[ 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

[hisana_kuchiki]

Hisana stood as soon as she saw the figure exit the forest surrounding the large tree before she took a cautious step forward. "I didn't expect to see you in this place, Byakuya-sama." Her voice was quiet, her eyes lingering on his face briefly before she lowered them slightly. "I...have you been here long?" From their brief conversation over the odd device, she'd gathered that he was familiar with the area at least, which was a relief to her.

The last thing she remembered seeing was the roof of her room and then she'd woken up under this sky. Had she died or was this some sort of strangely vivid dream? At this point, she couldn't be sure of what was happening here but if anyone could answer her unspoken questions, it would be him. He seemed to know what she was thinking before she spoke many times, after all.

[hisana_kuchiki]

"I'm sure there won't be any problems with space and yes I can walk there with you." She reached to touch his sleeve, brushing off a leaf before she moved to walk past him.

I am SO sorry for the late response. ;-; Please forgive me

[sakurabito]

He reacted slowly, feeling the fabric buckle under the pressure she inflicted on it, following her action with his eyes long before his mind caught up. Still so gentle, still so calm, still so graceful--nothing like one would expect to find in the Rukongai. And she was here. The person that had been the focus of a few of his dreams these people had seen. All the more reason he shouldn't leave her side.

His strides carried him to her side instantly, cautious enough to remain close, yet enough distance to walk comfortably, something reminiscent of those days they would walk together and he would listen to her or the silence or the nature and decide just how he would make her day better when she smiled that sad smile, when her eyes glittered with disappointment. "Has anyone told you of this world, Hisana?" And if they had, he wanted to know just what and, more importantly, who. "Or of the device you possess?"

It's fine <3

[hisana_kuchiki]

"Aside from you warning me it wasn't what it seemed, no, Byakuya-sama. I've only spoken with a few people while I was waiting for you, here." She kept pace beside him, taking note of their surroundings as they walked. He seemed to be a bit more comfortable around her than he had been when they'd started talking, at least, Hisana noted, glancing up at him for a moment.

The news that she'd been dead for half a century had surprised her a little but she'd known her death was coming. The only regrets she'd had were focused on leaving him behind and not locating her sister, and those were something she could at least rectify here.

<3!

[sakurabito]

"Then I shall explain." Or, he would try to, in the best way he could

<3333

[hisana_kuchiki]

"...What sort of games?" Hisana asked after a moment, pausing to look up at him, her expression questioning. The idea of being held at the whim of so-called gods did disturb her, but they had also given her the opportunity to be reunited with both her husband and her long-lost sister. Hisana listened quietly as he continued speaking before she asked another question.

"...It records whether you want it to or not? Is there a way to keep this from happening?"

\o/ <333

[sakurabito]

"..." How did one explain such a thing without making himself look horribly used? It was a nearly impossible task, really. "They manipulate our will, our bodies, even our dreams. It is a world made to play on your emotions. Your insecurities." And the worst part wasn't that he couldn't stop it, that he couldn't preserve what he was and should be. It was that he could no longer protect Hisana from it, from the visions that would undoubtedly be recorded from each and every person, things that were engraved in minds and would likely never leave. Embarrassments recorded. Feelings displayed.

"We can stop it no more than we can leave of our own volition." Because there doesn't seem to be a pattern... "It is likely they focus on those who cause trouble, if their wish for 'harmony' can be trusted." Which he cannot be sure of.

Re: \o/ <333

[hisana_kuchiki]

"And they do this to every resident here?" Hisana's voice was quiet, a faint note of concern tinging her words as she spoke. "I can see why you would warn me of such things then. There are things that should only be shared with those you trust, after all."

Her fingers curled into a fist at her side almost unconsciously. "And there's no way to stop it from happening at all?"

[sakurabito]

"None are immune." Not him. Not her. Not those who were innocent and had done no wrong, nor those who killed and caused trouble. Unless he had simply not found a way... "They care not about such things. They would much rather humiliate us than to accept there are ways they do not understand." And they were carefully spoken, lacking inflection, but they were words of a rather angry noble who did not much like coming here to begin with.

"Some have avoided most of it. I suspect 'model citizens' should be less likely to receive these embarrassments. You should have very little issue with them." It was sincere. Hisana would never cause trouble and he had managed to minimize his exposure to these things. It was proof enough that such 'punishments' could be avoided, for the most part, anyway. "Put your mind at ease."

[hisana_kuchiki]

"...I am sorry they have made things difficult for you, Byakuya-sama." Hisana read past his words easily and then tilted her head to look up at him for a moment. "But I will try to help in any way I can, now that I am here."

The rest of the information was filed away before she reached over, almost tentatively placing a hand on his sleeve. "Is there anything else I will need to know to expect here?"

[sakurabito]

"No, it is not your concern

[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."