I kept glancing at Byakuya, trying to figure out why I felt I should know him before he and Rukia finally began stirring. I quickly averted my eyes, not willing to let him know I had been staring. I glanced at them through my hair to see them both watching me.
"How do you feel Nee-san?"
"A lot better." I stated honestly. "But, can I ask you something?"
"Of course."
"Why do you keep calling me that?" I couldn't keep quiet anymore. I had to know who they were.
"I-I've always called you that?" It came out as a stuttered question.
"Always? We've known each other for only a few days." She looked utterly shocked and the same emotion flashed over Byakuya's face.
"Everyone here seems to know my name. And people keep calling me Hime-sama. I don't know. I can't remember anything! I'm so confused!" My voice continued getting higher and more frantic as I continued talking. By the end there were hot tears streaming down my face.
I was suddenly wrapped in Rukia's gentle embrace. I laid my head on her shoulder and let the sobs run through me.
"What is wrong with me? Why can't I remember anything?" My voice kept breaking.
"What did they do to her Nii-sama?" Rukia questioned. My eyes widened as I pulled back to look at her.
"What are you talking about? They who?" She didn't answer for a while so I looked at Byakuya. He had a tight grip on the arms of his chair and his eyes closed, but other than that there was no hint at emotion.
Anger flashed through me and I hissed, "If you won't tell me, I'll find someone who will." Before I moved to stand up.
"No! Wait." Rukia sighed. "It's just, no one knows what happened while you were there. When we first felt your spiritual pressure, we were hoping you could tell us yourself, but..." She trailed off.
"But that's obviously not going to happen." I finished quietly. I pulled my knees to my chest and covered my face with my hands. It was getting hard to breath. My heart was beating unevenly.
I felt warm and comforting fingers gently attempting to tug my hands away from my face. After a moment I complied, but I turned my head away so I wasn't looking at him. Sadly my wrists were small enough for him to hold them in one hand and use the other to pull my face back to him.
"We'll help you through this if you let us." He said. Rukia nodded in agreement.
Without thinking I threw my arms around his neck and laid my head on his chest. His arms snaked around my waist.
"What am I going to do?" I asked.
"You can stay with us in the Kuchiki manor." Rukia said carefully, not leaving much room for argument. I pulled back to look at Byakuya.
"Of course." He said, as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.
"When can I leave?" I asked.
"Unohana taichou and the rest of squad four did a very good job while healing you, so more than likely today." Rukia answered. "Would you like me to go get her?" I nodded.
While she was out of the room I looked at Byakuya and asked, "Did she say manor?"
"Indeed." After a moment I thought, so what? It's just a huge house.
Rukia walked into the room with the female captain trailing her. She had a sad smile on her lips and her eyes were blank.
"Ready to leave Hi- erm, Kyiomi?"
"Hai." I mumbled. She started unhooking the tubes from my arm.
When she finished I asked, "What about clothes?"
"You have clothes at home still," Rukia smiled. She realized that I didn't know where home was and her smile faltered. "I mean, at the Kuchiki manor." A dark silence filled the room.
"I live there?" I murmured.
"Sometimes. Other times you were with the Roiyaru Kage." I was shocked.
The name sent a pang of familiarity through me, but it wasn't a good one. Upon hearing it, I became angry. I couldn't figure out why, there wasn't a picture in my mind to go with the title. In fact, I had no idea what - or where - it was, but it brought forth a seething hatred I didn't understand. I choked on the unexpected emotion.
"Perhaps you should go get settled in at the Kuchiki manor?" Unohana suggested, breaking the silence.
I clambered up quickly without a word and swayed on my feet. Byakuya caught me when my knees suddenly buckled.
"Maybe slow down just a little bit." Unohana said carefully.
Then, without warning, a powerful and familiar reiatsu rained down on us.
It feels almost exactly like mine! I realized. What the hell is going on?
Everyone in the room was having a hard time staying on their feet as the spiritual pressure continued to grow. I began letting my body take it in and power me rather than hinder me.
I stood up and faced the source, only to be shocked at seeing the shadow woman from my nightmare.
She looks so sad, that surprised me. Why would she be sad?
Her hand moved towards me, but she quickly snatched it back. She shook her head and was enveloped in a black light. It shrunk down to the size of a zanpakuto and when the last of the light was gone that's exactly what it was. The blade was pitch black, the hilt a bright shade of purple, and the guard had a set of tattered angel wings.
"Umm." Was all I could think to say. Everyone was staring at me. I felt self conscious.
"What?" I demanded.
"You might want to pick her up." Rukia murmured.
I slowly made my way to the sword. As I got closer, a humming sound got louder and louder. I stood still for a moment, seeing how she would react. The answer? Not well. A horrible metal on metal sound rang through the air. I grabbed my head out of sheer pain while Rukia yelled, "pick her up!"
The noise didn't stop until I ran forward and grabbed the hilt, which resulted in a much calmer and happier hum.
"You're kind of a bitch aren't you?" I couldn't help it, it slipped.
Just like you, my lady, she purred in my mind. Her voice was like satin. Thinking she was talking about me I smirked.
So are you-?
Yours? Indeed.
For how long? I asked. I felt numb.
Since you were born, my lady. That surprised me.
I'm sorry. I-I don't remember.
Do not fret, my queen. Everything will be straightened out soon. And with that she was gone.
She was there for a few seconds but I felt so empty now that she was gone again. Exhaustion swept through me and without meaning to, I fell. My limbs were heavy, making it hard to move.
One minute I was laying on my back, looking up at the bright hospital light and the next I was looking at a starry night sky.
Remember Kyiomi. It wasn't a question, but a command from a woman's voice. Remember who you are, and what they did to you. Remember.
Gasping for breath, I came to leaning on someone's chest. My eyes flicked open only to clamp shut against the light. I flinched against the person. One of their hands were entwined with mine while the other was around my waist.
Byakuya.
"What was that?" He demanded.
I didn't answer, I wasn't sure what the answer was, instead I tried to stand. I didn't get an inch from the ground before he pulled me against him again.
"Please tell me," he pleaded in my ear, sending butterflies through my stomach. I looked around to see Rukia and Unohana had left the room.
"It was a woman. She was telling me to remember who I am and what they did to me. You know who 'they' are. Don't you?" He tensed.
"Let's go home first." Was his response. I bit my lip. His warm breath was leaving burning trails down my neck. He must have felt me shudder, because he pulled back and pushed me forward gently so he could look at my face.
"What is wrong?" He asked, his voice slightly frantic. A crimson blush rose to my cheeks, heart fluttering. I blinked at turned my head away. He managed to turn me completely around, crushing my arms and torso against his own. My heart stuttered when I realized how close my face was to his.
Why am I acting like a lovestruck teenager?
I managed to get my hands on his chest and blushed deeper at how toned he was. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn't push away from him. He suddenly smirked. My heart was in my throat.
I tried hiding my face in my hands, but he pulled them back down to my sides. I settled for burying my face in his shoulder. Let me just say, big mistake!
He smelled incredible, like warm vanilla and cherry blossoms. I groaned loudly, causing a chuckle to rumble through his chest. Without warning he lifted me into his arms - earning a yelp from me - and walked out the door.
"Are you ready to go home?"
"More than ready." I smiled. It took us seconds to get there, and I have to say, it was most definitely a manor.
He set me on my feet and walked a few steps ahead of me into the building.
That's when the realization hit me. He's the head of this family. Oh my God! How could I have not seen that? So stupid!
Walking through the door two female servants ran up to us and bowed.
"Welcome home, Lord Kuchiki." They said in unison.
"Welcome home Hime-sama." Again, in unison. I mentally sighed but didn't respond.
"Show her to her rooms." He commanded coldly.
"Hai. This way, milady." I followed her without a second glance at Byakuya. I was led down a series of complicated halls before reaching a set of sliding doors.
On the wall above them was the same dripping cresent that I'd seen on my scythe. Both doors had a half of Yin and Yang.
I walked through the door to find I was in the same room as before. The servant closed the door behind me and something inside of me broke. I barely made it to the bed before I broke down.
There was so much going through my head. Who am I? What happened to me? Why can't I remember anything?
I knew my name- obviously - but that seemed to be the extent of my knowledge. When I tried to look back at anything at all from my past, it was as if I had run into a physical barrier that I just couldn't get around. It was exhausting and incredibly frustrating.
"God damn it!" I screamed into the pillow.
I forced all thoughts away and after an eternity my tears were all dried up, finally allowing me to drift off. Luckily I had no dreams, just darkness. No pain, just numbness.
And then, searing pain.
I felt like I was being burnt alive. But it was there and gone in an instant, and I couldn't wake up.
All of the sudden I was being stabbed. I couldn't see my assailants, just their blades. But that was gone too.
Reality came rushing back to me. I sat up screaming.
The Sun was already high in the sky.
I had been asleep for hours but I felt as if I hadn't slept at all. I sighed, There's no way I'm going back to sleep right now.
I stood and crossed the plush carpet to the white dresser. I pulled out a set flowing clothes before slowly making my way to the bathroom, pulling off the hospital clothes, and turning on the water. I left it almost completely cold, hoping it would further wake me up. I sat down under the stream, pulling my knees to my chest, and let it fall over me.
I don't want to cry anymore. It's getting me nowhere.
After a while I stood and turned the water off, stepping out of the shower.
I dressed quickly, no longer wanting to be in the manor more than necessary. I picked up the worn clothes and threw them into a small basket before leaving my room.
"Kyiomi-sama, Lord Kuchiki and Miss Rukia are waiting for you in the dining room." Said a bowing servant.
"Tell them I will not be joining them this morning please." He looked a little shocked, but nodded quickly and ran off.
Now I need to find someone who can help me find myself.