Chapter 288: This and that

Chapter 288: This and that

(A/N I forgot to mention it but I have new editor. This one is hopefully less bloodthirsty. Welcome him warmly.)

(Byakuya's pov)

I have been... conflicted for some time now. The reason for that is my adopted sister, Rukia. The reason for allowing her to join Kuchiki's noble family was my wife, whom I love with all my being. Hisana... She spent many years searching for her lost sibling, almost losing her life before finding her if not for Ryoto Yuuki's intervention. And even after finding Rukia, she couldn't find strength in herself to face her after abandoning her. Hisana's only wish was for Rukia to have a good life, and I could provide it. And that's where my conflict started.

When marrying Hisana, I was met with opposition from the Kuchiki's elders, but with the help of my father granting me the position of the head of the clan, I was able to do as I wished, but the elders' opinion of me lowered significantly, which I didn't mind too much at that time.Your favorite stories on novelbin(.)com

That was until I heard the rumors about a young girl in Shinigami Academy looking eerily similar to my wife. Initially, I thought it was a poor attempt at a joke. It didn't help that the first to share this information was Ryoto Yuuki. Alas, no matter how small, I couldn't ignore a chance to find Hisana's lost sister, and my efforts were rewarded, but once again, I was met with resistance. This time, however, it was much more upfront, and my decisions in my younger days were catching up to me. It was then I promised in front of all of the elders to never break any of Sereitei's laws if they allowed me to be selfish this one more time. It thankfully worked, and somehow, everything turned out alright.

That was the case for some time, but life didn't allow me to be carefree for long, and Rukia committed one of the largest taboos in Soul Society, and that was giving her Shinigami powers to an ordinary human.

I did everything in my power, using every bit of my freedom without breaking any rules, but everything I did was meaningless, and Rukia's sentence was getting worse and worse until it was decided to execute her. Not only that, the date of her sentence was getting pushed forward, and my hands were tied. I couldn't do anything without getting my elders angry and possibly getting disowned from my family. It wouldn't be such a big issue if this would affect only me, but I can't predict what elders would do to Hisana. I am her shield against them, and if I'm gone, they could possibly execute her to 'cleanse' the clan from dishonor, and I couldn't risk that.

On the other hand, if I don't do anything, I will cause Hisana much sorrow, and I didn't need Yukima to know that, but I'm just... lost. I don't know what to do.

While being deep in my thoughts, I failed to notice a presence entering the room I was occupying.

"Byakuya, what seems to trouble you."

It was, of course, my father, Sojun Kuchiki. He always looked to be carefree and was often seen with a gentle smile on his face. I loved and respected him greatly, but at the question he asked, I couldn't only stare emotionlessly.

"Right... stupid question. Do you want to talk about it?"

Talk about it... Maybe it's not a bad idea to get perspective from another person. I can only dwell on my problem for so long before it becomes useless.

"I'm torn about what I should do. Should I help Rukia in any way, I risk Hisana's safety; even if the risk is not big, I can't ignore it. But if I ignore Rukia's execution, it will cause Hisana grief that will probably not go away until her final breath. The way I see it is that I have a choice between Hisana's life, albeit miserable, or the risk of her death."

I confessed all my worries to my father. I believed that he may enlighten me in some way, and looking at him, I could see that he thought about my issue seriously.

"That's a difficult issue you are facing. I can see how you may have a problem with that but you are ignoring something important."



I wisely decided to ignore his comment and ask him about that dream. I have that gut feeling that it was more of a memory than a dream, and seeing his haori like that makes me think that he knows something.

"Hey, Ryoto-san... Did you visit the living a few years ago and save a woman with a child?"

The question didn't seem surprising or at least he didn't show it. He showed a thoughtful expression with a hand holding his chin.

"I did something like that. I was in the area, noticed a Hollow, killed the Hollow, and returned to Soul Society."

That makes things easier. I stood up and bowed my head in gratitude.

"Then I must thank you for saving me and my mom."

I couldn't see Ryoto-San's expression, but I heard him sighing.

"Raise your head, kid. You don't need to thank me for doing my job. I sometimes save people, and other times kill them. I don't want to be thanked for something I'm supposed to do. If you want to thank someone or something, you can thank your luck that I was nearby."

That was odd. Did I annoy him somehow? I wasn't fast enough to ask as a group of five (Ryoto-San's children, if I remember right) got inside the Study Chamber (still a stupid name).

The moment they could be seen, the air around Ryoto changed, and he released his Spiritual pressure and murderous intent at the same time. I almost fainted just by being close to him, but I still could hear him saying something with a tone that I thought was impossible to be made by him because it was filled with so much venom.



"Who did this."

—

(E/D: the fury of the father approaches.)

END

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