A shout-out to HarunaOno! Thanks for reviewing!
I hope you all are enjoying the story. Here's our next installment!
Chapter 4
You open your eyes to pure black. You feel rock and grit piercing your back, and your glasses hang from your chin. Pain shoots through you when you abruptly push yourself up, and you wildly look around, gasping for breath.
Where am I?
You were supposed to be in the world of the living, where there were humans busied with their own purposes, the smell of baked bread from the bakery, the honking of cars, and all of that human clutter. But now, it was dead silence. The grass beneath you is gray and dried up, now coated with sharp, jagged rocks. The sky was ink black, and a few scraggly, bare trees grasping upward, the leaves long gone. You wonder where the sunlight had come from in order for those trees to even start growing in the first place.
"I have to get out of here..." you murmur to yourself. Quickly, you jump to your feet, wincing when you accidentally trip over a rock. Where was Rukia? Byakuya? Renji? What had happened to them? Why were you even here?
You fumble for your Zanpakuto, and then grasp the cold hilt, fear pouring through you. You would have to be on your own if you wanted to get out of here, wherever you even were. You run across the landscape, the gray bushes scratching at your ankles. You cringe at the pain, but you keep going, even when your glasses fall off your face, disappearing into the tangled knots of rotten thorns. You don't care to pick it up, and you break into a run, without even knowing what you were running from.
"Tell me this is a nightmare..." you mutter to yourself, stopping to catch your breath. Then, you higher your voice, calling out, "Is anyone here? Hello!" Your voice comes out hoarse, and you arch your back, coughing violently. You couldn't keep going like this forever. You would die if you stayed here, hungry, cold, and hurt.
You take a few moments to gulp in a couple of deep breaths, drinking the air gratefully. Putting a hand on the bark of a tree that looked strangely white and cut at the branches, you adjust your hair, pulling out the small grit that was still stuck in it. Then, you collapse on the ground in exhaustion, eyes lowered to the ground.
Were you going to die like this? Would this really be it? You gaze up at the sky, the blackness of it blending in with the dark, dying grass, the gray thornbushes, and the trampled, crumbly leaves. You wonder how the others are doing. Were they okay, and did they also not reach the world of the living?
There must have been something wrong when we entered the Senkaimon. There's no way we couldn't have made it... You ponder this thought sadly as you close your eyes, letting the light wind ruffle your hair.
"Someone! Help!"
You jolt upward, immediately on your feet, when you hear the high, shrieking voice piercing the quiet air. The voice had sounded familiar. Was it Rukia?
Abruptly, you charge forward through the thorns. Your legs are coated in blood from being scratched and bruised so many times, but you wouldn't stop. You knew from your heart that it was Rukia, and you needed to help her. Your heart thuds against your chest as you flash-step ahead, until your legs felt like they were going to tear off.
Finally, the prickling thorns dissipate, revealing a clearing of gray grass. You squint in the darkness, trying to make out your surroundings. It was blurry after losing your glasses, but you could make out movement in the grass. Yes, there was Rukia, kneeling in the grass, screaming with all of her strength. She was shaking vigorously, banging her Zanpakuto against rocks. Her eyes were as dull as the night sky, as she stared gloomily at the ground.
Next to her was Byakuya's unconscious body.
Your eyes widen in shock and surprise that you nearly crumpled to the ground, along with the fatigue of your legs. "No!" you cry out, running toward Rukia. She jerks towards you, her eyes brimming with fear. She stares at you gloomily, and then looks back at Byakuya.
"W-what happened?" you declare, making direct eye contact with her. Rukia tries to break your gaze, but you continue staring at her intently, fire burning in your eyes. "Tell me!"
"I don't know!" Rukia suddenly cries out. "I found Nii-sama here, all hurt and crippled! I should've done something sooner before we entered the Senkaimon. I should've known if something was wrong, and it would lead us here instead of the world of the living. Now Byakuya is hurt, Renji is missing, and-"
"Stop."
You cut her off firmly, and put a hand on her shoulder. "We're in this together. No matter what happens, don't blame yourself for it! We'll try to heal Byakuya, even if it costs our lives, but you can't falter now." You don't know where you got the strength to say those words, and you couldn't make any promises. But you couldn't just stand here and do nothing, could you?
You stare at Byakuya, who was breathing shallowly. In sympathy, you look down at the ground. He was so prideful yet unsociable, but now he was weak, and you needed to help Rukia in some way. Her once lively eyes were now as gray as the sky at the sight of her brother hurt.
Then, an idea pops into your mind. You know it wasn't the best option, but you knew it would be worth it. You turn back to Rukia, who continually was staring into the distance gloomily.
"Rukia, listen to me!" you say sharply, but there was more fright in your voice. She turns to you, her eyes having a wild, tarnished look in them, but she nods to show she is listening. You let out a shaky breath, holding back tears, and continue, "Do you know any healing Kido that might at least have the slightest effect? Anything is better than nothing."
Rukia gives you an uneasy look. "I guess I could, but I'm better at fighting Kido, not healing. Also, it's too hard to use my spiritual energy in this atmosphere, even if I did try. Nothing would happen if I did any type of Kido. It's useless."
She was going to give up? Would they all rot away in this gray, crestfallen realm, never to be seen again? You could not let that happen. You would get out of here if it meant your life.
"I'll lend you some of my spiritual energy. With that, you might be able to use Kido," you say simply, pushing away the reluctant thoughts that filled your mind. There had to be a way to get out of here, or at least heal Byakuya, for that matter.
Rukia seemed to perk up a bit at the idea, but she still didn't buy it. "You're battered and bruised. Are you sure you can do it? You don't owe me anything, and it's okay if you don't want to help. Please don't risk yourself. I'm the one who should be doing that, not you."
You edge closer to her. "No, Rukia," you state firmly, your eyes cold. "I will lend you my spiritual energy to heal him, and then we'll find Renji. Everything will work out, I just know it. At least let me do this for you."
Her eyes look over you carefully, and she manages a weak smile. "I'd be grateful for that. I'll never forget this..." She looks up, now with more confidence. "Thank you..." She looks up, a new light in her eyes. "Let's do this."
You firmly clasp hands with her, and you both concentrate hard, until a green ball of energy is hurled from your palms. You close your eyes tight, trying to get more energy out, with sweat trickling down your forehead. You would have to give it all your strength in order for the healing Kido to work.
When you opened your eyes the green force field was almost complete, circling around Byakuya. You thought you saw Byakuya shift to the side slightly, but he handled the pain slightly. Tears threatened to trickle out of your eyes, as you thought about how he must feel, bottling up all those emotions inside. Then, you shook the thought aside, fighting back the tears. You force yourself to look away, and continue channeling spirit energy until it completely enveloped around the captain. Finally, you collapse to the ground, relieved that the work was done.
Rukia looks down at the ground, trying to maintain the spiritual energy of the force field so it wouldn't flicker away in the healing process. "I really hope Renji is okay..." she mutters to herself, staring blankly at the green energy.
You look out into the gloomy forests. Renji could be anywhere in this never-ending realm...but it would be worth a try in attempting to find him. Besides, you could tell that she was dead-worried about his whereabouts.
"Rukia..." you begin saying. "If you want to look for Renji, I can look after Byakuya."
Rukia jumps a little at the remark, and turns to you. "Are you sure?" She stares at you intently, while pulling back a strand of black hair and sighing to herself.
"I'm confident that I could stay here with Captain Kuchiki while you go find Renji. He couldn't have gotten that far. We have to at least try, and besides, we cannot leave him behind." You shrug slowly, while inspecting a single blade of gray grass, with dirt and dust surrounding it. You knew that Rukia had known Renji for a long time, and she would only be hurt more if she stayed here. You had to convince her to go find him.
She stares at you reluctantly, her eyes filled with so much worry, regret, and numerous other emotion that you couldn't pick out. She always seemed on the verge of crying, but she dealt with every situation no matter what the cost. That was her character, after all.
"Okay, then. I'll be heading off, then." She puts her hands on the ground, wincing when she grazed lightly against a thorn bush, and then heaved herself off of the ground. She began walking away, but not before turning back to take one last glance at you. "Be careful. This is your first mission, after all, but you've faced it bravely. Thank you." She shot a small smile at your direction before setting off, flash-stepping at amazing speed until she was only a blur in the distance. After she was out of sight, you look back down at Byakuya, still unconscious.
You strangely feel sympathy for the captain, as you stand beside him. You look up to the sky, starless and sad. But, in the most strangest way, it was beautiful at the same time. A beauty that was concealed by darkness, isolation, and lifelessness. You whisper to the sky, "I'll take good care of the captain, Rukia, I'll promise you that." A new spark of hope seems to settle in you, as you suddenly feel that everything would be okay. They would get out of this mess...together.
You turn your gaze back to Byakuya, and you kneel down to the ground, your face very close to the force field surrounding him. Letting out a breath, you murmur to him, "It seems unfair that life makes you suffer more, even when to this day, he bottles up his emotion, fear, and regret. However, with every step, you looked at everything with never-ending confidence, and a prideful walk."
Hot tears begin trickling down your cheeks as you continue, "You have locked away your heart, but I can't help but want to know more about you. However, there will never be another Hisana to unlock those thoughts and feelings. But I still wanted to know from the very first day I met you." You gasp for breath as the sobs squeeze and choke your neck. You steady your breathing, and felt confidence burning in you as you stare at the surrounding trees, and face the wind as it blasts into your face.
Then, you make one last promise to Byakuya. Smiling to yourself, you vow, "Even then, despite all of the pain you have gone through, I will protect you. With all my heart, I will protect you on behalf of Rukia-sama and her comrades. But you would never understand my feelings if I told you this while you were conscious, would you?" You let the final tears spill down your face, and dribble down your chin. Then, the tears leave your face, and then fall quietly to the ground. They were wet dots on the rough, prickly thornbushes and dry grass.
You rest your head on the grass, dangerously close to the force field, and let out a deep breath. So many events had occurred at one time, and it was only your first mission! But everything was alright. You lay down next to the forcefield, so you could keep an eye on the captain. It was time that you had some rest.
You sigh as you tuck your arms under your head, and glance at Byakuya one last time before gazing straight up at the sky.
Byakuya Kuchiki, I want you to understand me. No matter how much you conceal your emotions, I will protect you with all of my heart.
A last tear sneaks its way on your face as you rest on the ground, right next to the man whose heart had been broken for far too long. The heart that was cold and unsociable on the outside, yet yearning and crying for help on the inside.
The heart that you wanted to protect.