuya, without even seeing what happened, could detect the note of disturbance that enveloped them. He opened his eyes to see Hisana vomiting uncontrollably in the grass. Rushing towards her, he was at her side and quickly scooped her up in his arms. The young woman was shivering and trembling while sweat trickled down her pale face. Her bangs stuck to her forehead by the perspiration.
"What happened?" He asked her urgently, wondering if there had been an intruder of some sort and had poisoned her.
Hisana only shook her head erratically, trying to communicate. Her breathing was labored and she made whimpering sounds incoherent to him. Her shaky hands grasped the collar of his kimono and then she squeezed her eyes shut. Tears leaked out from underneath her thin eyelids. "Ru…kia…" She gasped out feebly before she went limp in his arms. Her hands slid from his cloths and lay lifelessly on her stomach. Byakuya wordlessly took her to his room.
It was middle of the evening of that same day when she woke up again. Hisana was groggy and dizzy and her blanket slid off her torso as she sat up slowly on her futon. She exhaled and rubbed a hand across her tired eyes. Inhaling again, she noticed that the room smelled of wind and sandalwood along with a faint trace of pine, honey, and pepper. In the dimness, she could see the plain walls missing of her pots of flowers. The dresser and the low desk were not in their rightful places and more furniture had been added. All in all, this was definitely not her room.
As if cued by her epiphany, the shoji door slid open and Hisana blinked at the impressive figure of Kuchiki Byakuya. He was carrying a tray with a cup of steaming tea on it.
"Byakuya-sama…" She said quietly as she bowed her head respectfully.
"You alarmed me." The tall man said wryly. He set down the tray and handed her the cup which she took. "Do you feel like elaborating?"
Hisana shuddered and remained silent while she sipped the tea. The warm liquid gently relaxed her and her shoulders visibly loosened up. "Rukia is my sister." She almost inaudibly whispered that he had to strain his ears. It didn't help matters that she had her head stooped.
"Rukia?" He repeated.
"When I died, I was sent to Inuzuri with my sister. Life there…was harsh, Byakuya-sama. I couldn't support myself and Rukia at the same time." Drops of her sorrowful tears stained Kuchiki's sheets. "I left her by a river, hoping that someone would come along and take her in. I left…a two month old baby to fend for herself… How selfish could I have been, to just leave her there?
"Then, I saw a dead baby bird by the little stream in the garden. I couldn't help but think of Rukia. I couldn't help but think that she's dead because of me." Hisana wept openly into her hands. "I've been looking for her every time I go into town, but I can't find her. I can't find her." Her voice was muffled.
She felt him embrace her, his chest providing a sort of hard cushion. His arms wound tightly and protectively around her, and her dark cobalt eyes widened as she gasped at the sudden envelopment. He radiated warmth and his voice comforted her. "I'm sure your sister is fine."
Byakuya's simple words cast a spell upon her and the tone of his voice almost made her believe him. Hisana closed her eyes and sighed. "Thank you, Byakuya-sama."
Hisana believed he would let go, but the two of them stayed that way for what seemed like eternity. She never felt so secure in her life; the life in Inuzuri was terrible and awful. Instead of living every moment in fear of getting jumped or mugged, she now lived every moment in love and comfort. She knew she was falling even deeper in love with her Byakuya-sama and she welcomed it with open arms. This was all she could possibly want.
"Yesterday, I was told to bring you to the shinigami headquarters tomorrow." Kuchiki said softly.
Hisana looked up at him in surprise. "Why?"
"They want to congratulate us." He said shortly.
She smiled. "That would be nice."
"Do you have an appetite?"
A low grumble in her stomach answered for her. Hisana blushed and smiled. "I guess so."
She watched his face turn into a light smile. She was delighted. He stood up with her still in his arms. "Come, there is food on the table for you."
The table was set for two. She knelt after Byakuya and realized that this was the first time being able to eat with him. Silently, she watched him eat, the confident movements of his hands and how properly he held his chopsticks. Everything about him was beautiful and smooth, like the flight of an eagle.
"Your rice is getting cold, Hisana."
She shook herself out of her admiring gaze and began to eat. Her appetite came back and Hisana found herself eating contently. This time, it was Byakuya watching her.
It was clear she was brought up well and properly by how she did not slouch or shift her legs every so often. Her chopsticks never clicked together and the way she ate had a certain sequence to it. First she would eat a bit of rice and then a side dish of her choice. Next, she picked up her spoon and ate her soup noiselessly, without irritating slurping sounds which were highly frowned upon by the family. Her final step was to pick up her chopsticks and eat another side dish. The cycle repeated itself again.
This girl, for some reason he couldn't name, fascinated him to no extent. Her gentleness reminded him of a dove and her quietness more like a baby fawn. Her dark eyes held a degree of adoration in every thing she saw and took delighted pleasure in the simplest things. Her outlook on life was far different from his, which was a life of duty and protocol rather than anything. However, she seemed to be more interested in nature and the unseen, like how the air smelled so clean and how the sky colored itself blue. She liked flowers, especially the ones in the garden, and she giggled happily with them.
He often found himself looking for her if she appeared to be missing or after a day of battling hollows, went to check on her to see if she was sleeping well. Kuchiki was actually glad that his grandfather asked him to stay and spend time with Hisana.
"Byakuya-sama, when will we be going to go to the shinigami headquarters?" She asked, having finished her food.
Byakuya smoothly transferred his mind to the present. "After breakfast."
Silence fell over them again. He rose first and she followed. Hisana was excited for the day to come again. She couldn't wait until she got to see Byakuya's comrades.
They arrived at her own room and Kuchiki hesitated. "It seems like a good night to take a stroll." He said, stopping her from sliding open the door.
"Yes, yes, it does, Byakuya-sama."
Without another exchange of words, he led her out into the night. The sun had waned away during their late dinner. The only sources of light were little lamps that were placed on either side of the cobblestone road.
"The night hides many secrets, Hisana. I like to think during the night."
"Taking a stroll helps you?" She inquired gently.
"Aa."
The wind rustled the leaves above them. Hisana couldn't really see where they were going and stayed very close to Byakuya. It seemed like they were walking to another part of the Kuchiki compound.
Byakuya was steadily leading her through a bamboo lined path. By the light of the pale moon, Hisana could see a large shrine standing proudly at the end of the road. Her curiosity grew quickly at the approaching building.
He stopped at the foot of the shrine and bowed respectfully. "My family built this for my mother and father."
Hisana bowed gracefully also, hands clasped in front of her. "My name is Utaka Hisana. I will be marrying your son soon. Please bless our marriage. Don't ever leave Byakuya-sama. I hope I will make him happy." She murmured.
The couple stood there for awhile, staring at the kanji of the names of Kuchiki Byakuya's parents upon the cold stone pillars. They didn't speak and only seemed to dwell in each other's presence and what comfort it provided.
Later, they went back to the house, but Hisana sat on the porch. He looked at her as if waiting for her to get up. Hisana smiled and motioned to the spot next to her. "How did your parents pass away?" She asked, looking towards the bluish moon.
The Kuchiki leader sat in his meditative state and looked at the same moon that she was gazing at. "My father was a shinigami captain. He was killed in battle while trying to protect my mother. Two days after his burial, she also died." His explanation seemed rehearsed and carefully practiced. There was no trace of emotion as he spoke those words.
"Ojii-sama said that you were the twenty sixth generation of shinigami captains in the family." She smiled.
"All four noble houses are a line of shinigami blood." He stated.
Hisana sighed. "You keep Soul Society safe, Byakuya-sama."
He snorted lightly. "All the divisions are in charge of such a job."
Still, she kept smiling. "Every moment spent in your presence is a blessed moment."
Byakuya watched her eyes gleam enigmatically with the moonlight. He was rather surprised by her sudden, yet softly spoken proclamation. Not knowing what to say, he remained silent, a defense mechanism he had developed throughout the years of being a captain.
The young woman beside him giggled. "I was rather bold, wasn't I, Byakuya-sama? Do you disapprove?"
After a forbearing stillness, he opened his mouth and replied, "No." It was with ease and grace that he said that plain word.
She closed her eyes. "If only…Rukia could meet you…"
"It is said that the lost are always found again." Byakuya said. "It is a soul's nature to cling to hope."
"I have always clung to hope and it has gotten me very far." She replied.
"Let us turn in. You shouldn't sleep in tomorrow." Byakuya stood up and waited for her to stand also.
"Hai." She whispered and walked in the house.
When they stopped at each other's doors, Hisana stopped. She quietly looked up at him. "Will you stay with me just for a little while?"
Wordlessly, he took a step forward and reached out to slide open the door for her. She entered first and laid out her futon routinely. Kneeling on it, the pretty woman exhaled. "I was just afraid to go to sleep alone. I feel like I'm going to dream about Rukia."
"If you think about her too much, you will. Sleep, I'll be here."
"Thank you, Byakuya-sama." She said, lying down. She felt him cover her shoulders with the blanket.
Twenty minutes later, Kuchiki was watching her slumber deeply. Hisana slept on her side, slightly curled up in a fetal position along with a handful of her blanket bunched in her hand. He sat cross legged beside her as she had asked him to.
His plan was to retire to his own room after she fell asleep, but he was still there, his eyes never wandering from her face. Byakuya thought of himself as crazy when he reacted to her every action in a different way than he expected.
Surely, I have gone insane. He scowled darkly in displeasure. I have gone entirely too long without tea. The shinigami captain crossed his arms and almost nodded in order to reassure himself that the lack of tea was the actual reason which made him act strangely.
He spent the entire night convincing his mind.
Author's notes: Hisana has declared her unconditional love for Byakuya! How will Byakuya respond? Does he feel the same?
I sound like stupid. What a cheesy way to make one feel in suspense. Hehe, just ignore that. Anyway, I hope you liked it. This story will bemostly Byakuya/Hisana fluff. No side stories or such.Reviews would be very much appreciated.
Irecieveda flame for one of my Naruto stories...the only impolite review out of 500 plus. Apparently, my storyline is too bland and the descriptions are too vague...Some people are full of such crap these days. "This is so crap, it makes shit look good." How original, ne? Psh. I could reply in hundreds of different ways for that. What is the difference between crap and shit? ...aren't they both poop? Is crap the solid type and shit the watery type? --;; Oh well...thanks for listening to my rambling.