"I am not strong enough," Byakuya's voice was but a whisper, filled with regret and sadness. "I am not strong enough to control it. I can barely move, yet it urges me to keep going. No matter what I do, I can not control it."
The 4th Division Captain kept staring at the unconscious nobleman, increasingly flaring with anger. What had happened? Why had she clashed with Kuchiki, brutalising him in the process? These questions, like insects, flooded her mind, clouding it. A low growl escaped her throat, giving a tangible sign of her rapidly growing frustration. No, it was hardly a time or a place for pettiness, Unohana concluded, shaking her head; there were lives to save. Knowing fully well that she had overreacted, a pang of guilt must have been silenced and borrowed into her mind's depths. There would be time to reconsider what she had done, but she needed to hurry up for now.
Yourichi's POV (two days later, early morning):
"Yoruichi, it's so nice to see you," Urahara's voice boomed when his office's ajar door slid, revealing the visitor.
"Yeah," Shihoin said, not paying an ounce of attention towards her friend. "The last few days were busy, I guess," she added, approaching the man's desk.
"What brings you here, then?" Kisuke asked, discarding paper sheets he must have been inspecting prior to the woman's arrival. "You look tired," he commented, a note of worry rang out in his voice.
"I haven't been sleeping well, Kisuke; that's all," the dark-haired woman scoffed, quickly irritated.
"What brings you here, then?" Urahara repeated the question, frowning, concerned.
"Do you remember the deal with Kuchiki I told you about?" Yoruichi asked, not knowing why avoiding eye contact.
"Hmm," the scientist hummed briefly, thinking. "The one regarding you training him?" he asked, worried at his friend's odd behaviour.
"Precisely," the dark-skinned woman commented. "I thought it would've been trivial to beat him, once and for all, proving my superiority over him. But … he nearly beat me," she whispered, still not sure what to think about that surprising situation.
"He nearly beat you?" the fair-haired man asked with a taint of disbelief.
"Yes," Shihoin let go of a deep sigh. "He told me that something within had awakened, giving him strength, but he had no control over it," she added, finally looking at her friend.
"Oh," Kisuke gasped and stepped away from his desk, intensively thinking. "It would've explained many things," he hummed, pacing back and forth.
"Wait, what would it explain?" Yoruichi asked, simultaneously intrigued and worried.
"Pardon me, Yoruchi," Urahara shook his head, apologising. "I thought you've heard about it already. But … if you didn't, Kuchiki Byakuya was taken into the 4th Division's barracks. As far as I know, his condition isn't critical, but the wounds refuse to mend," he explained, stilling.
"Why was I not informed?" the dark-haired woman whispered, anger flaring inside her. "Why no one told me?"
"I don't know," Kisuke shrugged. "You said it yourself: the past couple of days were wild. That might be the reason."
"I need to go," Shihoin said, turning around instantaneously. "We'll continue this the next time," she added before vanishing into thin air.
What had changed between her and Kuchiki? Questions like this filled the woman's mind, seemingly suffocating her. He was her student back in the day. But what she was doing and acting up could hardly be described as a teacher's reaction. No … whatever it was, it ran deep beneath her skin, slipping into the depths of her consciousness, finding its way into the woman's core. She sped up further, not wanting another minute to elapse till she learned the truth. A mere thought of him, a cold and proud nobleman dying before she would reach him, filled her with grief, hurt, guilt, and anger. It was a potent yet dangerous mixture, one that clouds one's mind.
What had happened? Why did her heart start racing when she thought about him, of all people? Yes, he was intoxicating and handsome, but she had never seen him this way. Apparently, something had changed after this sudden shakeup leading to her and Kisuke's return to Soul Society. He had changed. No longer a boy she had taught years ago, nor a cocky Captain who, if he had honestly tried, would have killed her when she tried saving Ichigo. Undoubtedly, Kuchiki matured, making him challenging to hate or even dislike. Or … perhaps Byakuya only behaved like this when dealing with her? This man was a mystery she could not solve. Each time one of his layers was discarded, a new one was revealed, replacing it. It irritated Yoruchi, but she would never admit it aloud. After all, she was a noble too. She had her pride.
Nonetheless, could she answer a challenging question despite this seemingly newfound pride? Was she infatuated with Byakuya Kuchiki? She would love to know the answer, as it was not trivial to name her feelings. No … who was she lying to? She was interested in him, but was it love already or some twisted primal and carnal desire born of his new darker appearance?
Yoruichi's POV:
Soon enough, the dark-skinned woman reached her destination. Without as much as uttering a word, she stormed past the two members of the 4th Division who guarded the compound's entrance. At first, she had thought these two would have tried to stop her, asking questions, yet surprisingly, it was not the case. She was allowed to venture into the building, greeted with wary gazes and slight nodes of respect, but nothing more. As if guided by fate's hands, the dark-haired woman kept going, though slowing noticeably. It had been a while since she had walked through these halls, she realised. Yet it mattered not, for she somehow knew where to go. Lead by some indescribable force. She passed long corridors, rooms filled with alternatively moaning and groaning injured, and infrastructure offices. Still, somehow, the only sounds registered by her ears were her heavy steps against the wooden floor. As if everything else ceased to exist, Yoruichi lingered in a bubble of sorts, enclosed from the wider, outer world. What was happening?
After a while, the reinstated captain stilled before a room plunged in complete silence. Not knowing why, she slowly parted the ajar door, revealing a small room coated in early morning rays. Directly in front, there was a window wide open with a truly remarkable view of the bright, clear, blue skies. However, it was hardly the detail that caught Yoruichi's attention. A heavy-framed bed of dark wood was set to the left. Unwittingly, her heart simultaneously clenched and roared in uncontainable fury. On a simple piece of white fabric, Byakuya lie motionless and unhealthy pale. Even though his broad chest rhythmically raised and fell, indicating he was still alive, he looked miserably. His uniform's right sleeve was tattered, revealing numerous cuts – both deep and shallow – and one particularly nasty wound that exposed the white of the bone underneath all these muscles and tendons. The left side fared only marginally better, yet it was still stained with the caked blood.
The dark-skinned woman kept staring at the nobleman, not knowing what to do. The wounded nobleman was once her student, then perhaps a rival, and now … who was he to her? It mattered not at the moment, as there were far more pressing questions invading her mind. Why the 4th Division did not take care of the dark-haired man's wounds? What had caused all of these?
Unwittingly, Yoruichi closed in, reaching towards Kuchiki with her right hand. Then, unexpectedly, she noticed crimson-red petals forming against the man's flesh as if forming some defensive shield. Taken aback, the woman eyed the formation that simultaneously resembled and contradicted Senbonzakura. It was a twisted sensation, yet despite her mind shouting at her to back off, she kept closing in. As expected, the bloody red pieces reacted, rising and ready to strike.
The dark-skinned woman swallowed a gulp forming in her throat, heavy sweat upon her brow. If it were Senbonzakura, she would not be able to counteract, potentially risking losing her fingers in the process. Were these petals responsible for this pitiful state the man had found himself in? Were they keeping the healers away from the nobleman? Although the risk associated with going forward was painfully apparent, she needed to try. Not knowing where all of this resolve and dedication came from, the woman's fingers lingered mere inches away from Byakuya's left hand.
Expectedly, the tiny, razor-sharp blades floated towards Yoruichi's hand, stilling at point-blank distance. As her shivering intensified and her fingers started trembling, she leaned into the deadly petals. And … to her utmost surprise, they did not hurt her, feeling like velvet of the highest quality before they slowly receded, allowing her to pass.
"Incredible," a soft whisper sounded from behind.
"Who's it?" the dark-skinned beauty asked, troubled, turning around momentarily.
"It is simply incredible that this dark side of Senbonzakura allowed you to pass," Unohana said, slowly closing in. "For the past two days, these petals left nasty cuts on five of my subordinates," she added. "I wonder what is so different about you that it deemed you worthy?"
"I don't know," Yoruichi replied in a heartbeat.
Author's notes section:
[2023-11-23]: Hey, here is a preview of the story's next chapter. Please, bear in mind that it is, as mentioned, a preview. Some parts of it might not be included in the final release. I will try to finish this chapter as soon as possible. I would like to clean up some of the tasks in my schedule, and right now, there are many chapters queued there.
[2023-12-04]: Hey, I have a minor update for you. I will try to have this chapter finished by the end of the week.
Don't forget to comment. I really appreciate your feedback.
Note that the dialogues written in italic are thoughts.
As always, I would like to thank you for everything. See you soon :)
Changelog:
[2023-11-23]: A preview has been released.
[2023-12-04]: An update was applied, focused on enriching the plot.
Schedule:
- [WIP]: The broken heart
- [WIP]: Betrayal
- Sometimes it's just better not to know
- The Prisoner of Your Eyes
- Lifetime of war
- Bury the light
- The family tree
New stories:
- When the clock is ticking (Warhammer 40k new story)
- Hope is the last one to die (new story in SW universe)
- A new story in JJK universe - focused on Gojo/Geto/Shoko/Utahime
- A new story in Bleach universe (potentially a one shot) - focused on Byakuya and Yoruichi
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (modern au, school)
- A new story in Demon Slayer universe (moder au, divorce setting)
- Forgotten World (a new story - translation of an old polish text that I wrote years ago)
This section covers what you can expect me to write in the future. Please, take what I include here with a pinch of salt, as I don't know when realistically I start writing these.
Deep rewriting needed:
- Alone
- Kiss the rain
- The endless night
- The rise of the Blood Moons' servants
- Black Diamond
- My home is where my heart lies
- The family tree
- Sometimes it's just better not to know
In the case of the shorter stories, I will rewrite everything and publish it with one additional chapter as soon as I finish it. However, for the longer ones I will keep publishing each update as it would simply take me too long to conclude the process - take "My home is where my heart lies" as an example.
References:
- Apocalyptica, Brent Smith - Not strong enough
- (alternatively) Cher - Strong enough
End of the author's notes section.