Cherry Petals ~サクランボノハナビラ~
mini-reminder: This chapter... has very very little Byakuya x Hisana. It's more on...Byakuya x.... someone. haha.
6. 殲景 ~白哉 ~ ( Senkei~Byakuya~)
"Why didn't you just kill me with it?"
She stood astonished at what was lying in front of her.
"Why did you betray us?"
My eyes were watching her olive gray cape that was draping over her shoulders.
Best friends don't lie to one another.
"If you do this, Seireitei will..."
Her eyes were slightly wet.
"Go. Don't make me see you again,"
I faced away from her and ran in the opposite direction.
That was how best friends said goodbye, in the least painful way.
"If you don't know the name of your zanpakutou, you can't become a Lieutenant of the 6th Division. Let alone to assist Ginrei-sama," were the words that came out from a close relative of mine.
Every Shinigami in Soul Society possesses a Zanpakutou, a long and sharp blade concealed beneath a scabbard made of wood. Each Zanpakutou has a name of its own and its true form is usually an entity that only the user can see – a soul living within it. As the Shinigami progresses with his skills and abilities, he would be able to establish a better rapport with the sword – it will eventually lead to a Bankai, the basic requirement for one to become a Captain of the Gotei 13. The sword is like an invisible friend - the better your relationship with it, the stronger you will become.
I was not an official seat member of the 6th Division then, for Grandpa would not grant me permission to until I learn how to release the zanpakutou. Even when I was very proficient with Kido and could take out Hollows easily with those spells, it was still not enough, under Grandpa strict standards. It felt like I would only be able to gain some recognition from Grandpa when I finally grasp the true name of my zanpakutou.
It occurred that hot and stifling afternoon when I slipped into a daydream while I waited for Yoruichi-san.
In that dream that I had, I sitting on a bench looking at a huge forest of cherry blossoms trees.
A beautiful young lady walked gently towards me with her eyes blindfolded. She was clad in a kimono that had shades of red, pink and white blending harmoniously with the flower prints on it, the length of the sleeves were so long that it extended to her ankles. Her hair was long and straight, and it was dark brownish under the faint sunlight streaming in. She had extremely fair complexion and her cheeks with slightly pink in colour. As she sat beside me, she asked me a question with her red lips, while her eyes were still wrapped in pale pinkish cloth.
"Do you want to make a pact with me?"
I was so dazzled by her charm that I forgot I knew how to speak. She would smile a little and repeat the same question, this time she made it softer.
"Who... are you?" I asked.
"When time comes, you'll know."
"Then... Where am I?"
"You should know the answer yourself,"
The elegant lady kept beating around the bush with her replies. Every single time she saw my frustrated face, she would chuckle gently. She would repeat her question once I fell silent.
"What pact are you talking?"
"Hmm... For example, the key to securing a Lieutenant seat of course," The lady smiled as she pointed out.
How did she even know about this matter? Was she eavesdropping back then?
"Ah... I wasn't eavesdropping. I would attract a lot of attention in this manner, won't I?" She giggled as the startled look remained plastered on my face. This woman could even read my thoughts.
What on earth are you?
"I can't tell you who I am, because I'm never allowed to. You have to find it out yourself," She sighed out as she answered my thoughts, once more.
Somehow I liked the way her voice sounded, gentle and soothing. It was not too high-pitched like a child and her last few syllables that she pronounced seemed like they were fluttering in the air.
"So...Do you want to make a pact with me?"She repeated the question again.
It was then I woke up from that bizarre dream. I had assumed that she must have been an evil spirit – one that would tempt souls into forming pacts with her, to her own advantages. Moreover, such ominous beings would usually appear as a very enchanting figure so as to lure their prey into the trap. In addition to that point, she had a blindfold on – spirits from the folklores I was taught tend to have this particular physical appearance.
It is always better to watch out for such dangerous beings.
"Byakuya-go!" Shihouin Yoruichi flash-stepped over the rooftop and flicked my forehead with her fingers. The slight sting on my skin made me realized that I was back to reality.
"What are you doing staring in space?" She asked curiously.
"Do you believe in evil spirits?"
"I do, they are all in Hueco Mundo aren't they?" Yoruichi-san scratched her head with a puzzled look.
She just made total sense with her reply. Aren't Shinigamis in charge of sending the evil spirits back to Hueco Mundo? If so, there should not be any evil spirit left in Rukongai – which leaves me another question left to tackle – what on earth did I just encounter?
"I met a ghost just now, Yoruichi-san," I tugged at her Captain's haori.
"You did? Show me! Where?" Yoruichi-san's eyes had grown large in astonishment.
"I don't know. She appeared in a blindfold and she was a very beautiful senior woman," I began to fill Yoruichi-san with details.
"Oh no, Byakuya-go... She might be you're..."
"My what, Yoruichi-san?" That woman tends to blow things up sometimes.
"Your secret admirer! Haha!" Yoruichi-san burst out into laughter and she clutched her waist.
"What!?" I ran up and pulled the cheeks of the 2nd Division Captain as her deafening laughter echoed across the wooden pillars.
" Okay! Okay! I surrender! I think she's most likely your...." Yoruichi-san calmed down and pointed at my blade.
"Why is she a lady then?" I protested. I had always thought the souls of the zanpakutou would take a form of an animal; even if it's a human form, it would be of the same gender as the user.
"Oh you think she would be weak because she's a lady?"
"Not really," I turned away.
"At least you knew how she looked like. Mine took the entity of a gust of wind – so whenever I'm talking to it, it responds by blowing his words into my ears. How saddening, I'll never know how it really looks like. He could have been a real good-looking man, for crying out loud!" Yoruichi-san looked up into the sky, with her lips pouted. Even if it might not been the truth, she used her own way to make me feel better.
Time seemed to be moving slower than usual. Yoruichi-san seemed to be talking as if each word took a minute to pronounce. As she tried to pronounce my name, time froze.
"Hello, boy," The kimono-clad ravishing woman appeared in my garden.
"So it's true? That you are my..." I took a glance at my zanpakutou. The lady nodded her head and smiled.
Yoruichi-san, apparently did not notice the presence of the woman – she was not even moving.
"She can't see you?"
The lady shook her head and her brown hair swayed gently to the side. It was until today that I realized she had hairpins with tiny bells that hung at the ends clipped on her head.
"What a pity," I wanted everyone to be able to see how she looked like.
"But you can. So I won't feel so lonely anymore," She smiled under the white sun rays. Her red kimono looked like as if it was glistening under the sunlight; she had a faint aura that glowed around her.
"So have you thought about the pact?"
"How does it go about?"
"You have to grant me one wish; then I'll teach you one secret move to your quite complicated sword," She giggled mischievously.
"What is the wish?" I wanted to know more about the blade that I was wielding.
That lady whispered to my left ear,
"I am looking for a person."
"What? That's it?" If she was looking for someone, Yoruichi-san is good at this – I can seek for her assistance. As I reached out towards her fading shadow, I could feel time regaining its former pace.
Yoruichi-san started speaking all of a sudden; she realized that my eyes were staring at the empty patch, my hands seemed like they were reaching out for someone.
"You saw her again?" Yoruichi-san understood what was going on, without me explaining to her what happened.
"She wants me to grant her a wish," I sighed.
"This is exciting!" Yoruichi-san peeked closer at me.
"She's looking for someone,"
"Let's go searching for him!" Yoruichi-san gave me a pat on the back and rushed out of the house.
I had been too keen to help out with granting that lady's wish that I had not noticed something was wrong with Yoruichi-san – I might have been able to stop her if I realized it earlier.
"I hope I can live long enough to see your Bankai, Byakuya-go," Yoruichi-san's eyes were gazing at the drifting white clouds.
"I make sure it's just a matter of a few years. Wait and see were-cat!" We were back to normal in seconds; and started the tag game again.
I spent days trying to figure out what that mysterious lady meant by "granting her wish"; I studied the physical appearance of the zanpakutou and withdrew it from its scabbard time to time – she looked like a normal blade to me. I could figure out one thing as the days went by – that the lady had a very gentle personality – she would appear almost every time to drop clues. It was then I realized I had unknowingly moved a step closer to understanding her.
We began to share longer conversations after a period of time; she even shared a bit of her past to me. The place we met would always be that bench under countless of cherry blossom trees. The petals would flutter down like snowflakes in a gradual motion.
"I want to see him. It sounds so foolish right, that a sword is looking for a person,"
"To an extent, yes." I agreed with her.
"That's right. We don't age, so I don't even know if he's alive or dead; yet this determination won't change," She smiled a little.
"Who is this guy?" I asked. This man must have meant a lot to this lady.
"I met him a long time ago. I was only a flower he adored in the woods. Flowers only bloom in spring; I would wither away before summer arrives. Even when he knew that truth, he visited me every day, rain or shine. Perhaps it was because of this man, spring had never been so beautiful before," The lady stroked the ends of her brown hair and smiled.
"How did he look like? Perhaps it would be easier for me to find him,"
"He was small-built and had a detectable reiatsu; an older man would always stand at a distance looking at him."
Certain memories fade along with time.
Some fade so silently that you thought you never had them.
This is the reason why we share memories together.
So that these people remember them for you.
As the lady began to recall her past by describing the landscapes in very vivid vocabulary, I felt like I had walked into her world – that I could witness the events happening in front of me. She talked about him only smiling when he saw the flowers; that when he turned his back to the older man – he would be showing a very sad look on his face. The happiest memory she had was that that guy had left behind a poem on the last day of spring – it was her final farewell gift.
"You should see the way he smiled at the sun," She stood up and faced the sun. Her dress shone brighter this time, it was dazzling. If she were to be a real person, she must have been a princess or a very renowned beauty. I have to take her to see this man.
I grabbed my zanpakutou and ran out of the house. I hadn't known how to start looking for him, but I knew it could only be someone with a pure heart. I would look around, while the lady will sense for the guy's reiatsu.
"If the guy has reiatsu, he would be in Seireitei!" I exclaimed at the sudden thought. I searched high and low for this person and I could almost sense the lady shaking her head every time I clarified with her. Almost every Shinigami was staring at the weird behaviour I had exhibited when I was finding that mystery man; I looked like I was talking to myself.
"I think he's no longer here. I can't even detect him near," She hung her head low.
"Don't give up so easily," I thought in my head, knowing that she will be able to hear it.
"Thank you," She would whisper softly and smile.
"Why not you take me to that place where you met him?" I made a suggestion.
I followed closely to the directions that were given to me. I thought she was playing a prank on me by leading me to a place I had been to - it was located northeast of the Kuchiki Manor, where the cherry blossom trees were. Grandpa had grown them so that the entire family would gather during spring to gaze at the flowers.
"You must be kidding," I muttered out when I stopped at the exact tree she had pointed.
I was panting away when I faced the green leaves.
It was a memory that I had not wanted to remember – the departure of my parents.
I had not grasped the concept of death then; so Grandpa told me a lie – he said they became cherry blossoms.
I would then visit the flowers every single day until summer arrived – Grandpa had made saying goodbye a little less harder to accept.
She was that flower I particularly loved – the pale pinkish tint with dark red inner petals.
That lady wasn't able to detect that person anymore; because she became that spiritual pressure.
I looked at the blindfolded lady standing beside me and reached out for the cloth that was covering her eyes. As I untied the knot, she revealed her dark crimson irises; the same way the flower had looked like in the past. I understood the reason why she kept them covered – they were a reflection of my own eyes, in a different colour. If I looked away to the side, her eyes would be doing the same thing. If I were to be crying, tears will fall out from her eyes for no reason – the answer would be too obvious. She had wanted me to recall that part of the memory on my own.
As I recited the poem painfully, she gave me a tiny hug and a slight pat on the back of my head.
Just seconds before I was about to reach the end, she whispered and placed her long finger at my lips,
"You also gave me a name, remember?"
Both of us were tearing for different reasons.
"Senbonzakura," I finished the forgotten poem and found myself holding onto the zanpakutou. The long silver blade scattered into pale pink and tiny blades dancing in the air. As I placed my palm out, a few of the blades will fall gently on it – they did not cut me at all.
An air of spring surrounded me, even when the trees were all green.
Her voice rang in the midst of the pink petals,
"Time for your special move, Byakuya." She wanted to fulfill her promise.
"I don't need it now," I reminded her. There was no purpose to learn it now.
"When the time comes," We began to speak at the same time.
Senbonzakura would laugh away in my head; she too, understood what I had meant.
"You know something, Byakuya?" A swirl of petals touched my left wrist; it was like as if she was holding on my hand.
"I am very glad to have met and known you,"
"I'll make sure you'll see a different scenery this time, Senbonzakura," I closed my palm as the trees began to sway in the swirling wind of petals.
"Thank you," I heard her faint whisper.
I walked back to the Manor and took a closer look at my zanpakutou. Senbonzakura had changed in her physical appearance – she now had a pale lilac-blue window-like cross guard to hold onto the silver blade. At times, I would hear her whispering in my ears, reminding me that she is constantly listening to whatever I am thinking of. It was a secret bond I shared with my blade – I would usually let her in on certain decisions that I make; ignoring the fact that it was weird discussing matters with a sword. Senbonzakura was usually quiet until I called out her name; I guess she did not want to be much of a hindrance to me by prying into every single matter.
Years passed, I had assumed the post of Lieutenant and completed missions whenever Grandpa permitted. There were tough ones that required Senbonzakura's assistance – the random movements of the tiny blades made it hard for the opponent to determine its next move – Senbonzakura had with her an innate ability to trick its enemies.
With all these commitments at hand, I was not able to visit Yoruichi-san as much as I used to in the past; but I would always write to her to let her know that I had been well – she would always irritate me by signing off with her paw print. I had always taken it for granted that she would be there whenever I needed her. It was too late by the time I caught news of her escaping Soul Society with two other exiled captains.
"Things don't look too good, Lieutenant! Shihouin Yoruichi... she..." one of seated officers barged into the Manor and announced this piece of news to me.
"What did she do this time?" It was not too surprising that she had misbehaved in the Manor again.
"It's grave, Byakuya. She assisted the exiled captains to escape,"
"What? What is going on?" I realized that Grandpa and Yoruichi-san had kept me in the dark about the turmoil that was going on in Seireitei. She had requested for Grandpa to keep dispatching me out for missions so that I would know less about what was going on.
After knowing the truth, I dashed out of the Manor and attempted to hunt her down. She had not only betrayed the Gotei 13, I disliked the fact that she kept so many things from me. I knew how to look for Yoruichi-san even when she masked her reiatsu – she had a particular hideout near the 12th Division – she had made mention in one of her reply letters.
My entire mind was caught in a whirlpool of confusion. I had not known what I should say to Yoruichi-san when I see her. Should I yell and reprimand her? Or should I follow the rules that were instructed by the Hell Butterflies to take her out with my sword? What should I exactly do? Grandpa would always tell me to "follow my heart". When I look into my heart, what is it that I see?
A small part of it belonged to a sword called...
Senbonzakura.
She believes things could be settled just by looking at one another face-to-face and kept urging me to locate Yoruichi-san in the fastest time possible.
True enough, I knew it the moment I saw Yoruichi-san.
She was preparing to leave with Urahara Kisuke and Tsukabishi Tessai, both captains that were sentenced to death by the Central 46 Chambers. Yoruichi-san whispered something to Urahara Kisuke and walked forward.
"You wish to tell her something?" Senbonzakura asked softly in my head.
I nodded slightly in return.
"Follow my instructions, okay?"
I couldn't believe what I was hearing.
"Drop your sword vertically downwards" was the only instruction.
Her crimson irises opened and we said the same things together, once more.
"Bankai."
As darkness swept through, she told me to, "Stop crying."
Senbonzakura could even feel the tears flowing out from inside.
I asked her "This is your new name?"
She replied "This is my actual name."
Senbonzakura Kageyoshi.
Pink swords encircled the entire area between the both of us; it formed into a huge barrier where no one else could see us.
"You really achieved Bankai, Byakuya-go," Yoruichi-san cried.
"I could leave with no regrets," She turned her back and tried to walk out of the dark dome.
"It's my Bankai remember, Yoruichi-san? You cannot escape until you answer me,"
"Oh, Byakuya-go has grown up!" Yoruichi-san seemed like she was back to normal for a few seconds.
"Shut up, Yoruichi-san," I muttered angrily at the lady in front of me.
"Why do you have to lie to me!" I yelled at her.
"I don't want you to get hurt. I don't want things to end up like this,"
You are one big foolish cat.
"You weren't frank to me, that's why things are like this right now!" I had to reprimand her, after all.
Yoruichi-san had a startled expression on her face. She hadn't known the exact words to retaliate.
"Naa~ Byakuya-go," Yoruichi-san sighed softly.
"What?"
"Now that you have successfully trapped me in your Bankai, why don't you just take away my life? You were under instructions to kill me right," She looked nonchalantly at me and waved with her right hand.
That was not I had intended to do at all.
"Why did you betray us!?" I shouted across the dark space. I was looking at the olive gray cape that she was wearing; this came from the 6th Division – Grandpa had known she was leaving, so he gave her a souvenir.
"Sometimes the truth lies in something beyond what your eyes can capture," She exhaled slowly.
"Best friends... They don't lie to one another right?" I just wanted to clarify this with her.
"Yeah," She winked at me.
"We are best friends right?"
"Of course we are," She flashed a grin and showed me a thumbs up. "For life, Byakuya."
All I had wanted to hear from Yoruichi-san was that – we would not lie to one another. She must have her reasons for running away from Seireitei; and helping those two captains to escape; she believed that she had not done anything wrong. As a good friend of hers, I should trust her too.
"Go, Yoruichi-san," I looked to the side as I gripped my kimono.
"Byakuya-go?"
"I'll pretend that I lost control of my Bankai and set you free carelessly," I explained to her.
"Leave and don't ever come back, Yoruichi-san." I saw tears welling up in her eyes as she mouthed out the words "Goodbye, Byakuya-go."
Letting Yoruichi-san do what she had already placed her mind to perform would be the most ideal resolution I could offer as her best friend.
That was how best friends said goodbye, in the least painful way.
What a good liar I was.
There were times where my heart felt like it lost the will to live – this was one of them.
I lost a friend where I used to show another side of me; and trusted her with my life.
If those words that came out from her mouth did not hurt, I wonder what else could have done damage to me then.
My chest felt like it had been pounded by a bed of sharp nails; blood seeped out of the heart in pain.
Even when I saw you again in Seireitei,
I was still unable to bring myself to take your life.
Not even Senbonzakura wanted that.
That was how important you were, Yoruichi-san.
I ran in the opposite direction as fast as my legs could take me. Senbonzakura followed close behind in her Shikai – a thousand of dancing cherry-coloured petals. I was not even aware where I was going; I just ran straight and dodged whatever that was in the way. The sceneries past through my eyes like a swirl of blended colors.
As I fell hard onto the ground, I realized the tears were falling uncontrollably. The colour of the ground looked like it had just rained violently on that tiny spot.I could sense someone walking towards me; but I did not know it was you.
"Sir, are you okay?" A young woman of petite build asked in concern as she helped me up.
I could not even say a word to this lady; the tears were still flowing out of my eyes like a river. The images in front of me were turning fuzzy and I had problems focusing at the lady.
The last thing I saw was a deep purple yukata – the flower prints had reminded me of a childhood memory – a girl named...
When one is at a desperate state, one tends to mouth very incoherent things.
"Hisana?"
Everything turned black.
花乱れ
想いに乗せて
千本桜
The swirling of the flowers
rides onto the memories
Senbonzakura (A thousand petals of cherry blossoms)
yu-pon's notes:
Chapter 6! after x days hahaha.
I re-wrote this chapter like 3 times. T__To
Unfortunately, it's a... Byakuya/Yoruichi chapter again (but look at the end, there's a faint hint!)
I even attempted a haiku for Senbonzakura and Byakuya.
It's in Japanese but I did a rough translation - I might have done it wrongly though.
(it's really my first time writing one so...do not expect too much haha)
It was the poem Byakuya recited; actually he was thinking of his parents when he wrote that - sort of.
That's why both teared for different reasons - Senbonzakura for finding the guy; Byakuya for remembering that loss.
If you noticed, Byakuya chapters are more on plots; Hisana chapters are the lovey bits~ thought I should note that down too~
Chapter 7! Hisana! hahahaha (hugs Hisana)
See ya guys soon!
ほなおつー