[ closed log ] Week Ten, Day Seven [ no matter what i do ]

[sakurabito]

Who: Kuchiki Hisana ( hisana_kuchiki ) and Kuchiki Byakuya ( sakurabito )
Status: Closed
Style: Prose
When: Week Ten, Day Seven, after this.
Where: Himorogi
Rating: PG
Warnings: Reuniting with his dead wife. This oozes angst.

Comments

[sakurabito]

"No, it is not your concern."

'Help'. Help how? Was she simply another ghost sent here to set him on the path of 'learning his lesson'? It might have seemed paranoid, but he's seen what they do, seen what they apparently think they can do. It just so happens that they chose to concentrate on what could, perhaps, be considered a neutral party. Giving him his desires, forcing him to accept another dream... these thoughts were still not far from his mind, even if it seemed as if he'd accepted her. He wouldn't be sure, not for some time, if this was real.

"... no." There were. There were so many things he knew he should tell her, but could not. The things that happened here were a concern, yes, but they did not have to be hers. The things he worked for, the people she needed to be wary of, the dreams and feelings people would undoubtedly cross... he did not wish to worry her with these things, not if he did not have to. That was far more important than the need to give a full report. "You will see them for yourself."

No explanation he could give is enough to prepare her, or anyone else or anything she could experience. And all else he will protect her from. Again, that pressure on his sleeve, and he was reminded her presence, still so warm and inviting, could still get to him, no matter how he tried to distance himself. "Are you feeling all right, Hisana?"

[hisana_kuchiki]

"...How is it not my concern?" She stopped walking for a moment and looked up at him, her hand dropping back to her side before she turned to walk ahead of him. Her footsteps stopped again at his question and she was still for a moment before turning to look at him.

"I'm perfectly well, Byakuya-sama." The reply was automatic and her expression was neutral for a moment before she spoke again. "I've told you that how many times since you arrived to collect me and nothing has changed since then, aside from the fact you keep deflecting my concerns and questions as if I'm not even allowed to worry about you." Her voice was calm as she spoke, although there was an almost imperceptible edge to her words.

[sakurabito]

"Hisana..." Her words did not need an angry fire to fuel them. It never did take much for her words to strike him and his steps to stop this time, his usually level gaze unable to directly meet her own. It was like being scolded, and Byakuya could think about the ways that her words could have been considered disrespectful, even if they did not sound that way. Even if he wanted to, he found he could not.

Hisana was still the Hisana from his memories, gentle and kind, with a distant look in her eyes, yet still so strong and fierce, in a way different from Rukia. Even after fifty years, she still fit until the exact same picture. And he couldn't explain why he did not fit her memories. He could not tell her that the push over the cliff had been her last breath. It wasn't her fault and he never wanted her to think that way. It was his own fault. His alone.

"You needn't worry about me," he answered. "I am fine. But if I have not answered your questions to your satisfaction, you may ask again."