Winter came faster than expected, the days became shorter and the nights grew longer.
Hisana wasn't too fond of winter. The cold made her bones ache and the chills shook her fragile frame.
"Exams are finally over," Reiko announced, adjusting the large wooly scarf she wore around her neck.
"Soon we'll be on holiday, and I'll be going up to a ski resort with my cousin."
Hisana faked a smile, "A-ah, that's great! Have fun, Reiko."
Hisana wasn't used to going too long without her red headed friend, and the mere thought of her best friend going out of town for three weeks terrified her. She was a bit ashamed to admit how reliant she was on the redhead, but she was the only person she could trust. Reiko had always been the one she called at ungodly hours when she thought someone had broken in, or when she had a nightmare..
I'm still having nightmares? I'm twenty one years old!
The small girl bit her lip and lowered her head in shame.
Reiko, senseing her friend's discomfort, placed her hands on her shoulders reassuringly.
"D'ya want me to check your house for ghosts again before I leave?"
To anyone passing by, the question would have sounded like some sort of joke, but for the pair, the situation was deathly serious.
"Yes. I'd like you to come over...If t-that's not too much to ask?"
Reiko smiled, but to Hisana, if seemed forced, almost pitying, unlike Reiko's normally confident grins.
She thinks I'm crazy...
"Of course Hisana," Reiko said, removing her hands from Hisana's shoulders "It'll be no problem at all."
-o-
The two of them scanned the old and lonely apartment together, occasionally making small talk as they went.
"Y'know there's no such thing as ghosts, right Hisana?"
"I know," A lie. "It's just that I've been feeling a bit strange in here...after the incident."
"Hmm," the redhead murmured, poking her head from around a corner "Maybe you can stay with Daisuke until I get back? You two seem to like each other."
The accusation nearly sent her crashing into the wall, her arms flailing about.
"I do not!" Another lie. "B-besides, I wouldn't want to impose..."
Reiko's crystal blue eyes twinkled with amusement as she observed the shorter girl.
"I think you should stay with him," she winked "You might even hit that."
The smaller girl spluttered with embarrassment, hands covering her tomato red cheeks.
"Oh stop it, Reiko! That's gross!"
The redhead's expression softened.
"Love you Hisa, I'm going to miss you. Just brave out these next three weeks. You'll be fine."
Amethyst orbs met crystal blue.
"I love you too, Reiko."
Reiko smiled and gave the shorter girl a pat on the head. She gathered her things and walked out of the door towards the parked Civic. Hisana followed, arms wrapped tightly around her thin frame.
She did not put on a coat to see Reiko off, instead preferring to brace the the harsh cold that had descended over Karakura Town.
She watched as her friend opened the car door and stepped inside. Reiko quickly rolled down the driver seat window.
"Alright," Reiko said, giving Hisana a thumbs up "See you in a few weeks, Hisa." She then pulled out of the makeshift driveway, slowing the Civic briefly to shout, "Oh, and be careful!"
Then she was gone.
-o-
The ticking of the clock was the only sound that filled the small apartment. By now night had fallen, and Hisana sat on the sofa, holding a lukewarm cup of tea in her hands. She felt lost, empty somehow. When Reiko had left, she had felt like a part of herself left with her.
When Reiko had left, Hisana found herself confused and alone.
She had finished any assignments that she had been assigned over break, did the laundry, taken out the trash and straightened up her bedroom. Despite all of this, she still felt incomplete.
She felt as if there was something she needed o do, but she couldn't quite place it.
Hisana placed the tea cup onto the table and began to play with her nails,
She painted them blue; but halfway through decided that she did not like blue, so she placed down a coat of mint to cover the blue, only to find that it still showed through. After that she decided black would suffice, for it was strong and would cover both the mint and the blue. Finally, she concluded that she did not like the black, and began to pick at the polish with her nails. She chipped and peeled at the paint, and she did that for some time until a noise altered her.
It had come from the kitchen, and Hisana slowly rose from the couch. Her tiny bare feet touched the ground timidly.
"Hello?" she whispered gently, peering her head around the doorway into the kitchen.
She received the quiet humming of the refrigerator as a response.
Nothing seemed out of place. All of the dishes had been done earlier, and the trash had been emptied. The counters had all been wiped clean.
Swoosh
Hisana jumped, startled, and looked back towards the living room. She lingered in the doorway of the kitchen for a moment before entering the living room.
There's no such thing as ghosts, Hisana.
The college sophmore bit her lip and slowly preceded around the room.
Tik tok tik tok
"H-hello?" she repeated. Her tiny footfalls made barely any sound as she observed the dimly lit room.
Then, there by the front door, she saw it. A letter.
Someone had pushed a letter underneath her front door.
Hisana stood, staring at the letter for a moment before kneeling down to slowly pick it up.
The raven haired female made her way upstairs to her room for a letter opener. She flipped the envelope over, only to find that it was blank.
The girl entered her room and reached for the opener on her desk. She took the thin blade in her hands and sliced the thin paper, taking out the beautiful piece of parchment inside.
And there, written in perfect calligraphy it read:
My Dearest Hisana,
It has been of my greatest pleasure to at last be reunited with you again. For over fifty years I have longed and waited for the moment to arrive in which I could finally find you again. You have not changed in the slightest, to the way your ebony hair falls and frames your delicate face and the way your rose coloured lips turn upwards into your timid smile... I am afraid that you will be the death of me, for you have no idea how much it pains me to see you everyday, but not be able to touch you, to protect you, to shower my love upon you're being in it's entirety. I wish to use every last ounce of my strength to preserve you, to be the keeper of your innocent soul. Forgive me my love, for I am a selfish man, but I beg of you to not misunderstand my intentions. I could never harm you. How could I possibly inflict such grief upon the woman that I have sacrificed so much for? The very woman that carries my heart? The woman that I would without hesitation defend with my life?
Do not worry my dearest, our time of separation shall soon draw to an end. I shall take you, take you away from this pathetic world in which you suffer so. You shall reside with me, and I shall guide you through the transition from this world into the next. Only then will you be able to take your rightful place by my side.
There was no signature.
Hisana stared blankly at the letter in her shaking hands. A cold sweat fell over her, and she began to tremble violently.
"W-what?" she whispered to no one in particular. It was all too much to take in. No one had ever shown such interest in her before...maybe this person had mistakenly dropped the letter off at the wrong house? No. It was addressed in her name...perhaps there was another Hisana, with long ebony hair and violet eyes?
It was extremely unlikely.
Hisana swallowed thickly, her paranoid mind already beginning to play worst case scenarios in her head. The girl took a shaky breath to calm herself and closed her eyes. She turned around slowly, the hair on the back of her neck standing on end.
"You appear frightened."
-o-
Violet eyes shot open and Hisana stood paralyzed.
She stared unblinkingly into the stony gray eyes of the man before her. She knew those eyes, for they belonged to the man-the very man who assaulted her dreams. The man that started this paranoia... The man from that night.
"Do not be frightened." the man murmured, and he took a step towards her.
"No!"
The man halted his movements, his face remaining impassive, cool, collected.
"It is not in my intentions to harm you."
She held the letter crumpled in her fists, her entire being was shaking. Violet orbs flickered from left to right and she found herself overcome with complete and utter terror.
"No." she said again, but it was barely a whisper this time.
There's no such thing as ghosts. There's no such thing as ghosts, there's no such thing as ghosts...THERESNOSUCHTHINGASGHOSTS
"Hisa-"
"NO! STAY AWAY FROM ME!"
And suddenly finding the strength to move her legs, she made a mad dash for the door. As she was nearing the doorway she felt a strong hand grip her arm. It held on firmly and without thinking, Hisana spun on her heel and with a swing of her arm plunged the letter opener into the man's chest. The sharp blade sunk deep through the fabric of his robes into the pale flesh underneath. In a spray of blood, crimson droplets decorated Hisana and the floor, and the man released her. Hisana ran down the stairs of her apartment, she could hear her heart beating in her ears, and could feel the adrenaline racing through her veins. To her shock the man promptly, in a blur, appeared in front of her. She attempted to twist out of his grasp but in doing so lost her step. She tumbled down the stairs, landing right on her head. The girl lay there for a moment, dazed before shooting up like a bullet. She stumbled towards the front door and flung it open.
There meeting her were a pair of blazing gray eyes.
With tears of desperation spilling down her checks Hisana reeled back.
She screamed.
A/N: So here is chapter five. I'm so sorry if took me so long to update, but I've been busy with school and finals and just life in general. I received a really sweet PM yesterday from a reviewer asking when I was going to update and I immediately dropped what I was doing and wrote this. XD Thanks so much for the kind words, I'm glad you all are enjoying this story! I will try to update more frequently from now on. This story is actually drawing to a close. There are only a few short chapters left, then the epilogue.
PLEASE PLEASE TAKE SOME TIME TO REVIEW! How did you all like Byakuya's letter? Wasn't it creepy? I tried to make it as aristocratic sounding as possible and not make it sound too OOC.