Delirious Hearts

"Sayuri Wait!" Toshiro yelled after her.

Toshiro slammed his palm against the cold stone wall of the repentance cell, his teeth clenched in frustration. His words were sharp and cutting as if each syllable was meant to cut Rukia just as deeply. "You still don't understand, do you? What do you think will happen now that you recklessly revealed Aizen's identity to Sayuri?"

Rukia blinked in surprise, her eyes widening in shock. "You mean, she…she won't be safe? I-I hadn't thought of that."

He scoffed, folded his arms across his chest, and leaned against the wall. "Think before you act, next time," he hissed through gritted teeth.

Rukia looked away from him, her eyes resting on the iron bars that separated them. "I'm sorry," she apologized quietly. "I wasn't thinking. I just wanted her to know."

Toshiro pushed away from the wall, his expression now one of exhaustion. "I understand why you wanted to tell her, but…you don't understand the consequences if Aizen finds out. He's powerful and dangerous, and if he discovers that Sayuri now knows his identity…"

He trailed off, unable to finish the sentence. He couldn't bring himself to say what would happen if Aizen found out.

Rukia's expression softened, understanding now dawning upon her. She looked back at Toshiro, her gaze filled with compassion. "I understand," she said quietly. "I'm sorry, Toshiro. I promise I won't tell her anything else."

Toshiro nodded, relieved that she finally understood the danger they were in. He stepped closer to her and gave her a hug. "I will do everything in my power to rescue you."

"And have you heard anything from my brother?" Rukia asked.

"No, you know how Byakuya is. I wouldn't depend your life on him as of right now, I'm sorry to be the one to tell you that."

"I see… You should go after Sayuri before she gets too far. I hope to meet you again someday in another lifetime Toshiro and thank you for everything." Rukia says with tears in her eyes.

Toshiro nods and takes his leave as Rukia begins to cry in solitude.

•• ━━━━━ ••✾•• ━━━━━ •••• ━━━━━ ••✾••

Toshiro ran out of the repentance tower, his heart pounding wildly in his chest. His legs moved quickly, but the rain seemed to slow him down as if it wanted to keep him from reaching her. He could hear her crying as it echoed through the night, a sound that was both beautiful and heartbreaking. He could feel the rain on his face as he ran, desperate to reach her.

The rain was coming down hard, drenching him in moments. He felt the chill of it right down to his bones, but he pushed onward, determined to catch her. He could see her in the distance, slumped against the wall of a nearby building. He could just make out her outline in the darkness, illuminated by a faint streetlight.

When he reached her, she was shaking with sobs and trembling with fear. He knelt on the ground beside her, wrapping his arms around her. He wanted to say something, anything, to try and make her feel better, but no words would come out. He simply held her as she wept, feeling her tears mixing with the rain.

"Sayuri," he said softly, pulling back slightly so he could investigate her face. Her eyes were red-rimmed and filled with pain. He wished he could take away her pain and tell her everything would be okay, but he had no way of knowing if it would be. All he could do was be here with her, and he knew that was enough.

"Talk to me please," he said, his voice gentle but firm.

She shook her head, unable to find the words to explain her distress. Toshiro wrapped his arms around her again, and she finally spoke, her voice quivering.

"Did you know too?" she said, tears streaming down her face. "Is there more that I'm unaware of? Why won't my memories return? I'm obviously from here, right?"

Toshiro felt a wave of anger and sadness wash over him. He wanted to tell her everything but was under strict orders. All he could do was give her the support she needed and let her know that he would always be here for her.

"I'm sorry," he said, pulling her close again. "I'm so sorry."

She nodded and buried her face in his shoulder. They stayed like that for a while, until the rain finally stopped, and the night grew still. He leaned back, and she looked up at him, her eyes filled with gratitude. She reached out and touched his face, her fingers soft and gentle against his skin.

"Thank you," she said. "For being here for me."

He smiled and wiped away a tear from her cheek. "I'll always be here for you, no matter what."

She leaned in and kissed him softly, and he felt a warmth spread through him. "Does she finally remember me?" He Thought. He returned her kiss passionately; nothing could ruin this moment for him.

•• ━━━━━ ••✾•• ━━━━━ •••• ━━━━━ ••✾••

Sayuri woke up abruptly. Her heart pounded like drums in her chest, a low rumble. She felt the sweat that had formed on her skin, dampening her sheets. The air around her was hot and sticky, suffocating her.

She glanced around her groggily, her gaze landing on the other figure in bed with her. Toshiro. His body was still and quiet, a gentle rise and fall of his chest mark the only sign of life.

Sayuri felt an intense twinge of guilt and regret in her chest, a dull ache that she knew she could never get rid of. She had done something wrong, and she had to live with the consequences now. It was like a song playing in her head, the same melody of guilt and shame looping around her in an endless loop.

She wanted to scream out in her shame, to let the world know that she had made a mistake. But she held it in, fighting the urge to do anything rash.

The morning sun crept through the curtains, bathing the room in a soft yellow hue. Sayuri stared at the sunlight, unable to look away. She wanted to stay there forever, locked away in the moment. But she knew that she couldn't.

She took a deep breath, willing her heartbeat to slow down. With a trembling hand, she reached out and touched Toshiro's shoulder.

"Toshiro?" she asked quietly.

He stirred slightly, not opening his eyes. "Mm?"

Sayuri swallowed, her throat dry. "I-. We...we-"

Toshiro opened his eyes, looking directly at her. He gave her a small, sad smile. "I know."

It felt like a punch to the gut, those two small words. Sayuri felt tears well up in her eyes. She shook her head, wanting to say something but no words came out.

Toshiro sighed and sat up, running a hand through his messy hair. He looked tired, the dark circles under his eyes a sign of how late they had stayed up. Sayuri wanted to reach out and touch him, to tell him how sorry she was and how much she wished it could have been different.

But she knew it wouldn't do any good.

Toshiro cleared his throat and said, "We should get going."

Sayuri nodded, her throat too tight to form any words. She got out of bed, her movements slow and jerky. She got dressed quickly, her eyes darting around the room, not wanting to look too long at Toshiro.

When she was done, she gave him one last look. His eyes were sad as they met hers. And then she turned away, unable to look at him any longer.

She walked out of the room, her steps heavy as lead. Part of her wanted to turn back, to tell him that she was sorry and that she never meant for it to happen. But she kept her mouth shut, knowing there was no point.

She sat in the living room where she was staying. Her thoughts still on Toshiro. She had betrayed Ichigo, her boyfriend of three years, and what was worse, she had done it with someone else whom she started to have feelings for. And worse still, she had done it with Toshiro, her friend.

A wave of guilt crashed over her, and she had to fight back the urge to cry. She hadn't meant for it to happen, it had just sort of happened. But that didn't excuse anything.

Thinking to herself while holding on to the pendant that Ichigo gave her hanging around her neck, she knew she had to face Ichigo eventually. She felt in her heart that he was still alive. She had to tell him what had happened, and she had to accept the consequences, no matter what they were. But she was scared. She feared how he would react and was scared of how he would handle it.

She wanted to just disappear into the horizon and never have to face reality again. But she knew that wasn't possible. She had to face the truth eventually, no matter how hard it was.

Her mind was spinning with thoughts of guilt and shame. She had made a mistake and now she had to face the consequences.

Toshiro walked out of the room to see Sayuri sitting on the couch. He had expected her to stand up and rush out, but instead, she stayed sitting there, her head slightly bowed.

"Toshiro," she said, her voice soft.

"Yes?" he replied, wondering what she wanted.

"Do you think you could take me to Yamamoto?" she asked, her eyes still downcast.

He looked at her for a moment, trying to understand what she was asking. Was she really asking him to take her there, or was there something else she wanted from him?

After a moment, he nodded. "Of course," he said.

Sayuri smiled and thanked him, she sat down and looked up at him.

"I can't thank you enough," she said, her voice weary.

Toshiro nodded. He knew what she meant— She wanted to find out the truth from Yamamoto.

"You want to ask him about your parents, don't you?" he asked.

Sayuri nodded. "Yes," she said.

Toshiro nodded again.

Sayuri and Toshiro had always been close — ever since they were children — but now he couldn't even tell her the truth even though he wanted to so badly - the truth had become too complicated.

She shut her eyes and sighed, feeling as though the past was slipping away forever.

"Sayuri," Toshiro said softly.

Sayuri opened her eyes and looked at him, feeling a sudden surge of emotion wash over her. Despite the isolation of the moment, she suddenly felt like she could tell him anything.

"I'm sorry," she said, her voice breaking with emotion. "I'm sorry for leading you on.

Toshiro stared at her, his expression unreadable.

"It feels like we have known each other forever," Sayuri continued, her voice trembling. "Like we have been through so much together, but I was afraid to tell you the truth."

She paused, waiting for him to speak. When he didn't, she continued.

"I have feelings for you, and I don't know how. Last night I couldn't help myself with you comforting me but now I've betrayed Ichigo who I love as well. I'm so confused! So I want you to take me to Yamamoto," she said. "He knows the truth about my past."

"Ichigo... right. That's the guy she fell for in the human world. Dammit! I must figure out how to return her memories." Clenching his fists, Toshiro nodded as if he already knew what she was asking. Without a word, he turned and began walking towards the door. Sayuri followed him, her heart racing with anticipation.

As they walked, Sayuri felt a sense of peace settle over her. She knew that Yamamoto would be able to help her uncover the truth about her past — the truth she had been searching for all these years.

Toshiro led her inside Yamamoto's, and Sayuri felt her heart leap with anticipation. She felt a sense of nostalgia walking inside. She knew that this was the place where she would finally uncover her past.

The door opened, and an old man stepped out. He was wearing a kimono and his long white hair was tied in a neat bun. He smiled at Sayuri, and she felt a wave of relief wash over her.

"Welcome, Sayuri," he said. "I have been expecting you."

Sayuri bowed her head in respect, and then she stepped inside the office. The air was filled with the scent of incense.

The old man gestured for her to sit.

"I want to know everything, I remember some stuff already, but I need you to stop hiding things from me. You're my grandfather, right? So, I need to know everything."

"So, you want to know the truth... Are you sure you're ready?" He spoke in a low, gentle voice.

Sayuri felt a wave of emotion wash over her, and tears began to stream down her face.

When the old man waited for her response, he looked at Sayuri with compassion.

"Yes," she said. "I'm ready."