A Passing Dream Chapter 5, a bleach fanfic

(scenes separated by "--")

Chapter 5.

A number of shinigami and students were killed that day and many others were injured badly. It was fortunate that Rena and Byakuya-sama lived, but while Byakuya returned to the academy, Rena was still hospitalized in a coma. Although Byakuya felt sorrow for Rena, he barely ever visited her. There was something bothering him whenever he passed her room. One day I encountered Byakuya as we walked the halls.

"Kuchiki-sama."

"What happened out there?"

"Rena was being a fool; that was what happened."

I was stunned to her him talk about her in a bad way even after the trauma. Byakuya still had many bandages around his arms, yet he acted like he was unscathed.

"Byakuya-sama?"

"She wanted to be a hero when she couldn't. She thought that she could fend off the Menos like any other hollow, but she was wrong. She had to pay for her mistakes, and this what she got."

"But you feel sad for her, don't you?"

"Sadness, such emotions needn't be expressed at times like these."

"What...?"

"Rena and among other things taught me that."

He passed by me with a simple nod of goodbye. I couldn't believe that a free spirited girl like Rena could teach Byakuya-sama to be emotionless. I looked back at him and frowned. Emotions were needed to enjoy life. Without them, there wasn't anything to go along with our memories. Wonderful experiences can't be enjoyed without happiness.

"Byakuya-sama, wait!"

"What is it?" He turned around and stopped.

"Would you, would you please visit Rena with me sometime soon?"

"I'll think about it."

He turned around and walked away, leaving me with my sweaty hands, feeling the beat of my heart.

Byakuya-sama didn't arrive the next time I paid Rena a visit. There were many things on his mind, but I didn't want to question him anymore. Rena breathed steadily, her chest going up and down. I looked at her face to see great sorrow. This was a face I've never seen her show until now. I looked out the window and watched the clouds go by. I wondered whatever happened to...Rukia. It had been a while since I really put myself deep in thought about her. How long has it been since we last saw each other? How long...

"Hisana."

I jumped in my seat to see Rena sitting up in her bed. She took off her breathing mask and put her hands through her tangled hair.

"Rena-chan, I didn't see you wake up. How do you feel?"

She gave me a weak smile. "Fine, I guess. Byakuya-sama didn't come visit me right?"

"You're right, he hasn't. How do you know?"

"I wouldn't expect him to."

She seemed like a new person to me. Her bubbly attitude was replaced by a serene one. She laid her head back and looked at the ceiling. I just stared at her like I was waiting for orders.

"Byakuya-sama was like this ever since early childhood."

"Hm?"

"He's been through a lot of pain in his life. These sad emotions haunted him until he learned to forget them all, just to live his life without worry. Byakuya started this habit when his parents died."

"His parents?"

"We met when I was very little. My parents just died of illness and we were at their funeral. Back then, we were just two children learning about death. I admit it, I cried my heart out when I found out they weren't coming back. The Kuchikis were respected family friends and he attended the funeral as well. I remember I ran off and cried under a plum blossom tree nearing the end of spring. Byakuya came to me because his mother told him to comfort me. I cried most of the time so we didn't really speak.

I had no blood relatives left so I was "adopted" by the Kuchikis, but still kept my surname to continue the name at least until I marry or die. Byakuya-sama became my friend. How I remember he was kind and sweet and laughed like any other kid. I felt like he was my brother and we would always be happy and share the smiles. One day while we were older, his parents died too from a hollow attack. He cried as much as I did, until I yelled at him in despair. I told him: "Please, don't cry!" I sobbed. "Please! You are stronger than I am! You always want me to become stronger so I can help myself. How can I become stronger when you cry like me! Byakuya-sama, Byakuya-sama!" I screamed in the rain. Byakuya looked up at me like he never saw me before. Since that day, he showed less and less emotion until he stopped smiling, laughing and crying altogether. Emotions were a sign of weakness, he said once to me. I didn't mean to make him stop having feelings, but what was done was done. He only wanted me to get stronger, so I didn't bother to convince him wrong."

"Rena-chan..."

"Help me get up Hisana. All this made me so depressed. I feel I should get out now."

"Wait...Rena-chan, what if I made him have his feelings back? Would you mind?"

She looked at me like she was staring at the voice inside of me. "I wouldn't mind," she told me. "In fact, I would love it if you did."

Byakuya would always eat outside, even when it was cold. Only when it rained did he stay inside for lunch, but when it snowed, or if it scorching hot, he would eat outside under the same tree, even if it had lost all of its leaves and flowers. It was a snowy day in my second year in the academy. Byakuya ate outside all alone because Rena stayed inside. I bundled myself up and walked in the snow and slush to make my way to the bare sakura tree. The sky was gray with the clouds hovering over us and small rays of light punctured the blanket of clouds. Byakuya was sitting on a mat like usual and taking small bites out of his lunch.

"Good afternoon, Byakuya-sama."

"Good afternoon."

"Why do you eat outside like this? Aren't you cold?"

"It doesn't bother me."

"I see." I took a handful of snow off the ground and I let it slip through my fingers.

"Hisana."

"Yes?"

"Why are you out here?"

"I thought you looked like you needed company. Everyone's inside you know, you should probably eat with everyone else. It would be better than eating in the cold all alone."

He gave me a small grin as he put some food into his mouth. "Probably."

"We could do a lot together, I mean with Rena too, the three of us. We could train and we could play a game like Go, or Shogi, but they are boring I guess. Karuta or maybe we can just...talk."

Byakuya was giving the same emotionless stare. I couldn't tell what he was thinking from that face so I shut my mouth and finished my wooden box lunch. I felt a hand grab my wrist and looked up to see Byakuya-sama hoist me up to my feet.

"Let's go, Hisana."

I nodded, surprised. At first he dragged me across the yard like a rag doll, but then I regained my train of thought and followed him back to the academy, hand-to-wrist.

We weren't the best of friends for some reason, even though we were friendly with each other. They slipped out of my reach like the first time we met. I still felt the imaginary boundary between us like peasant and noble. What was stranger was that slowly, Rena started to exceed me in the academy. Our grades slid farther away from each other. She started to bloom as a noble and I kept my steady grades. Maybe that was one of the reasons why I didn't talk to them as often anymore. Rena-chan would try to invite me to lunch with them, but I brought up the excuses once again. i had something to do. I really did have something to do. I made up my decision some time ago. That day, I decided to search for Rukia, even if it's only for a while. I was approaching my sixth year in the institute and would graduate some months from now.

"Rukia..."

I wandered around the border of the gate for the remainder of my lunch period. They told me I could visit Inuzuri for a bit, but I couldn't pass a certain point. People in Inuzuri were still poor and trying to steal whatever they could. I stepped through the streets with the Gate Guardian towering over me and watching over me. I looked at the streets that were smeared by sludge and dry blood. It was there that I saw the graves I built for Sachiko and Ryoshi.

"You guys."

I cried at the sight of it. Someone tried to dig up something from their graves. The dirt mounds had holes in them and dirt covered the ground beside them. The planks with their names were thrown carelessly on the ground with disrespect. I sniffled as I tried to put their graves back together. Why would someone just destroy their graves? Did they think the dead held gold or anything worth any money? I bowed in front of them and took my bag to walk away.

The streets didn't improve a lot. Kids ran around the streets aimlessly, giving off their sad smiles. I frowned at the sigh of them and looked at all the things that brought back memories: the shack, the box where I found the reiatsu kids, the river that now had regained its water. Then I heard the laughter of some kids. I turned around to see a small boy with bright red hair. He was yelling and brandishing his fist in the air. I stared at him for a while before he ran around the corner. I'm sure he didn't notice me, but I followed him anyways. What was he screaming? Something, really familiar.

I ran around the corner and bumped into a small boy. He was the chubby type and stared at me, mesmerized.

"Um, little boy."

"Wow, wow! You look like...!"

A rash voice came from where the red-head was, around the corner.

"Come on, are ya' going to keep us waiting!"

"Ah coming! Ren-chan!"

The boy jumped and ran off without another word to me. I wanted to follow him, but I realized that my lunch period ended a few minutes ago. I wanted to remind myself of my younger years, but I had to report back to the academy.

Byakuya-sama and Rena-chan didn't have to take the shinigami test. Byakuya-sama would definitely pass without difficulty. Rena would have problems if she took the test, but she didn't have to because she was a noble.

"Begin!" Our instructor told us.

I looked down at the paper and lifted my pen to tap my chin. ...Chant for Blue Fireball, more spells... The amount of spells for kidou... The names of the captains and vice-captains... Achieving Shikai... The examination took forever, but I finished in time for the performance exam. I was given a sword and targets that dotted the sky and ground.

I took a leap and sliced the first target. My landing was a bit sloppy and out of the corner of my eye, I saw someone take off points. I continued to slice the targets, one by one and then the moving targets came in the form of hollows. They charged at me and I was able to jump on its head and I slammed my sword into its skull. I leaped to a building as another hollow collided with the hollow I just hit. There was more everywhere. They were the small class hollows, but I still had trouble controlling my sword.

"Darn it, darn it, I missed."

I continued to hit the hollows with sweat dripping from my forehead. A flying hollow stroked me as I ran for the finish line. Cursing lightly, I went through it with my blade and stepped across the line, panting.

"Second test!"

I turned around to see a circle of targets surround me.

"Ye Lord, mask of blood and flesh! All creation, flutter of wings, ye who bears the name of Man, inferno and pandemonium! The sea barrier surges, march on to the south. Way of Destruction number 31, Red Flame Cannon!"

I blasted about three of them and flipped through the air to fire more red fireballs.

"Way of Destruction number 4, White Lightning!"

The targets started to trash about as I jumped from side to side, sending out light through my fingertips. "White Lightning!" I incinerated more targets as they passed.

One by one they fell. My hands were red from doing so many spells at once and when the last one tried to slam into e, I accidentally kicked it down which would decrease my points a bit. I bit my lip and looked up at the sun. Shunpo and Hakuda were next. I was given a break before I began my next rounds. I peered out at the rest of Seireitei and its mountainous buildings. It was spectacular. I'm sure I didn't do too badly in the last trials, but I could always mess up later. More mistakes and I would have to wait one more year. I reminded of myself of Rena and Byakuya. They were the only ones I really got acquainted with and I couldn't lose them. I told myself that Byakuya needed someone to tell him that emotions were beautiful and Rena, she really did want to be my friend.

"Hisana, you are needed to complete your exam."

I nodded and took one more glance at the sky. I wanted to be a shinigami so that I could find Rukia once again. I wanted us to be together again so that we could live happily in Seireitei.