DISCLAIMER: I don't own Bleach or any of the characters associated with it. They belong to their respective owners. This storyline and original characters, however, do belong to me.
Juud: Patience. :D She'll be a nice person eventually. (Maybe.) But I wouldn't dare ruin Kanaye. He's far too old to change now.
thelovablechelsea: That's alright. I forgive you for not reviewing earlier because of maintenance you couldn't help. :P
Byakuxhisa4eva: This is actually not even close to being done, so there will be lots and lots more now that summer vacation is starting. I'm still a little swamped with a couple of exams during the next two weeks because of 'finals weeks' but after that, I'll be free to write plenty. :)
Fala-Li: :3 Oh goodie. I'll work extra hard to fully convert you into a Byakuya fan! Mehehehe.
Conterra-san: Regarding Arisu, I have something planned for her, so her random transformation isn't completely random and silly and whatnot.
The House of Kuchiki
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Hisana had grown used to the constant looks and words whispered about her in the hallways. After all, it wasn't every day a nobleman came up to your classroom and asked for you, was it? Even more gossip-worthy, it wasn't every day that you held his hand before he left and spent the day off at his manor, either.
She was certain the words her classmates spoke about her weren't friendly in nature, and more bad was spoken about her than the noble Kuchiki Byakuya, but quite honestly... it didn't really bother her.
Especially when free time came around and she saw the man who made butterflies dance in her stomach and caused her heart to do backflips.
When she walked out of the classroom that day, she realized that Byakuya was talking to someone and he looked, compared to his usual emotionless demeanor, rather annoyed. Hisana smiled inwardly. He had never looked that way when he talked to her, but even if he had... she did find it, in some strange way, adorable.
She approached him from behind and listened to the conversation briefly.
"No." Byakuya insisted, a hint of annoyance in his voice.
"Please, Kuchiki-sama? Just ONE hug. If not for the whole club, just for me. I'm the leader!"
Byakuya ignored the girl with an impatient sigh, bringing a hand up to massage his temples.
"Okay... if not... can WE hug YOU?"
"No." Byakuya's patience was running thin, Hisana felt, and reached out to grab his arm before he got angry enough to hurt someone.
Byakuya gently but swiftly pulled his arm away, looking down to make sure none of those pesky fan girls had snuck up on him. Upon seeing Hisana, Byakuya's serious expression immediately melted away into a relieved smile.
"Sorry I'm late, Byakuya-sama. Finals and the lot... I'm sure you know the drill."
The club leader's face changed dramatically from a pout to murder-intended glare. She narrowed her eyes at Hisana, who stepped up to stand next to Byakuya. "EXCUSE me. You interrupted me, you little filth."
Byakuya looked at the girl coldly. "You see... it's talk like that that destroys your chances of getting a hug." Walking away with Hisana, they headed towards their usual spot.
Hisana looked up at Byakuya. "I don't have classes for the rest of the day. Took my exam for today. I can go home."
"Do you wish to?"
Hisana nodded slowly. "I need to get something from my house..."
"Have you learned to flash step yet?" Byakuya surveyed the tall wall that blocked them into the courtyard.
"Very little. Basic steps... jumps and whatnot..." Hisana watched him with curiousity. "... why?"
"Oh, good... We're jumping this wall."
Hisana's eyes went wide. "B-but! I have to sign out! I'll get in trouble otherwise a-and... I really..."
Byakuya forced out a reassuring smile and took her hand. "I'll help you out, of course. Besides... That fan club girl is watching."
The 'fan club girl' was indeed watching them, along with the entire club, from the other side of the courtyard with a collective frown. Here they were, trying to get him to even give them a smile, and she was holding hands with him... what did she have that they didn't? How could she be allowed to touch his expensive nobility clothing and they couldn't...?
Just then, the club leader jumped up from her seat. "...There's NO way Kuchiki Byakuya just kidnapped that stupid Hisana girl."
---
Upon arriving back at her house, Hisana stepped inside after asking Byakuya to wait for her outside. Glancing at the calendar, she frowned. It's... been a year since I abandoned her...
Hisana slowly walked up to the closet and pulled out a box, lifting out a small light pink blanket. She put the box away and stood, walking back outside, hugging the blanket tightly. Byakuya raised an eyebrow, and went to ask what the blanket was for, but stopped himself when he saw Hisana's face.
"Do...Could you... I mean... do you mind... coming somewhere with me...?"
Byakuya nodded slowly, unsure, for the first time in a while, of what to say. He had never seen her this way... she seemed so fragile to the point where one wrong word would shatter her into millions of pieces.
He walked with her slowly towards the exit of Seireitei and into Rukongai, the air between them full of tension and depression compacted into an emotion that made it difficult to breathe. Upon stepping into Inuzuri, Byakuya looked around and felt very out of place with all the people staring at him strangely. Suddenly, he understood how Hisana felt in the manor with all the looks she would get from the inhabitants of the house.
The difference was, these people looked at him in fearful resent, and his family looked at her as if she was an insect that needed to be crushed.
They slowly approached a nearby alleyway and Hisana stopped, still hugging the blanket close. She bowed her head down and took a deep staggering breath, failing in her attempt to hold back tears.
Byakuya watched her silently for a moment before walking over and standing next to her. "Hisana..."
"I abandoned her here, Byakuya-sama." She knelt down on the ground and place her hand on the ground.
"Abandoned who here?"
"My ... baby sister." Hisana ended up struggling to not choke on her words. She brought the blanket up to her face and attempted to muffle her now uncontrollable sobs.
"What are you talking about...?" He watched Hisana slowly lower the blanket again and hug it close.
"I left her here in my selfish weakness to die... I couldn't take care of the two of us, so I left her here in the hopes that someone would find her and take care of her. After a couple of hours... I came back out of regret and... she was gone..."
"Someone might have taken her in, Hisana." Byakuya reached out his hand and rested it on her shoulder in an attempt to comfort her.
"No! You don't know this place... people would sooner kill a baby to silence its crying... They would never consider adding an additional hassle to their lives... I came back every day and I never found even a trace of her... Except..." She put the blanket down on her lap and ran her hand across it sadly, tears flowing out of her eyes and landing on the pink fabric.
"Hisana..." Byakuya knelt down next to her and pulled her close to him, Hisana turning and sobbing into his robes. "I'm... sure she's fine."
Hisana didn't respond, but wrapped her arms around his torso, burrowing her face into his chest.
He reached up and ran his fingers through her hair. "I'll ... help you look for her, Hisana."
Hisana looked up at him, her eyes full of a newfound tear-filled hope. "You... will...?"
Byakuya nodded and forced a smile to reassure her. He moved his hand to wipe her tears away. "We'll find her."
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So now Hisana has offered up the ULTIMATE confession. When will Byakuya cave in and tell her about his feelings? No one knows! But it will be soon. ALSO!
ATTENTION PLEEEEASE!: Alrighty, everyone. animequeen100 has asked a very good question. I was originally intending to follow the manga and eventually have Hisana die. Does everyone still want me to go through with that or do you want me to go into an AU and make her live and have them have a family and yadda-yadda? I could also just do this fic as I was originally planning and then do a branch off story with Hisana LIVING instead of dying. Actually. I think I might do that. But lemme know what you think. End of ramble, sorry. D: