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Chapter 1: What Remains

It was like a living nightmare. A strong thunder rolled overhead as rain poured down onto a swarm of umbrellas. A trickle of blood tainted the water as it scurried across the road and into the nearest grate. Everyone was talking, trying to peer past the barrier of yellow tape the police erected. On the other side lingered the authorities: a young man shaking his head and taking notes as he spoke to the quivering driver of the silver car. Two others examined the bloody dent in the front bumper and the crimson smear across the cracked windshield. Further back, standing near the point of impact, were two paramedics. Even though they were used to seeing such gruesome things, they grimaced as they glanced from the blood-stained pavement to the cart whose occupant lay motionless beneath a white sheet. A slender left hand hung over its side, entwined by a web of red rivulets.

She could still hear the last murmurs of the deceased as the blood dripped onto the pavement above the wailing sirens, the piteous murmurs of the crowd, and the snarl of thunder overhead. Sitting beneath a nearby awning with her arms wrapped around her legs, she studied the scene with placid eyes. Her eyes were just visible over her knees, separated from the scene only by a pair of thin-rimmed glasses. The flashing light of the police cars bounced off of them as they pivoted about, shooting their accusing gazes over the crowd and towards her. Other than the occasional jolt at the unexpected boom of thunder or the doleful sigh at her own memories of the incident, she, too, remained motionless.

The police didn’t bother asking her questions, even if she was a key witness. They would have bombarded her had they been able to see her. She wished she could tell them, tell them it wasn’t the driver’s fault, that the girl laying under that sheet had simply been frozen by an intense terror for a moment by the sound of a name, that she hadn’t intended for the results… but all of that was nothing more than a worthless afterthought.

“We have identified the victim, sir,” said one of the cops who had been studying the car earlier, “by the name on her student ID. It was…” A loud clap of thunder rang out, causing the unseen observer to push her hands over her ears and shudder. Burying her face in them, she momentarily drowned everything out, praying to be jolted back to consciousness when she rolled out of bed. When she opened her eyes again, she saw the same thing she had when she closed them with the same distant eyes, and she heard the same regrettable murmurs.

“She was too young to die…”

“…only fifteen…”

“…Unbelievable carelessness on the part of the driver…”

“I didn’t mean for this to happen. Gods, I swear I didn’t…” The driver fell into a heap his hands over his eyes, the wispy remnants of blood in the rainwater clinging to the pants of his expensive suit. “I have a daughter at home… what will she say when she finds out her father is a murderer?” He was sobbing into the shield of his hands, trembling as the unseen weight of guilt on his back pressed him further down. “I’m sorry… so sorry… I never meant for this to happen…” Despite what he had done, the investigators must have found some sincerity in his pleas. They reassured him to the best of their ability. A trace of gratitude shone in her eyes as she watched him rise and stagger towards the police car. He disappeared behind its windows a moment later, his grief lingering persistently on his knees and in his eyes.

After they took him and his tainted car away, the body was loaded into the ambulance, which disappeared slowly into the distance since there was no reason to rush. Once it was gone, the crowd slowly dispersed, returning to their everyday routines. Already, they were beginning to put the trauma of seeing a guiltless young woman who had her whole life ahead of her flung into the pavement with such force. Fury flashed across the dark clouds above head, and she braced herself for another jolt of thunder. This one was so loud, she actually cried out. She settled back into her state of mind once it settled, watching with tearless eyes as the sky wept for her. For a long time, she merely sat and watched the rain wash away the final traces of there ever being a body. Several shards of glass stood sentry, obstinate reminders that would not so easily be deterred.

She wasn’t sure how long she watched the rain until she felt it, a subtle trace of reiatsu drifting through the air. Powerful yet controlled, it would have drawn her gaze had it not been for the lightening that ignited the glinting reminders. They winked enticingly just before the huge boom, quieter than the last but still loud enough to make her flinch. She heard footsteps drawing closer, but she ignored them. A searing white dagger raced across the sky, throwing the elongated shadow of her approacher across the drenched sidewalk. This time, the crash drew no flinch out of her; only a heavy sigh.

The steps stopped as he stood rigidly next to her, an umbrella perched on his shoulder as he surveyed the scene before him. He threw his gaze onto the girl sitting next to him, but she made no sign of acknowledging his presence. A glimmer of distaste danced across the unfeeling gray pools as lightening flickered again. It brought to his attention the wooden sword sitting at her side. Drawn by the glisten of the solitary piece of silver chain link hanging from the hint, a brisk wind lifted the ends of a thin white cloth wound around its handle. It had no guard and all in all seemed a relatively pointless weapon to carry. Turning his gaze back to the empty road, he uttered his first words in a flat yet incredulous tone.

“A wooden sword?” Her eyes wandered up to him before falling again. “You are a shinigami, right? Where is your zanpakutoh?” Wordlessly, she gestured to the wooden stick beside her. “Surely, you must be joking,” he retorted in the same flat tone. Normally, she would have taken insult to the blatant underestimation of her abilities, but recent events kept her from uttering a single word of defense. She studied him for a moment from the corner of her eye, dodging his cold gaze whenever she could until at last she felt ready to hold it.

“Why are you here?”

“I’ve come to retrieve you,” he responded, his tone full of the insult her ingratitude caused. She blinked as a trace of confusion permeated her otherwise emotionally devoid gaze. Slowly, she turned her head to look at him.

“I’m not sure I understand. You are a captain, right? Why would a captain come all the way here just to ‘retrieve me’?” The venomous look he gave her clearly said he didn’t feel like explaining things at the moment, but some unknown factor must have changed his mind.

“Genryuusai-dono’s orders were unclear at first. He only told me there was something in the human world he wanted me to retrieve for him. I believe he mistakenly thought you were a special case, but judging from that wooden sword, I fear his reasoning is severely flawed. However…” A hint of fascination drifted across his gaze as he spoke. “I received no orders to measure your capabilities as a shinigami. I was merely ordered to retrieve you.” When she shifted her weight, his hand shot toward his sword, almost as if he expected her to resist. Silently, she lifted the forlorn sword she claimed to be her zanpakutoh and wrapped both hands around its middle. He noticed its subtle curve and narrow length, but particularly its lack of a guard. The way she held it was almost delicate, as if it was a precious family heirloom or a faithful companion whose loyalty went without measure.

“Souka...” She examined the glass again briefly. The rain was finally starting to let up, and if the moon had anything to say about it, the clouds would be dispersed before she rose. “Then by all means lead the way, Taichou-san.” He began walking forward once he was certain she would follow. She felt the anger in his gaze even when her back was to her. “Did I… say something to offend you?”

“You dishonor me with your familiar title.”

“Gomen-nassai, but I don’t know what else to call you.”

“Captain of the sixth division, Kuchiki Byakuya.” A fluttering streak of black caught her attention for a moment, its delicate wings waving as it sped past the slowly pacing captain. Her hands tightened around the sword as he peered at her from over his shoulder. “You should listen to your superiors when they speak.”

“I heard you,” she returned passively. “I was just trying to remember what my father said about the Kuchiki clan other than they were one of the Four Noble Families of Seireitei. Oh, that’s right…” Her voice trailed off, and a timid look of resistance flitted across her gaze. Normally, he wouldn’t have pressed the subject further, but he found the girl’s reaction rather suspicious.

“What did she say?”

“Empty.” The one word answer made him stop walking, and beneath that piercing gaze, she could only drop her gaze to the ground. “He told me… the Kuchiki clan was empty… because they lacked the emotional bonds all families share. At least… that’s the impression he got.” Her knuckles turned white as her grip on the wooden sword tightened. “Gomen-nassai… I’ve offended you again…” Whether it was the cold or the memory that made her shutter, he knew not. The rain was finally letting up, but it showed no sign of stopping.

“Who was your father?” After a moment of stubborn silence, he turned to face her. The eyes were still on the ground, the two unrestrained pieces of nutmeg-colored hair dropping what water they could not hold onto the pavement. When he took another step, she uttered another brief response to stop his approach.

“No one important.” Her hands shifted nervously as she glanced up at him. “If it helps, I prefer to judge such things by myself, and if I’m right, you aren’t all that cold at all. You’re just distant.” She couldn’t tell whether her words offended him or not. All she could do was search for some sign in those emotionless gray eyes.

“What do you mean… distant?” It was clear in his tone; she had offended him. The road to undoing the damage would undoubtedly be a difficult one, but she smoothed it as best as she could with her explanation.

“I mean you try to keep yourself away from things that are precious to you. True, it hurts to push the things and people you hold dear away, but it would hurt so much worse to lose them forever.” There was a brief change in his eyes. He gave her an incredulous look full of absolute disbelief. She was so worried she had only made things worse that she immediately dropped her own to the ground. “I must not be doing a very adequate job of explaining, but… I can assure you I had no intention of offending you.”

When the rain stopped falling on her, she glanced up again to see Byakuya standing before her, holding the umbrella over their heads. The wordless understanding reassured her almost to the point of smiling, but the chain of present memories restrained it firmly. She bowed her head in thanks before they started forward again, this time side by side. “Can I call you Byakuya-sama?” she asked suddenly. A simple nod was all she received; oddly, the gesture did even more to ease the tension. A smile ghosted briefly across her lips, and the silvery eyes behind the glasses leapt to life. Byakuya examined her with a side glance, stopping so quickly it caught her off guard. “What’s the matter?” she asked.

“You’re eyes… what color are they?” Bewildered by the question, she turned to face him, her smile returning to cover her sorrow.

“Nani? You can’t tell?”

“That triumph makes you seem impudent…”

“Don’t take offense, Byakuya-sama. There aren’t a lot of people who can tell what color they are from a distance. It takes careful scrutiny.” She adjusted her glasses with one hand before wrapping it back around her sword. He raised a brow at her confidence and leaned forward in a futile attempt to prove her wrong. She vanished from sight for a brief moment before reappearing a short distance away, a little breathless and a little shaken. “You startled me… that’s all,” she said, putting a hand over her racing heart and rejoining him at a slower pace. “Don’t get so close.” Byakuya made no indication of apology as they walked on. “I would tell you if you asked me.”

“Iie…” he responded. “I’ll find out on my own.”

“How do you intend to if I won’t let you get close enough to, hmm?”

“I don’t believe that is any of your concern.”

“Fine, then… I’ll drop it.” She soon returned to her previous state, her face drawn into a sullen, troubled frown, her eyes burning with a pitiful half-life. Her shoulders slumped under the weight of what she had witnessed, and her head bent slightly as she cast her eyes to their moist path.

“Do you know your name?” She nodded gently in reply, waiting as the anticipation built in the atmosphere behind a shield of silence. “Well, what is it?” Byakuya demanded.

“Tokazawa Miharu, but everyone I’m acquainted with calls me Haru… except for one persistent young man.” Sighing heavily, she looked to the captain walking beside her. “I swear, even if we’ve known each other since we were kids, he insists on calling me Tokazawa-san. I just don’t get it.”

“You speak of childhood as if it has long since passed.”

“It hasn’t, really. It just seems like it under the circumstances.” Sad reflections raced through the ambiguously-colored eyes, growing with each step they took. “Byakuya-sama, how long do you plan on walking?”

“For as long as I please. I’m in no hurry.” Haru looked questioningly at him, trying to find his reasoning without directly asking him. “Besides,” he added a moment later, “rain is a rare phenomenon in Soul Society.” She nodded her head in understanding, turning her eyes back to the road they were walking.

“I’m going to miss it.”

“Nani?”

“The smell of a passing storm.” Her eyes disappeared for a moment as a distant rumble of thunder passed them by, and she breathed deeply, memorizing the fresh smell of fallen rain. “I always admired the incredible power storms seemed to harbor, but at the same time, part of me was scared of them.”

“It is impossible to admire something you fear,” Byakuya said flatly. He glanced to Haru as she turned it over in her mind.

“Maybe.” Another smile broke through her apathetic expression. “If you don’t mind me asking, what do you intend to do with me once I am in Soul Society?” When he didn’t answer, Haru felt a nervous shiver pass through her. His silence was almost frightening, like standing at the very edge of a cliff and peering down at the ground below. She stopped walking, casting her trepidation-filled gaze downward, causing him to stop just one step after her.

“If you pose no threat, then you shall eventually be placed into one of the thirteen divisions.”

“Who judges that?”

“For the moment, I do.” Her hands tightened around her sword again, her shoulders trembling slightly. “Until then, you shall be staying with me in the main house…”

“Byakuya-sama, I can’t… I mean, I don’t…” she interjected, biting back the remainder of her argument beneath the absoluteness flashing across his gray eyes. Haru peered at him for a moment before bowing her head. “Arigato-gonzaimasu. I will try not to cause you too much trouble for you.” The thanks was enough to satisfy him… fortunately. She tried to hold back the shudders that passed through her shoulders, but the post-storm frigidity only amplified them. A breeze rushed past them, drawing another violent shudder from her.

“You must be cold.” Sheepishly, she nodded.

“But don’t let it stop you from enjoying yourself. I’ll be fine.” The slight change in his expression clearly uttered each and every doubt he had about her strength and abilities. As she silently prepared to endure another half an hour or so of frigidness, a shift in lighting drew her eyes forward. Before her appeared a pair of doors that opened to unveil a blinding white light. A single hell butterfly drifted out to meet its companion, and they danced together in the air before fluttering towards the light. “Byakuya-sama, this isn’t necessary.”

“It’s enough I am required to endure your company. You would only be more burdensome if you were to become ill.”

“Come on, I’m not that bad, am I?” she asked, pinning him with a half-smile and an amused gaze. Byakuya studied the eyes with fascination for a moment before turning his gaze in the direction he determined to walk in.

“I haven’t decided yet.”

“Souka.” Haru shifted her eyes away from his own to the gray sky above head. The sun must have been setting; though the storm had long since drifted out of ear shot and out of existence, the clouds were beginning to grow dark. “There were so many things I wanted to do here, Byakuya-sama, so many things…” Tears unshed brought a subtle quake into Haru’s voice as she spoke. “And now what… just what am I going to do in Soul Society, where I’m eons behind everyone else in skill level, power, and speed? How can I compete with shinigami that have been training before my grandparents were born? It’s all so sudden, so overwhelming…”

“Haru,” Byakuya interjected, drawing her apprehensive gaze. “Let’s go.”

“Hai.” Without a single look behind her, Haru followed briskly behind the captain. She hesitated only momentarily before entering the pale shimmer lying beyond the doors. As soon as she was engulfed by what lay within, the two pairs of doors shut behind her one after the other, and the gateway to Soul Society vanished, leaving behind no trace of ever having been there.

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well what do u think? if u like please review!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! (comment)
any-who
this was a Byakuya K. with a oc ^^