To all my faithful readers,
Thank you all for your wonderful reviews on my story. I am sorry that I am updating so slowly but I have been going through a tough time at home. Please mourn with me right now because my Youtube account of 5 years has been hacked and all my hard work has been deleted. One of my videos was about to hit 1000000 views as well. Funny how the world works.I apologize if I do not update this story for a few weeks because the homework load is about to pile up to a sky high amount and I am trying to learn how to use Sony Vegas Pro 8.0 so I can make awesome new videos to post on my new account.
Thank you so much,
Inumaru Higurashi
Chapter 21
"Lilium" Byakuya breathed. Renji's ears perked up, watching as his captain's hands tightened in his hair. The pale, broken body shuddered as grey eyes popped frantically open. Darting around the room in fear, Renji had to bite his lip to keep from yelling but waited patiently till those grey eyes focused on him. He felt his chest swell when he saw those eyes soften and relax when they met his.
"You're heavy." The weak voice rasped, grey eyes chuckling even though the mouth was set in a firm line.
"SORRY TAICHO!!" Renji jerked to get up but the abrupt move cause Byakuya to flinch and the brown eyed captain watched in horror as the ex-captain's battered chest rose and fell too quickly and grey eyes closed in fear while the body curled waiting for a blow to come.
"Taicho…," Renji placed a large hand gently on the shoulder, nearly pulling back when a violent flinch racked the battered body and whimpers were seen clawing to get out of the creamy throat.
"Abarai-fuku…Abarai…taicho…" Byakuya breathed, causing Renji's eyes to widen and breath stop.
"Taicho…I…!"
"Just…ask me…something." Byakuya gritted his teeth, grey eyes meeting the brown and Renji could see the monsters lurking behind the eyeballs.
"What can I ask you Taicho?" Renji leaned forward as his captain turned onto his side, limbs trembling, fighting the urge to just curl into a ball and disappear beneath the blankets. The steel grey eyes still focused on his brown orbs, pleading with him just to go on with something, anything distracting.
"Anything." Grey eyes begged.
"Lilium."
Renji looked down hard at the figure lying in the sheets. Had his captain always been this small? Renji leaned down, gingerly wrapped the trembling shinigami in his arms before asking,
"Who's Lilium?" He felt Byakuya let out a long breath and nestle himself further into the exhausted red heads arms. Grey eyes closed as the softest voice carried out through the air.
"She was a child."
"Who's child was she?"
"I don't know."
"Where is she?"
Byakuya opened his grey eyes and raised his head to meet Renji's wide eyed brown. He let a small quirk upward of his lips before dropping his head back into the pillows, letting the screams of less horrific memories take over before answering nonchalantly.
"She's dead. They killed her."
He let the images rush him over in a wave, her voice, her screams, their laughter, drowning out the desperate callings of his old vice captain. Renji knows now. It's time she fully rested.
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The first words she said to him were ones he would never forget. It was something that if he had the breath he would have laughed. An image of a small, hyperactive, pink haired girl imprinted itself on her as she reached her small hands for his face.
"You're really messy Mr. Stranger sir. And Mr. Stranger sir smells." She was smiling, brushing his hair out of his face, small hands gingerly running over his abused skin.
"Does Mr. Stranger sir have a name? It's too long to keep calling Mr. Stranger sir Mr. Stranger sir." He never replied. His jaw was too sore. She leaned forward, crinkling her small, dirt speckled nose before leaning back and clapping her hands together and giggling.
"Well then, I'll call Mr. Stranger sir Nii-sama!"
He jerked his head up expecting a small girl with large blue eyes and a soft respecting smile but instead met a small child, no older than six with soft blue curls and large red eyes.
"WOW!! Nii-sama has pretty eyes." Her small fingers went to his eyeballs. His head was chanting for her not to poke them or try and pull them out but from the looks of her clothes, she was a prisoner the same as he was. His eyes widened from that thought and studied her wide eyes innocence as she traced his eyes and giggled. He had never had "company" during his imprisonment. He's lost track of how long he had been here but he knew there was never once that he had been allowed company. He shuddered at the thought of having any of his usual guests in for a visit.
"Sorry. Did I hurt Nii-sama?" Those red eyes focused on his exhausted grey and he felt he had to answer her. It took a great effort but he was able to give her a small shake of his head. A soft no that no, she was not hurting him. The smile he received threatened to blind him in its radiance.
"OKAY!! I was worried because if I hurt Nii-sama then Nii-sama won't play with me and I really want someone to play with now that I can actually be with someone and it's not all gloomy, scary, and the rats don't bite too often."
Child babble, he knew he would be getting an earful, but all he could do was softly smile at her through his eyes. She was a bright child though and she noticed, laughing happily as she sat back on her haunches and pressed the chubby palm to an uninjured portion of his chest.
"My name is Lilium, but if I had anyone to talk to like before, I would tell Nii-sama to call me Lili or I'd kick Nii-sama, pout, or sulk."
Those large red eyes bore into his mind and he saw her smile sadly.
"They're so pretty Nii-sama. But, they have hurt Nii-sama very badly haven't they."
The small body pressed herself to his; curling in his nonexistent lap as the blue curls contrasted with the light white robe he was still allowed to wear. They stayed that way for the whole night her soft breathing lulling him to sleep halfway through the night. They were woken by loud shouts and her frightened yelp as they entered the cell. He watched, unable to move from his chains as they delivered a brutal kick to her side before moving to his side.
"Are you ready to play with us today?" leering faces danced through his mind as he felt his body being jerked around and his jaw being pried open. The gag was shoved in and he felt the chain being undone. He was thrown face first into the floor, and pinned down as they took their turn. Blood, pain, humiliation flared through his senses but all he could focus on was when he had the strength to open his eyes for a second and met her terrified red eyes. 'Not in front of her. Not in front of this child.'
They rechained him after they finished, laughing and spitting in his face before slamming the door shut behind them. Time passed in silence. Finally, small rustling woke him from his shocked stupor, his grey eyes blinking open to the feeling of rough cloth on his face. Her round face came into focus, eyes brows furrowed, lips pursed in concentration, her small hand holding the hem of her dirty clothing, while red eyes focused solely on the task of wiping the grim from his face.
"Nii-sama's hurt and Nii-sama is still stinky. But I'll clean it up. I'll help keep Nii-sama stay shiny because Nii-sama's eyes are so pretty. They are very pretty. Lili loves Nii-sama's eyes."
He wanted to wrap her in his arms but they were both at different angers and every breath caused them to twinge and pulse.
"Nii-sama is starting to match my eyes. I don't like my eyes. They aren't pretty. They scare me and everyone else. Nii-sama shouldn't become scary."
She was still continuing but he was too tired. He leaned into her touch and let oblivion consume him. There at least, he could hold her.
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"I see." Yamamoto-taicho sighed and placed his chin onto his wrinkled folded hands. "We all know what must be done correct."
"Yes." Unohana Taicho sighed, staring sadly at the file on the desk.
"How much longer before he is able to be presented?"
"At least two weeks and even then, I am uncertain about how he will be able to hold under pressure."
"He won't break."
"He's already been broken."
"He will have to stand."
"He will be able to."
"Until then…" Yamamoto slammed his cane to the floor. "Dismissed."
Back in the fourth division barracks, two souls within millions slept unaware of the happenings around them. Just a little longer can dreams be allowed over reality. Just for a little while longer.