Disclaimer- I don't own Bleach
Chapter 23
Somethings Don't Change
"Sayomi?"
Blinking, Sayomi looked up at Byakuya. He had just set her down on a chair near the fireplace and was looking her over with concern. She was shivering and her clothes and hair were damp from the rain that had begun falling again. Seeing his concern, his worry for her made her heart ache. Reminded her of all that she had lost, of all she wanted back. Of all the things she could never have, and never change. She loved him, she forever would, but she did not belong in Soul Society and her time there would ultimately come to an end. Their time together would as well. She didn't know whether to take advantage of that time or run from it to keep it from hurting each of them any more than it already would when they had to part ways again.
Her fingers curled, clutching at the cushion on either side of her legs. Bowing her head, she closed her eyes and willed herself not to cry again. Taking a shaky breath, she pushed the dull ache that was growing in her chest away and stood up while avoiding looking at Byakuya.
"I think I'm going to take a warm bath," she muttered softly. As she made to step around Byakuya, the dark haired man lightly took hold of her hand. Closing her eyes, she shook her head. "Thank you," she whispered softly. "For everything you've done for me, Byakuya, but... I can't do this. I can't just pretend that everything is going to be fine. I.."
Byakuya quietly shushed her as he brushed a stray tear from her cheek and tilted her face up to his. "We don't know what's going to happen in the future, Sayomi, but I'm not losing you again."
Her blue eyes reopened, blinking several tears away while she shook her head. "How can you say that? You can't tell me that somethings haven't changed, that you won't lose me again.. Everything has changed... We both moved on."
Dark, smoky eyes studying her, Byakuya sighed and brushed another tear from Sayomi's cheek. "Did we?" He inquired softly, his finger caressing her cheek.
"I had Kensei, and you were married, Byakuya," Sayomi pointed out. "That sounds like moving on to me."
"So you forgot me?"
She shook her head, bringing her hands to her face and rubbing at her eyes, feeling confused and lost. "No, I-"
"I never forgot you, Sayomi. I loved Hisana, but our time together was short. I thought you were dead, but I never forgot you or what we had. Just as I will never forget Hisana or the time we shared. Just I'm sure you will never forget what you had with Kensei. We don't know what the future will bring, Sayomi." Lightly wiping the tears from her delicate cheeks, Byakuya pressed his forehead to hers and gazed into her eyes. "It might just surprise you."
She couldn't help the intake of breath she took, or the way her eyes fluttered closed, when his lips tenderly, tentatively, pressed briefly against her own. When their lips met again they feverishly moved together while the two pulled each other as close as possible.
Breathless and flushed, Sayomi pulled away from Byakuya. "Byakuya, we-"
"I'm not losing you again, Sayomi," he cut in. His hand was behind her head, pulling her back towards him.
She hesitated, and Byakuya paused to look into her eyes that she turned away. ".. You can't promise that. We don't know what's going to happen, Byakuya. Not just with me, but with this war."
"All the more reason we should take advantage of the time we have together."
Her blue eyes focused on his again. She was frightened of what the future would hold, but Byakuya was right. It was all the more reason to enjoy what time they had together now, they didn't know if there would be another chance. They had already missed the chance to spend their lives together, but that didn't mean that they couldn't remember the love they still shared for one another even after all the time that had passed. She tugged the loose tie holding the kimono she wore closed, letting it fall off the side of the bed before she slipped her hand beneath Byakuya's haori and slid it from his shoulders.
"I love you," she whispered, leaning forward to place her lips on his again.
Sayomi awoke with a start, sitting up slowly as she looked around the room. Byakuya was nowhere to be seen. The light outside of the screened windows was fairly bright so she figured it was sometime in the afternoon and that the diligent captain had decided to go to work while she slept. On the table a few yards away she noticed that there was a plate with a cover over it as well as a pitcher of water and what looked like a bag beside the pitcher with a note beside it.
Wincing as she rose from the bed, her body stiff, she shrugged on one of Byakuya's sleeping kimono that had been left for her on the edge of the bed. It was far too large, but it was better than nothing and the yukata she had worn earlier was nowhere to be seen. She thought it was possible Byakuya was having it cleaned since it had gotten rather dirty during their trip to her old home.
Once the kimono was tied securely in place, she made her way to the table and slowly lowered herself onto a pillow. Reaching for the note, she scanned the crisp, elegant writing before setting it back down on the table with a sigh. Worried about the slight fever she had had since the day before he had gone to Unohana after she had fallen asleep, the woman had given him a few tablets for her to take with food and water to help reduce her fever and treat the cold she most likely had contracted while running around in the rain and the cold.
Lifting the cover from the plate she smiled to see a simple arrangement that included several pieces of vegetable sushi, a sliced rolled omelet, and a pickled cucumber salad. It wasn't much, but it was all food that would keep while she slept, it was also food Byakuya didn't much care for himself and she could only imagine the looks on the faces of his staff when he had requested the food. Not to mention the looks when he had taken the food to his room himself, because he wouldn't have let anyone else in while she slept.
She began picking at the food on the table, taking the pills left for her after she had something in her stomach, then continuing to eat. By the time she had finished eating, her headache had all but disappeared, and the aches from her body were gone as well.
"Unohana really is a miracle worker," she mumbled to herself, placing the cover back over the now empty tray.
Just as she was about to remove her hand from the lid, Byakuya's door slid open. She had been under the impression no one would be on that side of the house, and that no one would dare enter since Byakuya had explicitly ordered everyone not to do so.
She found herself staring wide-eyed and startled at a very surprised, and confused, Rukia Kuchiki. The two women stared at one another for several long seconds, both wondering what to do or say given the situation. After all, Sayomi had been deemed a traitor and was supposed to be in the Repentance Tower and not in the room of the Sixth Squad's captain wearing one of his robes and eating his food.
Sayomi was the first to speak, breaking the tense silence that was forming. "I don't suppose you'd just think you were seeing things if I transformed into a cat, would you?" she asked.
Rukia stared at her. "But.. you're... Why are you here?" Her hand was going towards the katana on her hip.
Sayomi held her hands up, the sleeves of the too large kimono falling down her thin arms, but she wanted Rukia to know she was defenseless and meant no harm. "I suppose it's a little late to lie..."
"Little bit," Rukia agreed haughtily, her fingers curling around the hilt of her katana.
"Come in and shut the door behind you," Sayomi advised with a sigh, glancing into the hall behind Rukia worriedly. "No one here can see me. It's one thing to explain it to you, another to the staff."
"Why are you here?" Rukia repeated, closing the door and stepping closer to the table.
Figuring it best to jump to the point, Sayomi answered honestly and quickly. "I was never sent to the Tower. Someone else was sent in my place. I don't know what you've been told, but there are suspicions that someone, possibly my brother.. you do know who my-"
"Gin Ichimaru," Rukia cut in, knowing what she was asking.
Sayomi nodded. "Right, Gin. The head captain, and other captains, have agreed that it's a possibility that he, or possibly others, will be sent to stop the execution, and take me back to Hueco Muendo. Instead of placing me in the cell I have been put under your brother's care while someone else pretends to be me, and will pretend to be me until the day of my supposed execution. The execution itself is a ruse. If Gin does come, it won't be me he finds in the tower. The other captains will be nearby too, of course, but the hope is that they can capture whoever comes to get me, if anyone does in fact come. That's the plan as I know it at least."
Rukia studied the pale, white haired woman with a frown. "You don't think anyone will come, do you?"
Sayomi shrugged helplessly. "I honestly don't know."
"You don't want him to come, do you? Your brother?" Rukia asked.
She shook her head, offering a wan smile. "Of course not, I don't want to be used against my own brother, I love him."
Rukia looked utterly shocked. "But he-"
"I know what he's done!" Sayomi snapped heatedly before closing her eyes and taking a deep breath before dropping her head into her hands. "I'm sorry, but I'm aware of what he's done. More so than you are, believe me, but... He is still my brother."
"What happens if they capture your brother?" Rukia asked, studying Sayomi who looked pale, tired and, while the woman tried to hide it, frightened.
"What do you think?" Sayomi replied tiredly. "Information will be gathered to better Soul Society's position in the upcoming war."
"But there is no guarantee that he'll tell us anything."
Smiling forlornly, Sayomi shook her head. "You're more naïve than I would have thought considering what you've been through. If my brother is captured there is one person he will speak to, one person he will not lie to."
Rukia blinked in understanding. "You?"
Nodding, Sayomi sighed. "Me. I know that may not seem like much, considering what the both of us have done, but Gin will not lie to me. Just as I will not lie to him."
Rukia frowned down at the white haired woman for a moment, before turning to go to the door. She knew Ichigo had faith in the woman, believed she was still on their side, but Rukia didn't know her the way Ichigo and the others did. She only knew of what Soul Society had told her, and then what she had seen of the woman's actions herself.
"That's my brother's, isn't it?" Rukia asked, gesturing towards Sayomi. "The kimono?"
Sayomi blinked at the girl, but nodded after a moment. "Yes, it is."
Rukia smiled warmly. "I'll be right back."
"What just happened?" Sayomi muttered to herself, watching the girl leave the room and close the door behind her.
A few moments later, while Sayomi was reading one of the books that had been on the table, the door reopened and Rukia stepped inside again. She jolted in surprise, looking up at the girl who had several neatly folded bundles in her arms.
"You're about the same height as me so these should fit you," Rukia said, offering the clothes to Sayomi who glanced at them almost suspiciously before glancing back up at her.
"Why are you doing this?" Sayomi asked curiously. "I'm a traitor, remember? You have no reason to be kind to me, or to trust me."
"That's not true, not entirely at least. I know what you did for Ichigo, for Orihime, and the others too. Ichigo believes in you, so do the others, and if you were really a traitor I don't think you'd be sitting around in my brother's bedroom in one of his dressing kimono."
"Pretty good point," Sayomi muttered, taking the clothes that Rukia was holding out to her. "Thank you."
"You're the little white cat, aren't you?" Rukia inquired. "I came in here because I heard something and was hoping to see the little white cat that had been following my brother. I even heard the staff talking about there being a little cat in here."
Chuckling, Sayomi nodded. "Yes, I am the little white cat. Your brother and I were both trained by Yoruichi, your brother just had a slightly harder time with the transformation than I did. Though he will never admit that. He just liked to say that he saw no reason to want to be a filthy feline. It comes in quite handy sometimes though."
Sayomi shared a few other stories about her childhood with the stubborn Kuchiki heir before Rukia needed to excuse herself. She was expected to help with a training session at the Thirteenth Division.
With little else to do, Sayomi slipped across the hall to bathe and change into one of the light kimonos Rukia had lent her. When she returned to Byakuya's room she laid back down in the large, soft bed she had shared with Byakuya that morning. His scent lingered on the sheets, on the pillows, it was comforting, familiar.
She spent a few hours reading one of the books Byakuya had left on the table. When her eyes tired of reading, she set the book aside and rolled on to her side. Closing her eyes she let her thoughts wander to the past. To the day it had been announced she was to marry Byakuya Kuchiki, the nobleman that to that point she had had a strained and complicated friendship with.
"Tenth seat?" Her father asked. "Good job, Sayomi. We all knew you would claim a seat, but we weren't expecting you to claim the same seat as Byakuya did upon entering the Sixth Division."
Sayomi smiled, sipping her tea while she waited for their dinner to be served. "Guess those lessons with Yoruichi have paid off."
"Well, congratulations, Sayomi," Ginrei Kuchiki offered, smiling warmly at her from the opposite side of the table.
"Thank you," she answered politely, glancing at Byakuya who was silently staring down at his plate. She didn't see why the Kuchiki head and Byakuya had had to be invited to the dinner to celebrate her placement into a squad and winning herself a seat. She would have rather had dinner with just her mother and father.
Her parents and Ginrei conversed back and forth about various topics, Sayomi and Byakuya would occasionally join in, but it was quite obvious that neither of them was all that interested in any of the topics. When dinner was served, Sayomi kept up enough chit chat to appear polite, but ignored most of everything else that was going on. That was until her father called her name and snapped her out of a a daydream in which she had soundly beaten the ninth seat and won a better seat for herself upon entering a squad than Byakuya had. She would have loved to see his face if she had beaten him at something.
"I'm sorry, father, what?" She inquired, giving her full attention to her gray haired adoptive father.
The older man sighed, glancing at his wife beside him, making Sayomi suddenly uncomfortable as she wondered what in the world her parents were up to. Her mother's smile was too big, too happy and even Ginrei seemed to be smiling an unusually bright smile. Byakuya seemed to be as in the dark as she was, she could tell by the curious light in his eyes as he glanced between his grandfather and her own father.
"There is an announcement we would like to make," her father began, looking over at her and giving her his stern 'you better behave' look.
"Announcement?" She asked hesitantly.
"Don't look so frightened, dear," her mother chided teasingly, patting her hand reassuringly. "It's a good announcement."
"As of today, Sayomi," Ginrei said, causing her to quickly turn her head to stare at the Kuchiki clan head. "You and Byakuya are engaged."
She blinked at the Kuchiki, his words not processing in her head. Plus, she didn't understand why he was telling her she was engaged, nor did she know why it mattered that Byakuya was too. "Engaged?" She asked. "To whom?"
Her question was apparently quite funny to everyone aside from herself and Byakuya, who looked just as confused as she was.
"To each other of course, dear," her mother answered, still chuckling as she wiped tears from her eyes.
"Why?" She asked incredulously.
Her mother sighed and shook her head as if everything should have been incredibly obvious to Sayomi. "Because the two of you get along so well and would make a great match."
"Who said we got along? We barely talk unless we're insulting each other," Sayomi pointed out.
"Oh, Sayomi, you're such a silly child," her mother chuckled.
"I'm not being silly, I'm being serious," she grumbled.
"A toast," her father declared, holding up a glass of wine and smiling broadly.
"A toast," Ginrei and her mother chimed in.
She took in a soft breath, the feathery touch on her cheek pulling her from her dream though sleep still clutched at her.
"What were you dreaming?"
A drowsy smile tugged at her lips as she opened her eyes to see that Byakuya was sitting beside her, he was still in his uniform with this his captains haori on, she guessed he had just returned from work. "I was dreaming of the night we had dinner to celebrate my winning the tenth seat after being accepted into the Ninth Division. Do you remember?"
"It was the night we were engaged," Byakuya replied, tucking an errant strand of her white hair behind her ear as she rolled onto her back to look up at him.
Smiling, she nodded and hoped that the quickened beating of her heart as his fingers brushed over her neck was only echoing through her own body and not the entire room. "It was. We were so different back then."
"A lot was different back then, but somethings haven't changed." He leaned over her, pressing a soft kiss to her forehead before he began to rise. "Dinner is being prepared. I'm going to bathe and change."
When Byakuya returned Sayomi had to slip into his closet as two servants came in, one bearing a tray with fresh hot tea and another a tray with several covered dishes. She couldn't help but wonder what his staff must have thought of their master's sudden change in eating habits, and his orders that they remain out of that wing of the manor without his permission. They probably thought he was having some kind of scandalous affair. The thought made her chuckle to herself.
While they ate Sayomi related the events of the day, mainly her unexpected meeting with Rukia. Byakuya was not entirely pleased, but he trusted Rukia enough to know there was no harm in her being aware of Sayomi's presence.
"There's to be a meeting tomorrow night, you're expected to attend," Byakuya informed her.
To that point the mood had been light and comfortable, but Byakuya's statement brought reality flooding back and the mood quickly sobered. The meeting of the following day was to discuss the day she was scheduled to die.
When Sayomi awoke late the following morning she was alone again. Byakuya had had to leave for an early meeting with his division and would return later in the afternoon so they could attend the evening meeting together. She shuddered, pulling the soft sheet tighter around her body.
While the execution was just a ruse to entrap her brother, should he arrive to take her back to Hueco Muendo, it didn't make it any less of a frightening prospect. If her brother was captured she would have to participate in his interrogation, and while all she would need to do would be to ask questions it did not mean that others would chose to simply talk to him. Regardless of his mistakes, Gin was still her brother and she didn't want to see him tortured or put to death for his sins. Things she knew she would be made to witness if they happened.
She slipped across the hall to clean up, taking her time in the warm, steaming water. When she had finished her bath, she retreated to Byakuya's room. She idled about for a little while, tried to read, but her mind kept wandering off. The evening's meeting and the following day's events were distracting her and making her head ache.
Lying back down in the bed and closing her eyes Sayomi attempted to slip into Fuyukaze's world. It wasn't as easy as it usually was, he wasn't with her as he always had been everyday since Byakuya had tied her bracelet to her wrist.
"Silly child," Fuyukaze sighed, his voice somewhat distant, muffled. "You shouldn't be wasting your energy. You're still recovering."
Sayomi turned to see that Fuyukaze was eying her with a slight smile. The world around them was blurred, she couldn't tell exactly where they were, but she figured inside one of the many caves that were spread across the landscape of their inner world. It was chill, but not as much as it would have been had they been outside. She had no doubt that being outside would have been quite uncomfortable at that moment. Their separation was likely making it nearly unbearably freezing and windy. Neither one of them was happy with being apart and it would take its toll on the inner world until they were completely reunited.
"And I would recover quicker if you were with me. I wasn't the only one damaged when my soul was attacked," Sayomi pointed out, folding her arms over her chest and shivering. It was colder than she was used to. "We won't recover, not fully, without being together. Which I suppose is part of the reason we're not together."
"At least we're both in good hands for the time being," Fuyukaze replied, a knowing grin on his pale face and mischievous glitter in his sky blue eyes.
"Oh, hush," Sayomi scolded lightly. "I'm not in the mood for teasing today."
"What is it that's on your mind, little one? We should keep our time together short so you don't drain yourself of every ounce of reiatsu you've managed to recover."
It was rather draining to visit the inner world where Fuyukaze dwelt. With the reiatsu suppressors binding her combined with Fuyukaze's distance the effort was many times more difficult than it should have been otherwise.
"So much to say and so little time," she sighed disconsolately. A worn, tired chuckle slipped from her lips when stepped forward to tap her on the nose with a smile.
"We'll be together again soon enough. Supposing you can behave, anyway. Which we both know is rather unlikely."
"It is, isn't it?" She murmured wearily, leaning forward she rested her forehead on Fuyukaze's shoulder and closed her eyes.
The white haired man embraced her gently and rested his chin on her head. "You're such a worrisome child, hime. Always thinking too much."
"I have little else to do but think."
"I am only teasing, little one, but you do worry too much."
"And what should I do, Fuyu? I'm expected to help capture my own brother and then assist in his interrogation. I don't want any part of this, but I don't see what other choice I have. Gin made choices I wish he hadn't, he will need to answer for those choices, it's just not fair that I have to be used against him. Despite his choices he is my brother, I love him and I don't want to see him hurt."
"He won't blame you. He's still your big brother and that hasn't, and won't, change." He smoothed Sayomi's hair before carefully pulling away from her with a smile. "You should be going, Sayomi-sama."
Nodding absently she squeezed Fuyukaze's hand and smiled wanly. "See you soon."
"Of course," he replied breezily, smiling brightly.
When she reopened her eyes she stared blankly up at the ceiling for several minutes before rolling onto her side and huddling beneath the soft sheets, hoping they would offer some form of comfort, of security. They didn't, of course, but Byakuya's scent still lingered and that at least offered a small amount of comfort.
She drifted into a fitful sleep. She was plagued by images of her childhood. Of growing up an unwanted orphan with only her brother to care for her, to protect her, and to teach her right from wrong. Something she thought he had done quite well.
When she awoke again her eyes were damp with tears she hadn't realized she had shed. Curling in on herself she tried to stop the tears from flowing from her eyes, to stop her body from shaking with emotion, but all she could manage was to hold back the sobs that threatened to spill from her trembling body.
Nothing was as it was supposed to be. Hadn't been for a very long time. She wasn't supposed to have been forced to flee her home, her fiance, her title and position because of some mad man's experiments. She wasn't supposed to be forced to betray a brother that really only ever had tried to protect her, to make sure she had everything she needed as she grew up. And she certainly wasn't supposed to be wondering when she would be told to die because that seemed a better alternative than watching her own brother die because of her. A better alternative than possibly ending up back in Aizen's reach if tomorrow's plans failed.
The sound of the door sliding open never reached her ears. She didn't even realize she was no longer alone until the bed shifted slightly and a warm, slightly calloused hand was placed on her shoulder. When her eyes opened in surprise, she saw Byakuya sitting beside her. Sitting up, she tried to wipe away her tears, looking down at her lap feeling embarrassed and somewhat ashamed of her loss of composure. When Byakuya quietly sighed and pulled her against his chest, she stiffened in surprise. She quickly relaxed into his arms, wrapping her own around him and clutching at him as if he were the only thing keeping the world from spinning violently out of control.
"I don't think I can do this, Byakuya. Not knowing what will happen to Gin if I do. I can't be responsible for killing him. He's my brother."
"I know what he means to you, Sayomi, but you're being selfish."
Sayomi felt as if he had slapped, she pulled away to stare coldly at him. "Selfish? Because I don't want to be a part of my brother's death?"
"No one is asking you to be a part of his death. All that's being asked of you is that you help find a way to stop Aizen. Your brother can quite possibly give us information that we need. That information and what it could mean for Soul Society, for that town you spent the last century in, is more important than one life. You, of all people, should be able to understand that."
Releasing a long breath, she sagged against Byakuya, her head on his shoulder. "It just seemed like it was so much easier when I was trying to do everything on my own, when it was my life that was going to be sacrificed. I can't do this on my own though, Aizen is far too strong. I just wish there was another way. Especially since there is no guarantee that should Gin be captured that he will know everything Aizen is doing, or how to stop him. Aizen isn't very trusting of anyone, even those he claims to trust. I know one life is nothing in the scope of things, but I just wish it didn't have to be his."
For several moments they sat in silence until Byakuya shifted and helped Sayomi sit up straight.
"The meeting is going to begin in fifteen minutes. We shouldn't be late," he told her.
"Of course not," she replied, attempting to smile. She shook her head, knowing her attempt had failed, and slid from the bed. "Would you mind carrying that yukata for me? I'd rather not have to stay in the form of a cat for the meeting."
The smooth surface of the polished stone floor was cold beneath her bare feet and she suppressed a shiver as she stood in the center of the room. The Head Captain was before her, the captains and lieutenants in neat rows on either side of her.
She stood as still as she could, holding herself with the same practiced air of pride and nobility that she had learned when she was younger, after her adoption by the Himura's. She tried to push her emotions to the back of her mind, to ignore the part of her that wanted to run away. There was no running away, there was only doing what she could to stop Aizen from destroying Karakura and Soul Society. If that meant she had to help in the capture of her brother, then she would do so. She would deal with keeping him alive later because she certainly had no intention of letting him being killed. Not if she could stop it.
"You are all aware of why you have been called together," the Head Captain rumbled. "Tomorrow morning there is a possibility that intruders will force their way into Seireitei. Their goal will be to retrieve Sayomi Himura. Should these events occur it is possible that former Captain Ichimaru will be among the intruders. If he is we must capture him. He may be able to provide us with information that may be invaluable in the coming months."
"And you think we'll be able to capture him alive?" Captain Hitsugaya asked brusquely.
"I do," Yamamoto answered simply. "We have something he wants."
Sayomi's jaw tensed, her icy blue eyes flickering.
"She's made it quite clear she wants nothing to do with this," Soi Fon pointed out harshly.
"What I said was that I wanted nothing to do with killing my own brother," Sayomi stated coolly. "And I don't. So if it's your goal to kill him, then I won't do anything to help you."
"No one said anything about killing anyone," Kyoraku cut in before someone else could argue and put Sayomi more on the defensive than she already was. "We only want to capture her brother. Isn't that right, old man Yama?"
The Head Captain studied Sayomi for a moment before sighing and nodding. "For now our only desire should be to capture him alive and see what information he can give us. After that we can decide his fate."
"And just how are we supposed to be capturing him?" Captain Zaraki asked gruffly.
"By doing what we had planned from the start and moving forward with the execution," Yamamoto replied.
"And if no one shows up?" Sayomi inquired. "What then? Are you going to kill me?"
"No," Yamamoto replied. "The orders for your execution were found to be inadequate. You are also more useful alive for the time being."
Sayomi's jaw tensed, but said nothing else throughout the entirety of the meeting which was over shortly after. The plan of action seemed simple enough, Sayomi would be taken to the Repentance Tower after the meeting and led out the following morning. Everything would proceed as if an execution was truly taking place.
If anyone showed up there would be captains and lieutenants nearby who would step in. Their orders were to kill anyone that wasn't Gin Ichimaru and capture him alive if he were present.
Byakuya accompanied Sayomi, who had shifted in to the form of a cat, along with two escorts to the Repentance Tower. She was given a white robe to wear and a blanket before the escorts stepped outside to allow a moment for the two talk.
"I'll be fine, Byakuya," Sayomi said, slipping into the thin white robe and securing it around her waist. "I wish I didn't have this stupid thing on," she sighed in annoyance, tugging at the band around her neck. "I'll be completely defenseless if anything happens. I don't like that idea." She tried to smile when Byakuya stepped closer to her, but found herself wide eyed and confused when he removed the suppressor around her throat. "What are you doing?"
"The Head Captain gave me permission to remove it," Byakuya replied. "I think he'd like to see what you do tomorrow should things not go as planned."
"I'm too old for tests," Sayomi groaned tiredly, rubbing at her neck and the slightly raw skin where the band had been.
"You were also never good at them," Byakuya retorted, smirking softly.
"Oh, shut up," Sayomi grumbled, sitting on the cold bench in the center of the room.
"Captain?" One of the escorts called into the dim room, his voice echoing in the shadows. "We need to go."
Byakuya glanced back at the man coolly.
"It's alright, Byakuya," Sayomi spoke up. "I'll be fine. I'll see you in the morning."
He kissed her forehead and straightened. "Good night, Sayomi."
"Good night," she replied, smiling as he strode from the room.
When the stone door slid shut, closing her in darkness, she exhaled wearily and laid down on the bench. The tower hadn't been built for comfort and there were few other places to lay aside from the floor. Sleep wasn't easy to find, but she did manage to get some rest before the sun rose and the stone door slid back open.
Four men stepped into the tower, there was another that stayed near the door, watching. All of the men were clad in white from head to toe. Maintaining the illusion that she really was being led out to her death, a shackle was placed around her neck and her hands were bound. Four lengths of rope made with kido grew out of the neck shackle and each of the four men took hold of one as they formed two rows around her and began to lead her from the tower. The fifth man that had remained at the door took position directly in front of her, he was the one that would lead the way to the cliff where the Sokyoku had once stood. She took a deep breath, fidgeting anxiously, as the man in front of her nodded to his subordinates and then turned and began to lead them from the Tower.
They had barely set foot out of the tower when a sudden, intense spiritual pressure bore down upon them all. If she had still had the reiatsu suppressor on she had no doubt she would have been driven to her knees. However, she was able to counter the pressure with her own, barely. She was still weak and without Fuyukaze she was still mostly useless.
She gasped, cringing when something wet and warm splashed across her face. It took her a moment to figure out what the substance was, but when she saw the red droplets on her white robe and the ground around her she looked up with wide eyes to see that the man at the lead had bent over and there was a puddle of blood gathering quickly beneath him. With a sickening cough the man fell forward into his own blood, twitching and writhing as death's grip found him.
Eyes wide, she turned to the others around her. They were all surprised, even though they had been expecting an attack, they had expected it later, on more open ground. "Go!" She shouted at the men.
The guards exchanged looks, nodded and disappeared leaving her standing on her own.
It was only a moment later that four men in familiar white clothing were suddenly surrounding her, there was one on either side of her, one behind her and one in front of her. The one to her right she knew was Grimmjow and he tore away the bonds around her hands and neck roughly before gripping on to her arm. He kept his grasp on her tight as the man in front of them, her brother, began to walk forward.
Stumbling, Sayomi was pulled along beside Grimmjow, her eyes focused on her brother who had not yet turned to look at her. She stared at his white clad back for several seconds as they walked into the open area that surrounded the base of the Repentance Tower before finally shaking Grimmjow's hands off and and running to her brother.
"It's a trap," she muttered, reaching for Gin's coat and letting her fingers close around the fabric. When he hummed and looked back at her, her head was bowed and her eyes were clenched shut. "I'm sorry, big brother, but I won't be leaving... Neither will you. This was all a set up in hopes you would show up. I... I..." She finally looked up, her eyes pleading. "I need to know something, Gin.. Whose side are you truly on?"
There was flicker of surprise on Gin's face and he opened his mouth to reply but any words that may have been said were drowned out in the blast that tore apart the ground where he had been standing. Sayomi could have sworn she saw a brief flash of pink, but she couldn't be sure as dirt and rocks hurtled into the air obscuring her view of the surrounding area. She protected herself as best she could with her arms, but still received several cuts and bruises from the falling debris. A moment later, a powerful flare in reiatsu made her stumble before she could gather her own enough to cancel it out.
Gin was grinning his usual grin when the dust cleared to reveal he was completely unharmed. A few yards away was Byakuya, his eyes cold and hard as he stared at Gin.
"It's so nice to see you again, Captain Kuchiki, how's your sister?" Gin asked jovially, dusting off his sleeve casually.
Byakuya's hand tightened around the hilt of his zanpakuto, but he didn't answer the question.
"Not very talkative, are you? " Gin sighed. "Well that's okay, I don't have much time and would like to get my own little sister home, she doesn't appear to be feeling well. I would have thought you would have taken better care of her."
"You would take your own sister back to the man that made her believe you were dead and then let his subordinate nearly kill her just to remove her soul from the gigai she inhabited?" Byakuya asked coldly.
His grin fell and was replaced by a frown. "So I should leave her here? With a group that plans on killing her?"
"And what makes you think we'll let you leave?" Rangiku asked, appearing behind Gin, her sword drawn and at his throat.
"Hello again, Rangiku, it's so nice to see you alive and well," Gin said conversationally.
"Let go of the girl, Espada," another voice demanded icily.
Turning, Sayomi saw that the voice belonged to the current captain of the tenth division, Toshiro Hitsugaya and he was glaring coldly at Grimmjow. She had forgotten the Espada was beside her even though he was gripping on to her arm.
"Fuck off," Grimmjow growled.
The young captain's brow twitched in anger, but he refrained from snapping out a reply.
"Hey, Grimmjow, why don't you get Sayomi out of here. I'll take care of the rest," Gin told him.
"You're not going anywhere," Hitsugaya growled, but he was forced to leap aside as a blade of sharp steel shot towards him it barely missed him and due to the angle it sliced through Grimmjow's sleeve.
"What the hell?!" Grimmjow shouted.
"Oops, sorry about that," Gin chuckled.
The distraction had been enough for Sayomi to push herself away from Grimmjow and start to head towards Byakuya. "You said you thought the Head Captain was testing me, right? Why don't we see if I can pass that test. Can I have Fuyukaze back please?"
Byakuya stared evenly at her for a moment before reaching into his haori and pulling out the silver bracelet with its blue ribbon. It glittered in the morning sun as he tossed it to Sayomi.
"Breathe," she murmured softly as the bracelet neared her.
It shattered into countless tiny snowflakes, swirling around on the wind before collecting in her hand. She was gone a moment later, reappearing over the bodies of the two nameless arrancar that had accompanied Gin and Grimmjow.
"What the hell are you doing?" Grimmjow snapped.
"I'm not quite recovered enough to fight you right now little kitty, so you're just going to have to make do with him," Sayomi replied, gesturing at Hitsugaya.
Gin hummed curiously. "Well, this is quite a predicament, isn't it? I wonder just what I should do."
"I would think that would be fairly obvious," Byakuya stated. "You cooperate."
"That doesn't really sound like much fun though," Gin sighed.
Gin's reiatsu flared followed by Byakuya's and then Rangiku's as she was forced to release her captive when his overwhelming amount of spirit energy assaulted her. That and she didn't want to be anywhere near the angry Kuchiki and risk getting caught up in the deadly dance of his zanpakuto.
"Enough games, Ichimaru," Byakuya intoned, raising his zanpakuto before him. "Scatter, Senbonzakura."
"No!" Sayomi cried, but her cry was lost in the blast of energy that tore chunks of the earth apart and sent them flying into the air. There was a flurry of pink petals mixed in with the falling earth that Sayomi knew were more deadly than the falling debris ever would be. "Gin! Byakuya, stop! Please!"
She tried to get near the two battling men that each meant the world to her in their own way, but halted, cringing when a loud explosion shook the ground of the hilltop. She heard a grunt of pain and whipped her head around to see that Byakuya was gripping his right arm with his left, blood pouring over his fingers and dripping to the ground, forming a small puddle of the substance. Through the dirt and dust that was floating and spinning through the air she could see her brother grinning at Byakuya and lifting his short sword, but what Gin didn't see was that the blade of Byakuya's sword had not reformed and that there were pink petals glittering all around him.
Rangiku saw the blur of white that shot past her, tried to call out Sayomi's name, but the white haired girl didn't hear it.
Just as Byakuya commanded Senbonzakura to close in on Gin and Gin was commanding Shinso to shoot down Byakuya, a blurry shape appeared in the dust. In the next blink the two men attacked.
The clash of power was incredible. The roar of it was nearly deafening.
Gin felt something push back against his sword, felt something roughly push against his chest and was forced to take several steps backward. Shinso's blade had already began to elongate and before he could recall it it tore through something soft and he heard someone let out a sickening cough before a flurry of pink surrounded the place he had been standing. Thick red liquid sprayed high into the air in every direction imaginable as he watched, a look of sheer incomprehension on his face. The look was very out of place on him and his normally closed eyes opened briefly to watch the horrible scene unfolding before him.
It took Byakuya a moment to realize what had happened and he quickly dispersed Senbonzakura, but it was too late. The dust fully cleared in a flurry of cool wind and the sight that his gray eyes looked upon made his stomach churn as he realized that the blood coating Senbonzakura was not Gin's, but the blood of a woman he had never wanted to see on his blade.
Sayomi was knelt on the ground, her hands on the hilt of Fuyukaze while the tip of the blade was pressed into the dirt. She was hunched forward, steadied only by the katana she was gripping onto tightly. A moment later the katana shattered, the pieces collecting and falling to the ground with a soft tinkling sound. She barely saw the bracelet that lay before her now as she breathed harsh, gasps of air. Her white hair was covered in splotches of red and the white robe she had worn was ripped to shreds and stained a deep crimson.
She pushed herself shakily to her feet. Everyone was speechless at the sight before them, frozen to their spots as they stared at the small woman covered in blood from head to toe.
Her vision was growing black, but the sting and pain of the many wounds that covered her was dimming. "Please," she whispered hoarsely, her voice cracking. "I.. I can't lose you both. N-not again," she managed to gasp out. Tears of blood streamed down her face before her body gave out on her, and she fell to her knees.
Being that Gin was closer to her than Byakuya, he was by her side in an instant. He brushed some of her hair from her face, leaving streaks where his fingers touched her skin. When she fell into his chest, gripping onto his coat with her bloodied hand, he held her close and bowed his head over her shoulder speaking only a few words. Words that only she could hear.
"Do you remember what I always used to tell you every night before you went to sleep?" Gin asked. "That hasn't changed."
Her thoughts were muddled, slow. She couldn't understand what he meant and she had no time to ask questions when several swords were suddenly at Gin's throat. Even Ichigo was there now, his face a mask of determined anger.
"Let her go," he ground out coldly.
"This party just keeps getting more interesting," Gin drawled.
"Let her go," Ichigo repeated. "Or I'll cut you in half."
"Now, now, just calm down," Gin chided lazily. "She is my little sister after all."
"I don't care," Ichigo growled. "Hey Rangiku, why don't you help her so this guy and I can have a little chat."
Rangiku stepped forward and after helping Sayomi stand, managed to help her walk a few steps away. It seemed the timing was perfect. There was a rumble like thunder above them before shafts of light appeared from rips that opened in the sky.
Gin smirked at Byakuya. "Take good care of her for me, would you?"
A realization seemed to dawn on Sayomi and she looked back at the ground near her brother's feet. "No!" She screamed. With as much strength as she could muster, she flew forward.
Her hand clasped around the bracelet just as the lights slammed down over she and Gin and Grimmjow, causing those near both men to leap backwards to avoid getting caught in the beams.
Gin frowned down Sayomi who was kneeling on the ground, her bracelet in her hand while her eyes met Byakuya's with remorse. "Guess I'll be taking care of you after all."
~A/N~
I have pretty much lost all of my muses. If anyone sees any of them will you please kindly ask that they return because I enjoy writing, but it's really hard to do without them...
Anywho, this is still following very closely to the story line in the original. Part of that is on purpose, part of it is because I've lost all my muses. However, it's hopefully still enjoyable.
Please feed the review monster. He is a hungry and grumpy and thanks you for the noms. ;)
Thank you everyone!