Bleach Fic: Why We Fight
Title: Why We Fight
Author: Willidan
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1030
Warning: Spoilers for SS Arc
Summary: Takes place at the end of Chapter 238. A little introspection between Kuchiki taicho and Zaraki taicho.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and I gain nothing from writing and posting this save for a tingling sensation in my fingertips. No harm intended to anyone.
Hisana wasn't perfect. She was beautiful, certainly, but her eyes were too wide, her feet too large. She appeared delicate, but wasn't at all. She was too demure, too willing to give in, too unwilling to fight, too willing to let others fight for her. She had little honor and too much regret. But she had a hidden strength that few saw, but those that did sense that strength could draw upon it, and she would gladly lend it to whoever needed it.
And Byakyua loved her.
He loved her because of her flaws. Byakuya saw Hisana and knew she was not proper, that she would not fit into the Kuchki clan. He knew they would never accept her and wanted her because despite that. He saw her strength and knew that she could live there amongst the vipers and survive. She would add her strength to his and together they would become more than the elders believed they could.
But Hisana had more darkness in her than Byakuya had realized. When Hisana told him about her disease he tried to believe that they would be strong enough to overcome it. And when Hisana explained about her sister, how she had abandoned her only family, Byakuya knew that she would not recover. She was going to allow herself to die. And Byakuya knew he was not strong enough to fight this disease without her strength. It was enough to promise to find her sister and to care for her as his own.
The fight to bring Rukia into the family was fiercer than the fight to bring Hisana into the family. Because this fight Byakuya had to fight on his on. But as he argued, as he promised things beyond his control, Byakuya felt new strength within him and knew that he could not let himself fail. For Hisana's sake.
Rukia was anything but perfect. She always showed proper respect for Byakuya, but she was loud and brash. She did not understand about the finer things, she did not understand what was proper. She cared too deeply, felt too much. But she learned quickly and took to heart the lessons that Byakuya imparted to her. And Byakuya was filled with pride as he watched her become strong. He entrusted Rukia to Ukitake's care and knew she would be safe. And his promise to Hisana was fulfilled.
But Byakuya had failed to take into account the early experiences that had shaped Rukia. He had believe she had become a proper, demure girl. But she had Hisana's strength and stubborness and more. Rukia was headstrong and temperamental. She believed deeply and fought fiercely for what she believed in. She put herself in deliberate danger and broke one of the most basic laws of Sereitei. And Byakuya felt his hands tied despite his desire to save her. He had failed Rukia. And he had failed Hisana.
Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to embody that which Byakuya had once possesed. He lived by his convictions and sought only what was right, not what was demanded or expected of him. Ichigo Kurosaki was a ryoka, a mere human who had stolen power in order to awaken his own. But somehow Byakuya found himself envious of Ichigo Kurosaki, of his convictions, of his ability to see beyond what appeared to what was.
Ichigo Kurosaki was an abomination. He was everything that Byakuya loathed. And yet Byakuya owed Ichigo Kurosaki more than he could ever repay.
"You're thinkin' too hard, Kuchki."
Byakuya struggled to keep his eye from twitching at Zaraki's statement. "I've no idea what you're speaking of."
Zaraki snorted and glanced at Byakuya from the corner of his eye. "Right, you don't. It's simple, Kuchki: you lost. You get stronger and next time you win."
Byakuya paused a moment to consider all possible meaning behind Zaraki's words. "You are speaking of my battle with Kurosaki."
"Damn right, I am. Little bastard beat me, too. Don't think that's gonna stop me from killing him next time I get the chance."
Byakuya ignored the glint in Zaraki's eye. "Once again you display your ignorance. I've no interest in fighting against Kurosaki again."
"Scared the kid'll beat you again?"
Byakuya glared a beat at Zaraki before turning his eyes forward again. "Hardly."
Zaraki stared hard at Byakuya. Byakuya felt on the verge of squirming when Zaraki spoke again. "It ain't the kid you're afraid of." Zaraki released a short, scoffing laugh. "You're all upset about Tousen, Gin and Aizen."
Byakuya stared straight ahead.
"You nobles," Zaraki scoffed. "Honor don't mean anything. Only thing that matters is surviving."
"And is that why you fight?" Byakuya asked.
"Heh, do you think I need another reason?" Zaraki answered with his familiar maniacal grin.
Byakuya turned to face Zaraki. "You can think of no other reason? No one you would be willing to fight for?" Byakuya watched as the expression fell from Zaraki's face and knew he had come up with another reason to fight. "Honor is not the only reason that nobles fight."
Zaraki studied Byakuya a moment before turning to face the door again and asking, "You want to get stronger, don't you? It's why you keep fighting."
"I fight because I can. I fight for those who can't fight," Byakuya answered after a moment.
Zaraki laughed again, softly, not the scathing laugh that Buyakuya was used to hearing from him. "We're not so different, then."
Byakuya nodded. "I never thought we were that different." He was silent a few heartbeats. "Though I am certain you spend more time arranging your hair each day than I do."
Zaraki turned sharply to Buakuya, who stared calmly forward. Zaraki grinned at him. "Wouldn't be so sure about that, Kuchki."
Byakuya glanced at him from the corner of his eye but they both faced the Senkaimon as it opened. He had not wanted to wait with Zaraki for the order to report to the living world; but as they stepped through the light Byakuya was surprised to discover that he had enjoyed the time spent waiting. But now it was time to turn his attention to his duty, to the one thing that would always wait patiently for his attention.
Cross posted to
bleach_fanfiction and
anime_manga
Author: Willidan
Rating: G
Wordcount: 1030
Warning: Spoilers for SS Arc
Summary: Takes place at the end of Chapter 238. A little introspection between Kuchiki taicho and Zaraki taicho.
Disclaimer: I don't own Bleach and I gain nothing from writing and posting this save for a tingling sensation in my fingertips. No harm intended to anyone.
Hisana wasn't perfect. She was beautiful, certainly, but her eyes were too wide, her feet too large. She appeared delicate, but wasn't at all. She was too demure, too willing to give in, too unwilling to fight, too willing to let others fight for her. She had little honor and too much regret. But she had a hidden strength that few saw, but those that did sense that strength could draw upon it, and she would gladly lend it to whoever needed it.
And Byakyua loved her.
He loved her because of her flaws. Byakuya saw Hisana and knew she was not proper, that she would not fit into the Kuchki clan. He knew they would never accept her and wanted her because despite that. He saw her strength and knew that she could live there amongst the vipers and survive. She would add her strength to his and together they would become more than the elders believed they could.
But Hisana had more darkness in her than Byakuya had realized. When Hisana told him about her disease he tried to believe that they would be strong enough to overcome it. And when Hisana explained about her sister, how she had abandoned her only family, Byakuya knew that she would not recover. She was going to allow herself to die. And Byakuya knew he was not strong enough to fight this disease without her strength. It was enough to promise to find her sister and to care for her as his own.
The fight to bring Rukia into the family was fiercer than the fight to bring Hisana into the family. Because this fight Byakuya had to fight on his on. But as he argued, as he promised things beyond his control, Byakuya felt new strength within him and knew that he could not let himself fail. For Hisana's sake.
Rukia was anything but perfect. She always showed proper respect for Byakuya, but she was loud and brash. She did not understand about the finer things, she did not understand what was proper. She cared too deeply, felt too much. But she learned quickly and took to heart the lessons that Byakuya imparted to her. And Byakuya was filled with pride as he watched her become strong. He entrusted Rukia to Ukitake's care and knew she would be safe. And his promise to Hisana was fulfilled.
But Byakuya had failed to take into account the early experiences that had shaped Rukia. He had believe she had become a proper, demure girl. But she had Hisana's strength and stubborness and more. Rukia was headstrong and temperamental. She believed deeply and fought fiercely for what she believed in. She put herself in deliberate danger and broke one of the most basic laws of Sereitei. And Byakuya felt his hands tied despite his desire to save her. He had failed Rukia. And he had failed Hisana.
Ichigo Kurosaki seemed to embody that which Byakuya had once possesed. He lived by his convictions and sought only what was right, not what was demanded or expected of him. Ichigo Kurosaki was a ryoka, a mere human who had stolen power in order to awaken his own. But somehow Byakuya found himself envious of Ichigo Kurosaki, of his convictions, of his ability to see beyond what appeared to what was.
Ichigo Kurosaki was an abomination. He was everything that Byakuya loathed. And yet Byakuya owed Ichigo Kurosaki more than he could ever repay.
"You're thinkin' too hard, Kuchki."
Byakuya struggled to keep his eye from twitching at Zaraki's statement. "I've no idea what you're speaking of."
Zaraki snorted and glanced at Byakuya from the corner of his eye. "Right, you don't. It's simple, Kuchki: you lost. You get stronger and next time you win."
Byakuya paused a moment to consider all possible meaning behind Zaraki's words. "You are speaking of my battle with Kurosaki."
"Damn right, I am. Little bastard beat me, too. Don't think that's gonna stop me from killing him next time I get the chance."
Byakuya ignored the glint in Zaraki's eye. "Once again you display your ignorance. I've no interest in fighting against Kurosaki again."
"Scared the kid'll beat you again?"
Byakuya glared a beat at Zaraki before turning his eyes forward again. "Hardly."
Zaraki stared hard at Byakuya. Byakuya felt on the verge of squirming when Zaraki spoke again. "It ain't the kid you're afraid of." Zaraki released a short, scoffing laugh. "You're all upset about Tousen, Gin and Aizen."
Byakuya stared straight ahead.
"You nobles," Zaraki scoffed. "Honor don't mean anything. Only thing that matters is surviving."
"And is that why you fight?" Byakuya asked.
"Heh, do you think I need another reason?" Zaraki answered with his familiar maniacal grin.
Byakuya turned to face Zaraki. "You can think of no other reason? No one you would be willing to fight for?" Byakuya watched as the expression fell from Zaraki's face and knew he had come up with another reason to fight. "Honor is not the only reason that nobles fight."
Zaraki studied Byakuya a moment before turning to face the door again and asking, "You want to get stronger, don't you? It's why you keep fighting."
"I fight because I can. I fight for those who can't fight," Byakuya answered after a moment.
Zaraki laughed again, softly, not the scathing laugh that Buyakuya was used to hearing from him. "We're not so different, then."
Byakuya nodded. "I never thought we were that different." He was silent a few heartbeats. "Though I am certain you spend more time arranging your hair each day than I do."
Zaraki turned sharply to Buakuya, who stared calmly forward. Zaraki grinned at him. "Wouldn't be so sure about that, Kuchki."
Byakuya glanced at him from the corner of his eye but they both faced the Senkaimon as it opened. He had not wanted to wait with Zaraki for the order to report to the living world; but as they stepped through the light Byakuya was surprised to discover that he had enjoyed the time spent waiting. But now it was time to turn his attention to his duty, to the one thing that would always wait patiently for his attention.
Cross posted to
bleach_fanfiction and
anime_manga