HELL / DANCE

She had not been atop that hill to watch how deeply the betrayal had cut through many, both physically and metaphorically alike, … and she should have been. When Byakuya had gone after that strange boy, there had been nothing she could have done to aid him ( had not felt it even necessary ). When her father had chased after Shunsui and Juushiro, there had been even less she could have done for them. When Unohana had stepped in to guide her out of idle uncertainty, she’d been grateful. Sasakibe had been among the injured, and Eri had been grateful to be instructed to aid him. 

—— But she never should have left that hill. Sasakibe, hospital bound, had ordered her … no … requested it of her that she stay. For fear that she would attempt to place herself between the burning ire of her father and the two men who had been staples in her life for centuries. Perhaps she may have, but that would not have been where she ought to have been either. Byakuya had been gravely injured, finally able to act on his will to keep Rukia from harm. Eri had still held the title of his acting Lieutenant … she should have been there. She should have been there regardless to support him from his injuries the ryoka had left him as well.

No matter how she tried to rationalize it, she had failed. All of her father’s admonishments had been deserved and she had allowed the weight of them to bow her head until it was pressed to the floor. If Byakuya chose to offer any of his own, they would be earned as well … If nothing else, she would give him the opportunity. Eri had considered bringing some form of gift to his hospital room as well wishes, but ultimately had talked herself out of it in fear that it could be misconstrued as a hollow attempt to smooth over her actions with a weak gesture. 

With a soft knock, she awaited being granted entrance before stepping inside. She took the care to close the door behind her with a quiet click before offering him a smile she knew had to be drowned in concern. The sight of the bandages covering what his yukata did not had her heart sinking, threatening to pull the corners of her lips down right along with it.  

❝ Captain Kuchiki, how are you feeling? ❞

In the days since, he’d sat alone with his thoughts, a swirling conflict of regret and relief. No matter how he weighed them, he couldn’t decide which emotion tipped the scales further: his guilt in honoring the wrong vow, in bringing his own blade to bear toward his sister’s demise, or the solace of feeling her hand, warm, alive, in his own. Forbidden by Captain Unohana herself to leave the room, he had no tasks to occupy his mind, nothing to do except stew at the center of his own inner storm. So consuming were his thoughts, for a moment he almost didn’t notice the presence hovering outside his door. 

Almost.

He’d grown attuned to her reiatsu in their brief days working alongside each other. A subtle thing, restrained and unassuming – like a modest candle, compared to the raging inferno of the Captain Commander’s presence. Nevertheless, it drew his gaze to the door only moments before that delicate knock sounded. He bade her enter, and was met with a smile that didn’t quite reach her eyes. He answered her with a soft sigh. 

“Well enough.” Truly, his pride suffered the greatest injury. To be bested by a child. A human child, at that. And yet, he couldn’t bring himself to resent the boy; not when his actions saw Rukia delivered safely from Aizen’s plot. Byakuya closed his eyes, banishing all thoughts of the former Captain before he turned his attention toward Eri in full. 

Aside from the look of concern in her eyes, she looked no different than the last time he saw her, only minutes before those fateful events unfolded. He might have expected her to join Kyouraku and Ukitake in their efforts to forestall the Sōkyoku. In some ways, he was thankful she did not. The Captain Commander was not the kind of man to spare his kin. He supposed they had that in common.