A/n: Thank you nazarin for the support!
Chapter Four : On the Way
The car proceeded down the road, haltingly, because of the rush hour. Outside, the rain came down in torrents. Byakuya focused his gaze on the drops that beat against his window. He leant towards the fogged glass and stared at them. Yoruichi-san's words were still turning in his head.
I found Rukia…
It seemed… impossible. Byakuya had been searching for Rukia since the time Hisana told about him, on her deathbed. The inability to do that brought forth a great feeling of helplessness within him, one that he was still coping with.
In him, who was possibly the most expressionless and inexpressive man on earth – even if he accepted that himself –after two years, the mere mention of this girl aroused such emotions of deep contemplation and questioning.
But before he could think of anything else, the car had entered a not-so-posh area of the city. He dug around his pocket for the paper containing the address.
114, Rukon Complex, it read.
Committing the information to his memory, he slipped the paper back inside his pocket and instructed the driver to stop the car at the next left turn.
Once outside, the keen eyes of the Kuchiki head took in the features of the underdeveloped surrounding he had been presented with. Shabbily dressed children roamed the streets, shouting and calling out to each other loudly. A little girl took the courage to venture a bit too close to him for comfort, but Byakuya ignored her and moved on.
Finding the compound in which Rukia supposedly lived was not difficult, thanks to the fact that there was only a single narrow road, which he followed. A tatty board declared the name of the place, Rukon. Byakuya looked around to find some trace of civilized civilization, but all he saw was some other kids shouting and playing in a puddle of muddy water. Wanting to sigh, he moved closer to the main building.
Inside, the apartment complex was eerily quiet. There were no elevators, of course, but Byakuya found his way quickly to number 114 by taking the only flight of stairs in sight.
As he stood in front of the decaying door of the hundred-and-fourteenth apartment, he felt… what? Was that a hint of anticipation? Fear?
Sure it was. He could be in denial for all he wanted, but Byakuya knew that he did feel a bit of dread – both at her being there, and not.
Without thinking of anything else, he knocked on the door that looked like it would fall apart any moment, and waited.
"Is anyone home?" he called out, and heard his own voice echo two times in the empty corridor. There was no response for a few more minutes but Byakuya thought he heard the shuffling of clothes, so he waited more and tried to curb the odd feeling that he was experiencing.
When five minutes had passed, and there was still no answer, Byakuya was a little more than suspicious. So this really was a prank of the cat-like co-worker of his, he should have known. Though part of it was also his fault for being too curious and gullible. He was about to move out, when the door opened just a creak. His earlier hope returned but the actions that followed put a damper on it. A rough-looking brown envelope was let out of the small gap and then the door shut abruptly.
On a closer inspection, one could find the following words scrawled on its head:
This is the manuscript for the final chapter; my job on 'The Guitar' is done. Notes and other clarifications are inside this envelope. Please notify me about the new serialisation by sending a message at the usual place.
Thank you.
He stared at the note with utter disbelief. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Kuchiki Byakuya had absolutely no idea what to make of the situation.
End of four
To be continued
A/n: Go on, tell me it's bad. However, if by any mischance you did happen to like it, do review.