Where Cherry Blossoms Fall

Chapter Eight:

It was snowing again, soft pink petals drifting lazily in the wind. The woman caught a few with her hand as she spun slowly in the shade of a tree. She closed her eyes. The air was so sweet today, bouquets of cherry blossoms warmed to a velvet liquor in the afternoon sun. Somewhere in the haze birds sang happily. Cicadas hummed in rythmic waves.

Into a soft pile of pink she gently fell, laughing freely, enjoying the tickle of grass beneath her kimono. All done with sweeping now, and yet never finished, Sakura smiled as pink dusted the ground she'd only just uncovered. In a moment the work of an hour was undone.

But how could she be upset by such a beautiful thing?

It was to this small grove that Sakura found herself wandering as she swept. The quietness of it drew her, the pure green grass dappled with sunlight called her name. Pristine fields rolled over small hills and formed channels around roots, pink dotted the sky.

The trees were at their peak today and the world was basking in their heady perfume. The woman knew all too well Karakura Town would be lined up for the busy parks, blankets hiding the grass, the crush of bodies obstructing the purity of viewing.

But here Sakura had found peace. For just a small moment she could believe that this was hers and hers alone, a private escape, a special slice of nature all to herself. Untouched by anyone save her.

The woman rolled to her side, propped up by an elbow, and ran her fingers along the long, cool grass. Butterflies soundlessly danced to their own time along the field, kissing the flowers, spreading light across their wings. In one luxurious sigh, Sakura lay back and spread out her arms beneath her.

Something about this seemed so familiar. The blossoms, white wings dancing in the corners of her vision, the excitement racing through her veins. A fragment of memory, a day in another's life.

Sakura looked up past the rush of pink trees and studied the deep blue sky.

That dream she'd had earlier flashed into memory again, the closeness of that man, the tenderness of his voice. Who was he? Why did Sakura long for him so? And that name, Hisana, so much like a whisper into the depths of her soul. Hisana...who was she?

Byakuya purposefully had taken the long, scenic route to where his wife would be sweeping, hoping for an encounter, practicing his surprise for when their paths would inevitably cross. But, she wasn't here.

The man searched high and low across the bounty of steps and courtyards, along the row of buildings, near the shrine facilities, near the gates, everywhere. Where was Hisana? Sakura, he forced himself to remember. Sakura. Would he ever get used to that name?

The man could almost hear Urahara's laughter at the mistake.

But then again, did it really matter? Soon she'd regain her memories as Hisana and go back to being his wife. Byakuya had no doubt of this. His mind had been made up some time ago, oh, back when he first laid eyes on her perhaps, that this woman would remember and love him and things would go back to being the way they were.

But this thought did nothing to ease his current predicament.

Slightly squashed in spirit, the man had given up his search and traced his steps back toward the lodging camp. Or at least, he thought he'd gone back towards camp…where he was now was anyone's guess.

He had become thoroughly lost. What was it about the living world that he couldn't navigate?

Byakuya stood in the middle of a length of forest, looking for anything familiar. Every tree seemed to mock him. Again, that damned Urahara laughed in the depths of his mind. So frustrating, that man.

Byakuya weighed his options.

Yes, he could ditch his gigai and simply fly back to the top of the mountain, but then someone might find the body laying here. Or he might need it later if he ever found Sakura...

Feeling silly, the man looked up toward the sky and tried to use the sun for reference. To the right Byakuya set out, over a few fields, down around a small stream, up a hill. He looked back up and was lost to the canopy of pink. Birds started chattering about his intrusion on their solitude. Byakuya narrowed his eyes.

Cutting across a narrow wood, he quickly found himself even more lost. Damn. A squirrel jumped hastily out of his path.

And that's when he heard the laughter. No longer was it the echo of Urahara's mocking that filled his ears.

Enchanted by its sweetness, Byakuya forgot about being lost. His heart was too anxious to beat. His breath hitched painfully in his throat. It was the laughter he'd known in both life and in dreams, the laughter he'd been missing.

Tears welled in his eyes as he crept behind a thick cherry tree. Until this moment he hadn't realized how much he'd missed it.

Slowly, he peaked around the tree.

There, in a bright clearing, she danced. Like an angel. His angel. Hisana. Scattering light from her shiny hair, catching the breeze with her kimono. Twirling, laughing, loving nature just as he remembered.

Byakuya caught himself before joining her, forced himself to remain soundless behind his tree.

In a puff of pink Hisana lay in a pile of cherry blossoms, smiling sweetly. Her hair tangled with petals but she didn't mind it. Flowers scattered all around her where she lay, propped by an elbow. She plucked one off the pool of red silk against her thigh and brought it to her nose, inhaled its sweetness.

The man suddenly felt the strings of memory pull at him. This was so familiar, the placement, the scene...

Their first encounter in Soul Society. Of course! But back then it had been him in the cherry blossoms of his own creation, and Hisana...

Byukuya straightened. Suddenly the man recognized Fate's hand when he saw the opportunity.

Carefully he left the tree and went back into the forest. Memories flooded his mind. Anticipation swirled into a painful symphony that shouted at him with each step. This was it, the moment he'd waited for. A little further, not too much more...

"Hello?" He called, remembering Hisana's frightened voice that night. How long it had been. "Please, is someone there?"

It was like an old, familiar dance, reenacting this moment. The stage was set, the lights had come on, and now he waited for his star…

From her bed of flowers, Sakura heard his voice. She started. It was such an unexpected intrusion on her quiet world that at first she wasn't sure if it were real. But soon its richness found her ears once more. Panic and something else gripped her. It was a voice she'd heard before. Her heart knew it before her mind.

"If someone's out there, I have lost my way and need help. Anyone? Please..."

Byakuya didn't mind putting himself into this feeble position. Not for her. Never for her. He'd do anything for Hisana. The man aimlessly walked about, waiting for the woman to take up her cue. Come on, Hisana. Rescue me.

Sakura got up from where she laid, apprehensive, heart clenching at something indescribable. A strange, tickling sensation raced up her back and lingered in a blush across her cheek. It was like déjà vu, this feeling, as she crept through the trees toward the voice. Familiarity making her pulse race with expectation.

Dusty old memories flittered to the surface, her dreams and reality blending into one.

With a hand she pushed back an errant tree branch and stepped over a log, getting closer, feeling a tangible pull draw her near to him. Fragments of memory stirred breathlessly within her, a smile stealing her lips. And then, there he was.

Byakuya Kuchiki. Beautiful and tall beneath a plum tree. Eyes gazing intently into hers.

Byakuya sama…